Onshi no Konpeitō (恩賜の金平糖)orOnshikonpeitō (恩賜金平糖) are small boxes of konpeitō candy given as gifts by the Japanese emperor or on behalf of the emperor.[1]
Onshino Konpeitō was given out by the 1890s, for example on the occasions of marriages, inthronisations, or other auspicious events.[2][3]
Konpeito is given in elaborate small boxes called bonbonniere (ボンボニエール), from the French bonbonnière, meaning candy box.[4] The practice of giving bonbonniere dates back to the commemoration ceremony of the Meiji Constitution in 1889 and has since been thought to be a symbol of good luck. The Japanese Imperial Family has used this gift as the official 'Welcome' gift continuously for over 130 years.[5][6][7][8]
Another form of imperial gifts that emerged at the same time were the Onshino Tabako products, however this ceased in 2006.
^Felice Fischer (2008). The art of Japanese craft: 1875 to the present. Philadelphia Museum of Art. p. 60. Tokyo: Kunaicho, 2004. Yorokobi no kobako: bonbonieru no ishobi (Celebratory miniature boxes: the decorative beauty of the bonboniere).
