my name is
Candy5

About the Artist

Candy 5, also known as Miyuki studied traditional Japanese candy art under Master Kimura Takeo in 1994 and became the world’s first female candy artist in 300 years. In 1996, she moved to Orlando, Florida to perform at Walt Disney World’s Epcot. Since then, she has entertained and mesmerized many guests for 17 years with her amazing techniques at the Japan Pavilion. Now as a freelance artist, she hopes to expand her vision and share the Japanese art tradition by starting a world tour in 2015.

She creates sculptures on a stick from soft rice dough, a taffy-like product made from corn starch and sugar. She makes animals at the request of guests, in mere seconds; the most popular request is dragon. She starts with a white base and adds color as needed. The candy she works with is heated to 200 degrees to make it malleable, which is one of the reasons so few people have mastered this art. She must work quickly before the sugar cools and hardens.

She has appeared on a number of TV shows, such as The Rosie O’Donnell Show (2001), Sweet Dreams on The Food Network (October 2003), and The Travel Channel.

About Amezaiku - Japanese Traditional Candy Art

Amezaiku is a Japanese candy craft artistry. An artist takes multi-colored taffy and, using his or her hands and other tools such as tweezers and scissors, creates a sculpture. Amezaiku artists also paint their sculpted candy with edible dyes to give the finished work more character. Animals and insects are common shapes created by Amezaiku often to the appeal of younger children. Intricate animal characters are created with expert speed. Some Amezaiku artists are also street performers who perform magic tricks and tell stories along with their candy craft entertainment.

During the Heian period, the art of Amezaiku was imported from China and was probably first used in Japan for candy offerings made at temples in Kyoto. The Amezaiku craft spread beyond the temple during the Edo period, when many forms of street performance flourished in Japan.