Karl Joseph Wilhelm Juchheim
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Karl Joseph Wilhelm Juchheim (25 December 1886 – 14 August 1945) was a German
confectioner Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewh ...
who first introduced
baumkuchen Baumkuchen () is a kind of spit cake from German cuisine. It is also a popular dessert in Japan. The characteristic rings that appear in its slices resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, ''Baumkuchen'', which literally translat ...
to Japan, a traditional German layered cake. The Juchheim Company, founded by Karl Juchheim and his wife in 1921, continues to sell baumkuchen and other sweets according to Juchheim's original recipe in pastry shops throughout Japan.


Life


Early life in Jiaozhou

Karl Juchheim was born and raised in
Kaub Kaub (; old spelling: ''Caub'') is a town in Germany, state Rhineland-Palatinate, district Rhein-Lahn-Kreis. It is part of the municipality (''Verbandsgemeinde'') Loreley. It is located on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 50 km west from ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. In 1908, the 22-year-old Juchheim moved to
Jiaozhou Bay Jiaozhou Bay (; ; ) is a bay located in the prefecture-level city of Qingdao (Tsingtau), Shandong Province, China. The bay has historically been romanized as Kiaochow, Kiauchau or Kiao-Chau in English and Kiautschou in German. Geography ...
in
Shandong Province Shandong is a coastal province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural and religious center ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. Jiaozhou, known to the Germans as ''
Kiautschou Jiaozhou Bay (; ; ) is a bay located in the prefecture-level city of Qingdao (Tsingtau), Shandong Province, China. The bay has historically been romanized as Kiaochow, Kiauchau or Kiao-Chau in English and Kiautschou in German. Geography ...
'', was at the time a German protectorate but still under Chinese rule under a treaty agreement made in 1898. Juchheim began working at a café in Jiaozhou. In 1909 he began his own pastry shop where he sold cakes. After a five-year stay in China he returned to Germany for a short time in order to find a wife. Through his uncle, he met a 22-year-old woman named Elise in the spring of 1914 and became engaged to her shortly after. Although only recently returned from China, Juchheim and Elise returned to Jiaozhou shortly after their engagement. They married on 28 July 1914 and together started another pastry shop in the city of
Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...
in Jiaozhou Bay.


Prisoner of war

Shortly after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
broke out, British and Japanese forces began the
Siege of Qingdao The siege of Tsingtao (; ; zh, s=青岛战役, t=青島戰役) was the attack on the German port of Qingdao (Tsingtao) from Jiaozhou Bay during World War I by Japan and the United Kingdom. The siege was waged against Imperial Germany between 2 ...
. Karl served as a private in the Landsturm. After the fall of Qingdao, Karl and Elise were both sent to internment camps in
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
, Japan as
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
."Origins of baumkuchen, cheap onsen trips and this week's CM: Final Fantasy XIII"
''Japan Times'' 10 Jan 2010: n. pag. Web. 28 Aug 2010.
While interned, Elise gave birth to their first child on 4 November 1915. Karl Juchheim and other prisoners were later relocated to a camp at
Ninoshima Ninoshima () is an island in the Seto Inland Sea, located near Hiroshima. Gakuen-mae pier on Ninoshima is located from Hiroshima (Ujina) Port. It takes only half an hour to get to Ninoshima from wharf 4 of Hiroshima Port (Ujina Port) by ferry. T ...
, a small island located close to Hiroshima, in 1919."History , Juchheim." (in Japanese)
''Juchheim'' February 19, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2023. The entry of 1919 reads: 「日本に捕虜どして連れてこられたカール・ユーハイム 広島県物産陳列館で 日本で初めてバウムクーヘンを焼く」.
Juchheim baked and sold the first
baumkuchen Baumkuchen () is a kind of spit cake from German cuisine. It is also a popular dessert in Japan. The characteristic rings that appear in its slices resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, ''Baumkuchen'', which literally translat ...
among other in Japan in March 1919 at the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall (広島県物産陳列館, now:
Hiroshima Peace Memorial The , originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called the Genbaku Dome, , is part of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The building ...
) in the city of Hiroshima. He might have baked the first Baumkuchen on Ninoshima before the exhibition. With the end of World War I in 1918, most of the prisoners were released between December 1919 – January 1920. The majority went back to Germany but some, such as Karl Juchheim and his wife, settled down in Japan and East Asia instead.


Post-War period

After the war, the Juchheims opened their own pastry shop in 1921 in
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
with the name E. Juchheim, named after Elise. As a pastry chef Karl Juchheim was responsible for the production of the cake and pastries while Elise took care of sales. The
Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
of 1 September 1923 destroyed their shop completely. The couple then moved to
Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
, borrowed a large sum of money and opened a new store. The store was a success and saw growth soon after it opened.


Death

Due to the
Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
, by 1944 the lease to their shop was terminated because production was no longer possible. The family then moved into the hotel Rokkōsan, Kobe. There, Karl Juchheim died on 14 August 1945, 19 days before the surrender of Japan. For cost reasons, his body was cremated. His son, Karl-Franz was conscripted into the German army in 1942 and declared dead following the end of the war. Subsequently his place and date of death were determined to be 6 May 1945, in Vienna. After the war, Elise was expropriated and deported back to Germany by the
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (), or SCAP, was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) ...
. Elise Juchheim was able to return to Japan in 1953. Both Karl and Elise Juchheim are now buried in a cemetery in Ashiya.


Company

Today, the headquarters for Juchheim Co., Ltd. is in
Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. Its characteristic design has been a tradition for about 40 years. The company boasts that it still produces confectionery according to the original German recipe. Juchheim in Japan has many branches and subsidiaries. Their shops are especially known for their baumkuchen cakes, Frankfurter Kranz, cookies, and apple pie. The group has about 5640 employees and annual sales of .


References


External links


Juchheim Company homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juchheim, Karl 20th-century Japanese businesspeople Businesspeople from Rhineland-Palatinate Businesspeople in confectionery Food and drink company founders Japanese confectionery German confectionery Confectioners World War I prisoners of war held by Japan German prisoners of war in World War I German people imprisoned abroad German emigrants to Japan People from Rhein-Lahn-Kreis People from Chūō, Tokyo People from Yokohama People from Kobe 1886 births 1945 deaths German expatriates in China