Toogarashi red pepper

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Red pepper (toogarashi)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: see below
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation




kigo for all autumn

toogarashi 唐辛子 (とうがらし) red pepper, hot pepper
Capsicum annuum, roter Pfeffer, dried chili pepper
..... 唐辛（とうがらし）、..... 蕃椒（とうがらし）

nanban 南蛮（なんばん）、nanban koshoo 南蛮胡椒（なんばんこしょう）
pepper from the "Southern Barbarians" (the first Europeans coming in via Nagasaki around 1605)

koorai koshoo 高麗胡椒（こうらいこしょう）pepper from Koorai-Korea

tenjumori 天井守（てんじょうもり）kind of red pepper
tenjiku mori 天竺まもり（てんじくまもり）
sagari さがり
This is a kind with a straight stem and many fruits on it like a tussle, so it is also called "yatsubusa" 八房（やつぶさ）"with eight tussles".
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


taka no tsume 鷹の爪（たかのつめ）red pepper "like the claw of a hawk"
Evodiopanax innovans
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



..... Fushimi toogarashi 伏見唐辛子 Kyoto speciality from the Fushimi area
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
..... Manganji toogarashi 万願寺唐辛子 Kyoto speciality from temple Manganji
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
and from these areas in Kyoto Tanaka 田中. Yamashina 山科. Takagamine 鷹ヶ峰
Shichimiya Honpo 七味家本舗（しちみやほんぽ), since 1655 is a dealer in Kyoto, close to the temple Kiyomizudera.


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piiman ピーマン green sweet pepper, pimiento, pimento
Capsicum annuum L. var. angulosum, bell pepper
The large variety is called
janboo piiman ジャンボピーマン jumbo green pepper

karaa piiman カラーピーマ colorful bellpeppers
The green variety is usually harvested when still unripe and becomes a red, yellow, purple or orange variety.
Green bell pepper is very rich in vitamin C.
It has been eaten in Japan since the 1950s.
Grown in Miyazaki prefecture.
It is eaten in salads, grilled on a net, fried in the pan with other vegetables, put in soup, cut small for fried rice, put in vinegar for pickles. Western style as ラタトゥイユ Ratatouille or ピペラード piperade.
Paprika


Hasaki piiman 波崎ピーマン from Hasaki town
This town 波崎町 in Ibaraki grows the most piiman in Japan.



Shimajiri piiman 具志頭ピーマン - from Shimajiri town, Okinawa

Yaese piiman 八重瀬ピーマン - from Yaese town, Okinawa

PIMENTO MORI !


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..... shishitoo, shishito ししとう / 獅子唐
small sweet green pepper
Spanischer Pfeffer; Capsicum annuum var. angulosum.
They are often serves on skewers, slightyl grilled and salted, at a yakitoria restaurant.
There are various varieties cultivated during the Edo period. Since the end of this pepper reminded the Japanese of the head of a lion mask, it got this name "lion dans mask pepper".
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


There are also plants with five different colors on one
goshiki toogarashi 五色唐辛子
They are used as decorative garden plants.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for mid-autumn

ha toogarashi 葉唐辛子 (はとうがらし)
leaves of the red pepper
They are used for tsukudani boiling with sweet soy sauce.
You can make it yourself or by a bottle in the supermarket.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kigo for mid-summer

toogarashi no hana 唐辛子の花 (とうがらしのはな)
flowers/blossoms of the red pepper
..... 蕃椒の花（とうがらしのはな）
They are small and white.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kigo for late summer

aotoogarashi, ao toogarashi 青唐辛子 (あおとうがらし) green fruit of the red pepper
..... 青蕃椒（あおとうがらし）
ha toogarashi 葉唐辛（はとうがらし） red pepper leaves

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The following are NOT KIGO.


© PHOTO :　shobo-an


shichimi toogarashi しちみとうがらし【七味唐辛子】
shichimi togarashi, nanami toogarashi, nanami togarashi
"seven flavors and red pepper"
seven flavor chili pepper
ground mix of red pepper and other aromatic spices
pepper blend with seven spices, spice mixture with seven ingredients

Also named Yagenbori 薬研堀 / やげん堀 after a canal street where the first dealers in Edo lived.


