Yamaguchi Hagi

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Yamaguchi Prefecture

a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture.
The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.

Yamaguchi Prefecture was created by the merger of the provinces of Suō and Nagato. During the rise of the samurai class during the Heian and Kamakura Periods (794–1333), the Ouchi family of Suō Province and the Koto family of Nagato Province gained influence as powerful warrior clans
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Let us look at some food from Yamaguchi.

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WASHOKU
Sweets from Yamaguchi



ankozushi あんこ寿司 sushi with pressed vegetables
a kind of pressured sushi with ANKO, boiled vegetables. Always prepared for festivals and celebrations.
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chirinabe ちりなべ
hodgepodge, made with fugu


fugu ryoori ふぐ料理（ふく料理）dishes with globefish fugu
Shimonoseki speciality.


hakugin 白銀 "white silver" kamaboko


hookamuri ほうかむり "covering your cheeks with a cloth"
minced fish meat of sawara and iwashi sardines is wrapped in konbu seaweeds. Boiled in a sweet-hot soy sauce.
Typical family food.



Itokoni いとこ煮 boiled pumpkin with red beans



Iwakuni chagayu 岩国茶がゆ rice gruel from Iwakuni
Since the battle of Sekigahara more than 400 years ago this was prepared by the poor farmers to survive. Rice boiled with tea. Said to be good for cleaning the intestines. Bancha tea was cooked in an iron pot and then rice was cooked in the tea. Some sweet potatoes of vegetables and tofu could be added. Umeboshi as pickles.


Iwakunizushi 岩国ずし Sushi from Iwakuni
A reminder of the old Furukawa domain. Sushi with the five grains. Prepared in a specially large sushi oke with a layer of rice, a layer of other ingredients and a final layer of the five grains. Covered with a lid and a heavy stone to let it stand. Makes many portions for many people. With the bounty of the sea and the bounty of the local mountains.

Also called "The Daimyo Sushi", tonosama sushi 殿様寿司.



kaimochi かいもち mochi rice cakes with sweet potatoes
from Oshima town.山口県周防大島町. Yam 芋 was added to preserve the precious rice for a snack.



Kasado hiramezushi 笠戸ひらめ寿司
flounder sushi from Kasado
Speciality of Kasado Island, where a lot of this fish is landed. Best from autumn to winter, when the fish thrive in the clean water around the island. Now they are also kept in aquariums and can be eaten all year round.


kawarasoba, kawara soba 瓦そば "noodles cooked on roof tiles"
Speciality of Yamaguchi town. Noodles and meat are fried together and then sauce is added.
It is now also sold as a pack to prepare at home (瓦そばセット).
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岡山県浅口郡里庄町新庄平井1887-1 : 手延べ麺



kenchoo けんちょう radish pot
winter dish with a lot of radish. Can be prepared in a large pot and warmed before eating.
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Kintaroo iwashi 金太郎イワシ / 金太郎鰯 Kintaro sardine
from Hagi town 萩



kurumaebi, kuruma ebi full course 車えびのフルコース
Kurumaebi prawns from Akiho town 秋穂町 are best! They are fresh all year round. As sashimi or sushi, fried or grilled ... anything.



mikoto ika 男命いか　Squid like the God Susano-O no Mikoto
須佐の地名は須佐之男命（すさのおのみこと）/ 須佐男命いか
From the town of Susa, which is playing with words on the name of the deity.
Susa is near Hagi and now uses this squid to bring life back to town.


