What are tansan senbei?
Arima Onsen, which is said to be the oldest hot spring in Japan, has a variety of hot springs with different spring qualities. These include the copper colored “kinsen” that contains a lot of iron and salt, the radium spring that contains radium, and the carbonated spring that contains carbonic acid.
Using this carbonated spring water, our founder, Shigematsu Mitsu, started manufacturing and selling "tansan senbei" (carbonated rice crackers) at the end of the Meiji period.Tansan senbei has its roots in healthier, natural foods that do not contain butter, eggs, or additives of any kind.They are ideal for souvenirs, gifts, and get-well presents.
Origin Tansansen (carbonated spring) was identified as a mineral spring in Meiji 6 (1873) by Genjiro Kajiki, mayor of Yunoyama-cho (now Arima-cho). Prior to that, people referred to it as poisonous water and refused to go near it. In Meiji 8 (1875), volunteers from Yunoyama-cho, who could not decide whether the spring water was harmful or not, requested an analysis of the spring water from the Osaka Shiyakujo (Drug Ruling Institute) of the Home Ministry. As a result, it was determined to be naturally carbonated water suitable for both drinking and bathing, and has since become widely known to the general public. After its medicinal properties were proven, local volunteers built a spring shed in 1904 to protect the spring water from rain and dew, to guide the flow of the spring so that bubbles would be generated, and to ensure the continuous flow of the spring water.
Composition of carbonated spring: Simple carbon dioxide spring (simple CO2 spring), slightly acidic cold mineral spring
Talking about tansan senbei Cider and carbonated rice crackers were produced using the carbonated water, which was certified as a mineral spring and suitable for drinking. Cider was first produced in Japan in 1901 by utilizing the carbonated spring water of Arima. Cider was produced in Arima until Taisho 15 (1926), but is no longer manufactured there.

Shigematsu Mitsu, the founder of Mitsumori Honpo, was instructed by Koreyoshi Ogata (the second son of Koan Ogata, who founded Tekijuku, a school for Dutch studies, during the Edo period; he loved the natural beauty of Arima Onsen and stayed in Arima frequently) and Jiro Kazahaya (owner of the hot spring inn Hyoe Koyokaku) to make rice crackers using carbonated water around 1907. However, the baking process did not go smoothly. With the advice of Yoshibe Yoshida (owner of Yoshitakaya), he succeeded in baking a thin rice cracker. The ingredients of tansan senbei are wheat flour, potato starch, sugar, and salt, and these were kneaded with carbonated water and baked thinly, making it a gentle food for the stomach. When it was first produced, it was adopted at Dr. Ogata's hospital and other places as a food for weaning babies and the elderly after illness, and was well received.

It would later become a specialty item of Arima Onsen, and according to the Arima Gunshi, a book on the history of Arima, the tansan senbei was made from carbonated water and flavored with several nourishing ingredients, making it a suitable souvenir with a light flavor and rich nourishment.
  • After pouring the proper amount of dough into a thick iron plate mold, which has been used since around 1955, and baking them, the overflow burrs are shaved off by hand. There is perfect coordination between the baker and the shaver to finish them off quickly.
  • Perfect coordination of the manual baking and shaving process
  • Nostalgia and warmth of wood
  • Mitsumori Honpo, the birthplace of tansan senbei in Arima Onsen, is located along Yumotozaka street, and has been selling only the hand-baked carbonated rice crackers for over 120 years since its founding.
  • We will continue to promote the appeal of our new tansan senbei with a completely new texture that is a refreshing change of pace from the traditional crispy carbonated rice crackers.
    We hope you will enjoy the new Arima Onsen sweets while strolling around the area.
  • The possibilities of
    tansan senbei
  • Mitsumori online store
  • Mitsumori is involved in a local revitalization project
    in collaboration with Onsen Musume
    Arima Onsen Ganso Mitsumori's tansan senbei introduced by Onsen Musume, Arima Onsen's special tourism ambassador!
    lease come and enjoy the traditional taste of Arima's specialty carbonated rice crackers, which have been passed down since the end of the Meiji period.
  • «
    PAGE
    TOP