The most commonly mixed spices are in the colors of a rainbow, and you can ask a specialized shop to have your own mixture

asa no mi あさのみ【麻の実】 hemp seed (gray, grey)
aonori あおのり【青海苔】 green seaweed (green)
keshi no mi けしのみ【芥子の実】poppy seed (beige)
kuro koshoo くろこしょう【黒胡椒】black pepper (black)
sanshoo さんしょう【山椒】mountain pepper (moss green)
shiro koshoo しろこしょう【白胡椒】white pepper (beige)

shooga しょうが【生姜】ginger
fresh red pepper (orange)
unshuu mikan うんしゅうみかん【温州蜜柑】 mandarin orange peel (yellow)
rapeseed
roasted red pepper (brown)
kuro goma くろごま【黒胡麻】black sesame seed (black)
shiso しそ【紫蘇】 perilla
yuzu ゆず【柚／柚子】yuzu citron peel (from Citrus junos)

It is used in soups, for noodles and many other dishes.


You can buy it in a hyootan gourd-shaped container like this one.
Or in a glass bottle like other spices. Some come in a bamboo container or in a little barrel (taru).

Sieben-Gewürz-Pulver, Sieben-Gewürz-Mischung




shichimi toogarashi mentaiko 七味唐辛子明太子
fish roe with red pepper spice mixture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


hachimi toogarashi 八味とうがらし, 八味唐辛子
hot pepper mix with eight ingredients
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




ichimi toogarashi 一味唐辛子 ground red chili pepper
"only one flavor"
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



. nanairo toogarashi 七色唐辛子
chili pepper with seven colors .
One of them is orange from the peels of Fukure Mikan ふくれみかん / 福来（ふくれ）みかん
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
speciality of the Mount Tsukuba area 筑波山, Ibaraki


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Yagenbori 薬研堀 "Yagen Canal" in Edo

Yagen is a chemist's or doctor's mortar form which is like a V, deep and small, to crush medicine. The canals in Edo were often in this form.

Yagen Shichimi Togarashi
Yagenbori in Edo is in Asakusa, an old center of entertainment.
A medicine dealer of the area (Yagenbori Shichimi Togarashi), more than 400 years ago, began to mix these ingredients to serve as condiments to go with noodles and other Edo food. It can be mixed to be very hot, medium or rather mild.

Reference



Yagen red pepper containers


. Doctors in Edo .
Many doctors lived at a moat named after the mortar to prepare medicine, called Yagenbori 薬研堀 in Edo.
東京都中央区東日本橋 Now in Higashi Nihonbashi, Chuo ward


Some of their homes had various exits for the patient to come and go unnoticed.

おろすこともっとも至極薬研堀
orosu koto mottomo shigoku Yagenbori

abortion
is most extremely done
at Yagenbori moat

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Yagenbori Fudo Myo-O 薬研堀不動明王
Gofunai Henro Temple Nr. 23

. Gofunai 御府内八十八ヶ所霊場 88 Henro Temples in Edo .
Nr. 23 - 薬研堀不動院 Yagenbori Fudo-In
- 川崎大師東京別院 Kawasaki Daishi Tokyo Betsu-In
中央区東日本橋2-6-8 / 2 Chome-6-8 Higashinihonbashi, Chūō ward

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Tochigi Santaka 栃木三鷹 "three hawk talons" from Tochigi
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
From Otawara village 大田原

It is harvested by pulling out including the roots, then hang with the roots to dry under a plastic roof for two months. Next each talon is picked by hand, one picker woman can do about five kilos a day. The local shops make different kinds of food from this chilies.


toogarashi raamen 唐辛子ラーメン chillies noodle soup
chillies are added to the dough for the noodles too, so they look rather red.



ebichiri toogarashi pan エビチリとうがらしパン bread with a filling of shrimps in hot sauce
the dough for the bread includes chillies too.