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natsumikan　夏蜜柑　/　夏ミカン summer mandarines
from Hagi town　萩市
They are rather large.
They were introduced after the Meiji restauration for former samurai to plant in their estates. They could sell the fruit and earn some money like that. Some estates produce as much as two tons of these during the season.
. . . maruzuke 夏蜜柑丸漬 one whole mikan, filled with yookan jelly.
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. . . aogiri 夏蜜柑菓子　あおぎり "green cut"
the green fruit is cut off the top and bottom in round slices, only a few of them from each fruit. The green outside peel of the slices are cut by hand to make them rounder. They are dried and marinated with sugar.
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niguinabe 煮食い鍋（にぐいなべ）sukiyaki with fish
also called
iriyaki いりやき
Eaten along the coast of San-In also, in Tottori.
A simple way of the local fishermen to eat their fresh catch with some local winter vegetables.



obaike オバイケ / 尾羽毛 whalemeat
from the tail of the whale, contains a lot of fat. Eaten for setsubun in February, it brings health for the rest of the year.
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Okatora no chikuwa 岡虎のちくわ Chikuwa from Okatora town
a kind of kamaboko food, made from fresh fish paste.



oohira 大平 soup with a lot of vegetables
mountain potato (satoimo), konnyaku, carrots, goboo, lotos root and others. Chicken is boiled to give the broth its flavor.
Speciality of Iwakuni.



renkon no su no mono と\れんこんの酢の物
lotus root pickled in vinegar
Speciality of Iwakuni. Prepared for celebrations.



saomanjuu 竿（さお）まんじゅう manjuu on a stick
竿まんじゅうの由来は、これより古く、約四百年前の大内氏の時代にさかのぼる。荒滝山に山城を構えていた内藤隆春の家臣に薙刀（なぎなた）作りの名人がおり、その武勇をたたえて里の人々が薙刀状のもちを作り、兵士たちの労をねぎらった。血に見立てた赤い模様が特徴。
http://www.ubenippo.co.jp/skiji/2004/kusunoki/kusunoki.htm



shirouo ryoori シロウオ料理 "small white fish dishes"
Leucopsarion petersi. shirauo, icefish
see haiku below

shirouo fish of the haze family. Sometimes eaten as odorigui, small fish alive in your mouth! wash down with soy sauce.
or fried, boiled, with egg or tofu.


shitchoru nabe しっちょる鍋 "do you know this nabe?"
local dialect for shitte orimasu ka ... shitte imasu ka?
(shittchoru nabe)
With different ingredients during each season. One kind of dango is in each.
小郡 Ogori Town
Some ingredients: anpeifu 安平麩, naritaki soomen 鳴滝そーめん, hanakkorii はなっこりー (special green vegetable from Yamaguchi), meebo めーぼ,
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Takasecha, Takase cha 高瀬茶 たかせちゃ Tea from Takase
This tea grows well in high altitudes and originates in Kagawa Prefecture, Takase area.
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Tenjin hamo ryoori 天神はも料理 dishes with Tenjin pike eel
鱧（はも）Hamo.
Hamo is mostly fished here in Yamaguchi, in the town of Hofu 防府市.



uni うに(海胆) sea urchin
Famous from Shimonoseki. Uni Sukiyaki is also prepared.
The sea urchin tastes special here because of the water quality.

unimeshi ウニめし rice with sea urchin
Best from spring to summer, when the ovaries are full. The sea urchin roe can also be fried.
Speciality of Hagi town.


yuureizushi yuurei sushi ゆうれい寿司
"ghost sushi"
from Kichibe 吉部地区. They could not get any fresh fish and made sushi only with white rice, vinegar and a bit of yuzu citron juice. For decoration, leaves of green perilla shiso or sanshoo japanese pepper was used.
Also called "white sushi" 白ずし shirozushi.
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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


Yamaguchi Fudo Pilgrimage to 18 Temples ...
十八不動三十六童子霊場 山口県



Laquer Dolls from Oouchi, Yakko 大内の漆だるま



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HAIKU

白魚をひと飲みにして喉さみし
shirauo o hito-nomi ni shite nodo samishi

icefish
gulped down in one sip -
my throat feels loneliness

Tanayama Haro (Haroo Tanayama) 棚山波朗 (1939 - )


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

***** . Folk Toys from Yamaguchi .

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