Anpan is a traditional Japanese bread with a sweet anko (red bean) filling and is often baked in different shapes. The latest anpan creation from the Prince Pan Kobo bakery at Hakodate Onuma Prince Hotel resembles the face of Hokkaido’s only national treasure Hollow Dogu.

The new Dogu Anpan has added texture and aroma compared to normal anpan through the use of walnuts and chestnuts, while the bakery has chosen to make the bread dough using local wheat flour from Hokkaido. A sliced chestnut is also used to make Hollow Dogu’s mouth! Although the real Hollow Dogu is over 3,500 years old, it would be unfair to expect the Dogu Anpan to last as long, especially in the hands of a hungry customer!

The original Hollow Dogu clay figurine discovered in 1975 by the farmers in the former Minami Kayabe Town (currently Hakodate City). Hollow Dogu was designated as an important cultural property in 1979 and a national treasure in 2007, and is still the only national treasure in Hokkaido. Experts estimate that it was made in the late Jomon period about 3,500 years ago.