choppiri チョッピリ chocolate with red hot peppers
choppiri yookan チョッピリ羊羹 yookan paste with red peppers

also sold in a set with five flavors of yookan bean paste like blueberry and green tea, salty and yuzu citrons.
(orijinaru hitokuchi yookan オリジナル一口ようかん) in memory of the brave archer warrior
Nasu no Yooichi 那須与一 (Nasu no Yoichi)
Nasu no Yoichi (1169 - 1232)


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Things found on the way


Daruma Mascot and Hot Pepper Miyuki Chan
Hot Pepper だるま　マクコット




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The TOO 唐 in Toogarashi refers to Tang-China,
but can also simply mean any foreigner in Japan during the Edo period.


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. tsurushibina つるし雛 / 吊るし雛 small hanging hina dolls .



Red Pepper to ward off insects to chew on the hina dolls when they are packed away during the rest of the year. Also with the wish that no "bad insects" (male friends) will hang around and harm the little girl as it grows up.
They should ward off evil influence of all kinds.



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HAIKU and SENRYU


赤とんぼ羽を取ったらとうがらし
akatonboo hane o tottara toogarashi

red dragonfly -
when you take the wings off
it is just a red pepper

Takarai Kikaku ・【宝井基角】（たからい・きかく）
With a reply from Matsuo Basho
Dragonfly and Haiku


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青くても 有るべきものを 唐辛子
aokute mo aru beki mono o toogarashi

green was just right
and yet now it's
a red pepper
Tr. Barnhill



better
to have stayed green -
the pepper
Tr. Addiss


Written in 1692. 元禄5年9月
At a meeting with his disciple Shadoo 洒堂 Shado coming to Edo to visit his Basho-An in Fukagawa. He wanted to praise his student, but still ...


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
with more toogarashi haiku



. Shadoo 洒堂 Shado - - Hamada Chinseki 浜田珍夕/珍碩 .


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炎ゆる間がいのち女と唐辛子
moyuru ma ga inochi onna to toogarashi

burning red hot
when alive ... a woman
and red pepper

Mitsuhashi Takajo 三橋鷹女


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cayenne
long fingers of heat
reaching into winter

a lot of people used to hand these in bunches to dry for use in the winter when a little bit of heat in the food helps warm the insides.

Brenda Roberts
. WKD ... on FACEBOOK . June 2009


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red hot pepper -
another fight over
Indian curry

Gabi Greve
my husband likes it REALY HOT !


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Related words

Mountain pepper (sanshoo, sansho) Japan


***** WASHOKU :
YASAI . Vegetable SAIJIKI

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- #togarashi #redpepper #yagenbori -
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Basho Issa Buson

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Famous Haiku about Food


WASHOKU : Haiku Sweets 俳菓 haika


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HAIKU by Matsuo Basho

START here with food haiku by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .



命こそ芋種よまた今日の月
inochi koso imo dane yo mata kyoo no tsuki

the source of life
in these taro seed potatoes - again
the moon of tonight
Tr. Greve


ah such a life
sweet potatoes again the source
of the harvest moon
Tr. Reichhold

Written somewhere in 寛文年, Basho about 25
Written in Iga Ueno, before moving to Edo.
The cut marker YA is in the middle of line 2.

kyoo no tsuki is the "moon of the taro potatoes" 芋名月
This hokku has the okashimi teasing flavor of the Danrin school of hokku.


. Sato-imo. satoimo 芋 Taro potatoe .
kigo for all autumn
- - - - - and
taneimo, tane-imo 種芋 seed potato of taro
kigo for mid-spring

imo meigetsu 芋名月 "taro moon"
the full moon in mid-autumn of the lunar calendar.
It was custom to boil the new sprouts of the taro and prepare a soup with it
"to nurrish the life of all generations".


from one satoimo サトイモ there are some generations

oyaimo 芋(おやいも) parent potato
koimo 子芋 child potato
magoimo 孫芋 grandchildren potato




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明日は粽難波の枯葉夢なれや
asu wa chimaki Naniwa no kareha yume nare ya

by tomorrow
the Chimaki leaves from Naniwa will become dry
and become a dream . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

Written in 1677, 延宝5年, Basho age 34.
Tomorrow is the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Boy's Festival or Seasonal Festival of the Fifth Month, Tango no Sekku 端午の節句.
This hokku has the cut marker YA at the end of line 3.


