[Delicious Stories] Japan's 30 Years of Determination to Make Wagashi... Inventing the "Martian"

Poanggi, the machine that produces filled rice cakes and manj?

Invented by Japanese confectionery machinery maker Leon

Turning artisan creations into mass?produced goods

Editor's NoteThe earliest confectionery is said to have been found in ancient Mesopotamian civilization. In that sense, sweets have been with human history at every moment. From biscuits and chocolate to ice cream, we bring you delicious stories behind the snacks we love.

Wagashi such as glutinous rice cakes and manj? are made by wrapping filling inside a thin dough skin, and uniform shapes require the handwork of skilled artisans. How, then, did a machine capable of mass-producing such high?difficulty confections come into being? The world's first wagashi production machine was invented by a wagashi artisan. It was also a "machine of persistence" born out of more than 30 years of relentless effort.

A confectionery machine protected by more than 3,000 patents

Wagashi are difficult to mass-produce by machine because of their thin wrappers and intricate shapes. All About Japan

The wagashi production machine is called a "Poanggi" and is manufactured by the Japanese machinery maker Leon. Leon was the starting point of the Poanggi market and is in effect a monopolistic player. According to figures compiled by the Japanese authorities, Leon holds 90% of the Poanggi market in Japan and exports to more than 130 countries worldwide. Poanggi is also one of the "Top 100 Japanese Niche Export Products" selected by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Wagashi such as glutinous rice cakes and manj? are made by packing a thick layer of filling inside a thin dough skin. This makes it essential to distribute the dough and filling with precision, and to form the shape with appropriate force and pressure. It is difficult to produce such products with ordinary confectionery machines. Poanggi uses a mechanism in which five to six compression components close in to cut and seal the dough skin at the same time, enabling the production of 3,100 to 3,600 wagashi per day. To realize such exquisite motion, Leon filed no fewer than 3,000 patents.

The Martian Poanggi, born from 30 years of research

Five to six compressing components surrounding the nozzle close and open to shear blood, dough, and other materials, producing a perfect shape. The motion is simple, but precise force measurement is required. Leon

The inventor of Poanggi is Leon founder Torahiko Hayashi. In 1951, founder Hayashi, who aspired to become a manj? artisan, opened a shop called "Torahiko Confectionery." His manj? received nothing but praise, but the production process was so complex that supply could not keep up with demand. Overwhelmed by grueling work, founder Hayashi shifted his business focus from confectionery artisan to confectionery production machine developer. From that point, after more than ten years of research, he invented the world's first Poanggi in 1963.

The first Poanggi, named "Automatic Poanggi Model 101," was dubbed "the dream machine" in Japan. Thanks to the Automatic Poanggi, hundreds of wagashi could be mass?produced without the touch of an artisan, and what had been a premium dessert was transformed into an everyday snack that anyone could enjoy anywhere. Founder Hayashi later established Leon and continued to devote himself to developing confectionery machines, eventually launching the "Martian" in 1987.

Leon's Martian Poanggi. The product name refers to the two circular parts mounted on the front that resemble alien eyeballs. Leon

The name "Martian" was given because the two large circular components attached to the machine resemble alien eyeballs. Despite its comical appearance, the Martian was the culmination of Poanggi research. By minimizing machine vibration, it became possible to extrude wagashi in perfect shapes, and the machine could now handle hard fillings such as beans and chocolate chips in addition to red bean paste and cream. According to the Japanese business magazine President, the mass supply of products such as frozen dumplings and mochi ice cream was also made possible by high?performance Poanggi machines like the Martian.

Mass?producing what once belonged only to artisans

The automatic Poanggi was nicknamed "the dream machine" in Japan when it was first unveiled. Leon

Although Poanggi was originally developed to mass?produce wagashi, it also had a substantial impact on bread and pastry making. In the late 1970s, Leon invented the "Free Stretcher" process, which can compress pastry dough for bread into thin sheet form. Thanks to this technology, pastry sheets that had previously depended on artisan skills could also be mass?produced.

In 2013, the American Society of Baking inducted founder Hayashi into its Hall of Fame. The association stated, "Founder Hayashi and Leon used rheology (Rheology, the study of how materials deform under applied force) to create the world's first Poanggi," adding, "Thanks to this machine, traditional confectionery from around the world can now be produced with accuracy and at high speed. Moreover, it helped introduce the academic field of rheology to the world."

The association went on to say, "Leon’s technology is a true pioneer in the food industry. Food culture is a precious asset shaped by human wisdom, and preserving and advancing such food culture is an important mission for engineers and scientists."