Hoshigaki is the Japanese art of drying persimmons. DeepCraft has just undertaken the beautiful task.
Ene recently discovered the Japanese art of Hoshigaki, a technique of drying fruit by a combination of open-air hanging and hand massaging. The fruit is picked before it fully ripens, with a section of branch left attached, then it is peeled and hung for several weeks, gently squeezed daily after a skin develops; the massaging brings out the sugars. Our studio is rimmed with drying persimmon, adding to the season’s festive atmosphere.
6 thoughts on “Hoshigaki”
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The Japanese come up with beautiful crafts with natural materials indeed. But I think this is one craft I’ll leave alone; persimmons are hard to come by in the Midwest, that if I perchance manage to come across a case at my local Costco or Asian grocery, my kids and I will gobble them up before they even have a chance to become art.
My mom used to make these every year! She’d store them in the freezer while they’re still a tad pliable or slice them and preserve them in a jar with yuzu (citrus) rind and bit of soju (enough to coat and dampen). YUM!
I’ve been staying with my grandparents in Japan over the last week, and we see trees bearing these fruits all over the place! This would have been a great craft if I were staying longer…