This refers to a waka by Saigyo　西行　:

津ノ国の難波の春は夢なれや
葦の枯葉に風わたるなり

Tsu no kuni no Naniwa no haru wa yume nare ya
ashi no kareha ni kaze wataru nari

In the land of Tsu,
that glorious Naniwa spring -
only just a dream?
Over the dead leaves of reeds
a harsh wind blows.
Tr. Sam Hamill


tomorrow the rice dumplings
will be just dead reed leaves
with a dream
Tr. Reichhold






. chimaki 茅巻 / 粽（Chimaki ritual rice cakes .
kigo for summer, Boy's Festival in May
.
with one more CHIMAKI haiku by Matsuo Basho
chimaki yuu katate ni hasamu hitai gami



. Naniwa, Osaka and Poetry .


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忘れ草菜飯に摘まん年の暮
wasuregusa nameshi ni tsuman toshi no kure

a handful of licorice leaves
on top of the rapeseed rice gruel -
end of the year
Tr. Gabi Greve

Written in 1678 延宝6年, Basho age 35

wasuregusa , lit. "grass of forgetting"
is another name for kanzoo 甘草 "sweet plant" - licorice, amaki あまき, amakusa あまくさ .

nameshi is a kind of rice gruel with the leaves of the rapeseed plant
nappa 菜っ葉.
Basho tops this gruel with finely cut licorice leaves to "forget the old year". These leaves were used as a traditional herb medicine for ailments of the stomach and intestines.


grass of forgetting
picked for a rice soup
the end of the year
Tr. Reichhold



. - kanzoo 甘草 "sweet plant" Licorice plant .
kigo for early summer
- - - - - kanzoo 甘草 daylily - Hemerocallis fulva - kigo for late summer




. nameshi 菜飯 "cooked rice with rapeseed leaves" .
kigo for all spring



飯あふぐ　嬶が馳走や　夕涼み
. meshi augu kaka ga chisoo ya yuu suzumi .
Basho and the cooked rice treat.


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塩にしてもいざ言伝ん都鳥
shio ni shite mo iza kotozuten Miyako-dori

even if pickled in salt
it will deliver the message -
bird of the capital
Tr. Gabi Greve

Written in November 1678 延宝6年11月, Basho age 35.
This is a farewell hokku for his disciple Aoki Haruzumi, who is leaving for his hometown Kyoto.
青木春澄 (1653 - 1715)


pickled in salt
now it will send a message
the imperial gull
Tr. Reichhold


This is a parody about a waka of the
Ise Monogatari　伊勢物語：

名にしほはばいざこととはむ都鳥
わがおもふ人はありやなしやと

na ni shiowaba iza koto towan miyakodori
waga omou hito wa ari ya nashi ya to

If you are true to the name you bear
there's one thing I would ask you,
bird of the capital -
does the person I love
still wait for me or not?




miyakodori is a migrating bird, the yurikamome

. miyakodori 都鳥 hooded gull .
Larus ridibundus. lit. "bird of the capital"
kigo for all winter

. Miyako 花の都 Kyoto .


MORE - Visiting Kyoto
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

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悲しまんや墨子芹焼を見ても猶
kanashiman ya Bokushi seriyaki o mite mo nao




I wonder if Mo-tzu
Grieves to see the colour change
Of dropworts when cooked!
Tr. Toshiharu Oseko

"Bokusi" ideas may be closer to Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi of India.
source : kikyou0123


Written in 1680 延宝8年, Basho age 37

Does he grieve?
Mo-Tsu sees the dropwort
beeing cooked
Tr. Gabi Greve


Bokushi 墨子 Mozi, Mo-tsu is a Chinese scholar. (460- 380 BC ?)
Legend knows that he grew sad when he observed white silk threads being dyed with various pigments.
The seri dropwort gives an appetizing smell when cooked, but looses its color.
seriyaki is duck cooked with dropwort.
Basho is showing off his knowledge of ancient China.

