地下鉄「五条駅」から南西へ徒歩１分。明治30年創業の全国各地にファンを持つおはぎの専門店。 惜しまれつつ三代目が店を閉めた後、2002年に孫である現店主の今西正蔵さんが復活させ話題に。もともと地域の人気店だけに美味しいのは当たり前、異業種からの転身は安易なことではなく、「納得できる味が安定したのは、ほんの数年前です」と、修練の日々を振り返る。

The time-consuming and painstakingly made bean-jam o-hagi, which is stirred with a cypress stick using an okudo-san still in service, has a straightforward flavor that once you have tasted it, you will never forget it.

Freshly made o-hagi are displayed in the showcase every morning and come in three varieties: tsubuan, koshian, and kinako (soybean flour), at 220 yen each. It takes two days to make the tsubu-an, which makes you smile because even the skin is soft and fluffy, and three days to make the koshi-an, which melts in your mouth like a mousse.

The sweetness is light and elegant because it is made without syrup. The light and fresh o-hagi make you want to reach for another one. You will want to visit just in time for opening time, as they sell out in the blink of an eye.

I want to share the deliciousness of [Imanishiken] with my friends. However, I can't give the o-hagi I eat on the same day to those who are far away. We started to offer our regular customers a new type of o-hagi, which is neither anko (red bean paste) nor paste, but boiled azuki beans themselves, for 980 yen.

It was originally a makana-like item that was given out to relatives and acquaintances. It is delicious on ice cream, floats on white rice balls, or with unsweetened yogurt.

Shozo says, "Every day, we are constantly inventing new ways to make our food, and time flies by. He thoroughly examines the ingredients and fine-tunes the soaking time depending on the season to deliver a consistent taste. On weekends, his two sons, who grew up watching his honest back, can be seen in the workshop. We cannot take our eyes off of Imanishiken in the future.