. Chinese background of Japanese kigo .


does he grieve
the poet when he sees parsley
grow dark with cooking
Tr. Reichhold


. Japanese parcely 芹 seri, dropwort .
- - - - - another haiku by Basho
seri yaki ya susowa no ta-i no hatsu goori



quote
Mo Di (Mo Ti), better known as Mozi (Mo-tzu) or Master Mo,”
was a Chinese thinker active from the late 5th to the early 4th centuries BCE. He is best remembered for being the first major intellectual rival to Confucius and his followers.
... The most famous of these theses is the injunction that one ought to be concerned for the welfare of people in a spirit of “impartial concern” (jian’ai) that does not make distinctions between self and other, associates and strangers, a doctrine often described more simplistically as “universal love.”
Mohist Morality
source : www.iep.utm.edu


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雪の朝独リ干鮭を噛み得タリ　
yuki no ashita hitori karazake o kami etari
yuki no ashita hitori kara zake o kami e tari



A snowy morning
All I've got is dried salmon
To chew all alone
source : Sharon Hahn Darlin


snow in the morning -
alone with dried salmon
to chew on
Tr. Gabi Greve

Written in 延宝8年, Basho age 37. At Fukagawa



'Rich people enjoy themselves by eating the finest meat, and aspiring youths sustain themselves by chewing vegetable roots.
As for myself, I am a poor man.'

the morning of snow--
all alone, I chew
dried salmon meat
Tr. Ueda



The snowy morning -
being alone, I am happy
eating dry salmon
Tr. Peipei Qui



[headnote]
'Wealthy people eat tasty meat and strong, ambitious men eat roots.
I am just poor.'

snowy morning
all alone I chew
dried salmon
Tr. Reichhold




The morning of snow,
I find myself chewing alone
Strips of dried salmon.
Tr. Yuasa



'The rich dine on meat; sturdy youths eat vegetable roots;
but I am poor.'

snow morning:
alone, I manage to chew
dried salmon
Tr. Barnhill


. Salmon (sake 鮭) .
kigo for all autumn

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. cold rice from temple Domyo-Ji 道明寺.


. fukutojiru 河豚汁 blowfish soup .


mezurashi ya yama o Dewa no hatsu nasubi
First Minden-Eggplants from Dewa


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. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
- asagao 朝顔 morning glory -


朝顔に我は飯食う男哉
asagao ni ware wa meshi kuu otoko kana

[headnote]
'In response to the poem about a water pepper and a firefly by Kikaku.'

by morning glories
I gobble up rice slop
like a man
Tr. Reichhold

- - -

'In response to Kikaku's firefly poem.'
Kikaku was a heavy drinker who drank day and night. Once, after drinking all night, he wrote the firefly poet at dawn.

within the grassy gate
a firefly ears nettles -
that is what I am
Kikaku

Master Basho, wishing to warn against his disciple's dissipation, copied the priest Honen's pledge against drinking, added this hokku to the end, and sent it to Kikaku


an eating-his-meal by-
the-morning-glories fellow,
that's me
Tr. Higginson

Season word: morning-glories.
With this poem, Bashô replied to his disciple Kikaku, who had written a sort of wild verse that goes “in a grass-hut doorway / a nettles-eating firefly / that’s me” (kusa no to ni ware wa tade kuu hotaru kana). Kikaku was relating himself to an old proverb, to the effect that some people (like him) have unusual tastes.
He was properly chagrined when Bashô retorted that his tastes were quite ordinary, and that morning glories and the usual breakfast porridge would do him just fine. In other words, for a true poet, the simple things of everyday life are enough.
source : Butterfly Dreams - PDF
Higginson



with morning glories
a man eats breakfast
--that is what I am
Tr. Ueda

- - -

'A response to Kikaku's firefly poem'

one who breakfasts
with morning glories:
that's what I am
Tr. Barnhill

Larry Bole comments:
[It is interesting to me that Reichhold is the only one who translates 'meshi' as 'rice slop'. Reichhold is the only translator of the three who points out that
"Basho uses vulgar terms for eating and avoids the polite word for cooked rice, 'gohan'.
Again, admiring flowers was seen as an elegant occupation, but Basho combines the activity with the most low-class way of describing eating."
I don't know if she's right about 'kuu' being vulgar.]

Gabi wrote:
I think "meshi kuu" was the normal way for a man do describe what he was doing, not especially negative or low.


Kikaku wrote
草の戸に我は蓼食ふ蛍哉
source : google books - Makoto Ueda

In response to Kikaku's firefly poem with morning glories a man eats breakfast — that is what I am ...
based on the proverb "Some worms eat nettles":

草の戸に我は蓼くふほたる哉
kusa no to ni ware wa tade kuu hotaru kana

within the grassy gate
a firefly eats nettles -
that is what I am

compared to Kikaku (who liked nightly outings with the ladies) Basho states:

I am a serious type, getting up early (with the asagao) and eat my rice cooked properly (gohan o itatdaite imasu) .
source : itoyo/basho


. WKD : morning-glory, asagao　朝顔 .


by the morning-glories
I am this rice-eating
fellow . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

This hokku has the cut marker KANA at the end of line 3.


More haiku about FOOD by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

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象潟や料理何くふ神祭
Kisakata ya ryoori nani kuu kami matsuri

Oh now Kisakata !
What special food do they eat
at the shrine festival?

Sora 曾良 (disciple of Basho)
WKD : Oku no Hosomichi 2007


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HAIKU by Kobayashi Issa

初松魚序ながらも富士の山
hatsu-gatsuo tsuide nagara mo fuji no yama


first bonito -
it comes right after
Mount Fuji

Mt. Fuji and Haiku
Tr. Gabi Greve

first bonito, hatsu-katsuo, hatsugatsuo　初鰹
kigo for all summer

The people of the Edo period loved to eat "First" things, for the first time in a season.

Bonito that swim up north and come to the Japanese coast in early spring are called Hatsugatsuo [first bonito of the season], and they have been long enjoyed since the Edo era. Katsuura fishing harbor is a representative production area. The fresher the fish, the clearer the stomach vertical stripes are, creating a gauge for freshness. The flesh is red and its rich texture is enjoyed; it is tasty as sashimi or lightly roasted, dried and grated, or boiled in square pieces with soy sauce.
source : 　www.chiba-tour.jp


初鰹只一切もうればこそ
hatsu-gatsuo tada hito kire mo ureba koso

summer's first bonito--
just tiny slices
for sale

Kobayashi Issa
(Tr. David Lanoue)



売飯に夕木がらしのかかりけり
urimeshi ni yuu-kogarashi no kakari keri

on the food for sale
the winter wind blows
this evening

Issa, 1806
Tr. Gabi Greve


. Food vendors in Edo .


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HAIKU by Yosa Buson

手まくらの夢はかざしの桜哉
temakura no yume wa kazashi no sakura kana

With some sakura-ebisen

Buson-An has more rice crackers in memory of the poet
蕪村菴（ぶそんあん）

hana mangetsu 花満月 (はなまんげつ)
agesenbei 揚げせんべい


na no hana ya tsuki wa higashi ni hi wa nishi ni
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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化けそうな傘借す寺の時雨かな
bakesoo na kasa kasu tera no shigure kana

Buson


柿食えば鐘が鳴るなり法隆寺
kaki kueba kane ga naru nari Hooryuu-Ji

Shiki


石山の石に　たばしる　あられかな
Ishiyama no ishi ni tabashiru arare kana

Basho


渋かろか　知らねど柿の 初ちぎり
shibukaro ka shiranu do kaki no hatsu chigiri

Kaga no Chiyo-Ni


MORE
WASHOKU : Haiku Sweets 俳菓 haika


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information

Backup
. Basho's Food-related Haiku, Part 2 .

. Basho's Food-related Haiku, Part 3 .

Thanks to Larry Bole
for his great help with compiling the haiku.


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Saga prefecture

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
. Saga district, Tokyo .
- see below - Sagacho 佐賀町
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Saga Prefecture



Saga Prefecture (佐賀県, Saga-ken)
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Tsushima current 対馬海流 and the Ariakekai Sea　有明海. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of
Karatsu　唐津, Imari　伊万里, and Arita　有田.
The capital is the city of Saga.
Kyūshū's smallest prefecture, Saga, is located on the northwest corner of the island, bordered by the Genkai Sea and the Tsushima Strait to the north and the Ariake Sea to the south.

In ancient times the area composed by Nagasaki Prefecture and Saga Prefecture was called Hizen Province. The current name dates from the Meiji Restoration. Rice farming culture has prospered here since ancient times, and vestiges can be seen at the ruins of Nabatake in Karatsu and the Yoshinogari site in Yoshinogari.

From the Kamakura period to the Muromachi period it is thought that over 100 feudal clans existed. Also exerting great influence during this time was a samurai clan operating along the Genkai Sea called the Matsuratō. Upon entering the Sengoku period, the Ryūzōji clan expanded their control to include all of Hizen and Chikugo Provinces, and part of Higo and Chikuzen Provinces. After the death of daimyo Takanobu Ryūzōji, Naoshige Nabeshima 　鍋島　 took control of the political situation, and by 1607 all of the Ryūzōji clan's domain was under the control of the Nabeshima clan.

Around the middle of the 19th century, Naomasa Nabeshima strove to set right the domain's financial affairs, reduce the number of government officials, and encourage local industry such as Arita porcelain, green tea, and coal.

Agriculture, forestry, and coastal fisheries form a large portion of the prefectural economy. Regional agricultural specialties include Saga beef, onions, and strawberries.
The prefecture is the largest producer of mochigome (sticky rice) and
greenhouse mandarin oranges in Japan.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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The Ariake Sea (有明海, Ariake-kai)
is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 m deep, and extreme tides exceed 6 m. It is used for aquaculture, with nori being a major product. Various species of fauna including mudskipper (mutsugoro), Pen shell (Atrina pectinata), and fiddler crab live in the Ariake Sea. In autumn, there will be red-grass along the sea shore. Recent years have brought increasing pollution, with resultant red tide. Isahaya Bay is a branch of the Ariake Sea.
Across the Amakusa Islands lies the Yatsushiro Sea.

Many harbors are located on the coast. Among them are Misumi (in the city of Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture), Shimabara (Shimabara, Nagasaki), Taira (Unzen, Nagasaki), Nagasu (Kumamoto), Kumamoto (Kumamoto) , Miike (Omuta, Fukuoka), Kuchinotsu (Minamishimabara, Nagasaki), and Oniike (Amakusa, Kumamoto).
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Ariake ryoori 有明料理
Cuisine of products from the Ariake-kai sea
The Ariake sea and flatlands are rich in nutritients and rivers carry more nutritients from the mountains to the sea. The mix of fresh water and sea water is good for many kinds of seafood. The tide changes the sea level about 6 meters.
This food is served often in the town of Saga.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


. nama kurage 生クラゲ raw jelly fish
eaten with grated ginger and soy sauce
akakurage, aka kurage 赤水母（あかくらげ）red jellyfish
Chrysaora melanaster


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Regional Dishes from Saga 佐賀の郷土料理
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


agoyaki あご焼（トビウオ) / yaki ago 焼あご fried flying fish


aisu puranto アイスプラント "ice plant" , sea fig, chrystal leaf
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
Carpobrotus chilensis
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
It was originally planted to keep the sand on the beaches of Saga prefecture and other parts of Japan. It has white spots like salt on its leaves.
It is now promoted for eating, called
barafu バラフ Barafu.
salty vegetable 塩味野菜
Saga University's Department of Agriculture, Prof. Ogawa Takahiro is promoting it as edible since 2006. Fa. Nokendo (Nookendoo 農研堂（のうけんどう）.
Made into Barafu ice cream and other sweets like roll cake or short cake.
http://www.barafu.jp/sweets.html . . . with photos
Or fried with other ingredients or used in salads.


burakku monburan ブラックモンブラン "black Montblanc"
ice cream with chocolate cover
when you finish eating, you might win something, written on the stick. Invented by 竹下小太郎, when he saw the Monblanc in Swizzerland and thought it might be more delicious with a chocolate cover.



dabu だぶ food for communal festivities
kyoodoshoku 郷土食. Also prepared when entertaining important visitors.
Regionally called 「ざぶ zabu 」「さぶ sabu」「らぶ rabu」
With boiled root vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, konnyaku (mostly frozen konnyaku), fu wheat gluten crutons etc. and always the lotos roots from Ariakekai. Kombu and chicken for the broth and kamaboko for more filling. Thickened with a bit of katakuri starch. Juice from squeezed fresh ginger adds some flavor and keeps the body warm in winter.
When eating the broth, it makes the sound SABU SABU when old people eat it, hence the naming.
Prepared for all the villagers.
On happy occasions, the food is cut into small squares and flavored without sugar. An even number of ingredients is used. Salt and soy sacue are usef for flavoring.
On sad occasions like funerals and memorial services (うれいの時), it is cut in triangular form and sugar is used to enliven the palate. Instead of chicken atsuage tofu is used.
It is served in a large bowl and each person can take as much as he likes into his own personal "dabu bowl" だぶ椀.
Famous isKaratsu, Hamasaki village. 唐津市浜崎地区
When prepared only for the family, it is inaka dabu 田舎だぶ, when prepared for guests, it is okyakusama dabu お客様だぶ.
This is also prepared in villages of Fukuoka in Northern Kyushu.


dagojiru だご汁 miso soup with dumplings
Famous at the hot spring Takeo onsen 武雄温泉, in the sprit of samurai simplicity and fortitude (shitsujitsu gooken しつじつごうけん【質実剛健】)
Dumplings from wheat flour are made from hand, called tsunkiridango つんきりだご, others elongated like udon are nobedango のべだご.


ganzuke がん漬け / 蟹漬 kani crab pickles
made from local fiddler crab シオマネキ shiomaneki
a kind of shiokara salt pickles
From Ariakekai
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


gyorokke 魚ロッケ/ ぎょろっけ fried mashed fish and vegetables
from 唐津市
mashed fish (surimi) eggs, carrots are mixed, covered with breadcrumbs and fried. It is formed like a fish in shape, but basically a croquette コロッケ.
Since the early Showa years at the Fujikawa Kamaboko 藤川蒲鉾本店 shop. It had also been called haikara ten ハイカラ天 highclass tempura, karee ten カレー天 curry tempura or panko ten 「パン粉天 bread crumbs tempura. Now there are two flavors, with curry or just salt.



Hizen chagayu 肥前茶粥 rice porridge from Hizen
Prepared in an earthen pot. Green tea is put in a bag and boiled with the rice.


Kanzaki soomen 神埼そうめん(神崎素麺) somen noodles from Kanzaki
They are prepared with the fresh water from rivers from the mountain area of Sefuri 脊振. They are quite chewy, but smooth. You can enjoy them cold in summer and hot in winter.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kuri okowa 栗おこわ mochigome rice with sweet chestnuts
A necessary meal for chrysanthemum festivities on the ninth of september, the double 9 day, in the local dialect called Okunchi おくんち【御九日】 . In Arita, this is celebrated on the 9th of October


marubooro 佐賀まるぼうろ sweet round cookies
The most important sweet of the area, introduced by the "Western barbarians" from Holland to Nagasaki, more than 300 years ago. Now these cakes are made with honey and eggs and baking powser to make them softer.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Matsuura zuke, Matsuurazuke 松浦漬け
whale pickles from Matsuura
The cartilage of the lower jaw of a whale (kaburabone かぶら骨) is watered for a long time, until all the fat is gone and then pickled in sweetened rice bran. This delicacy is counted as one of the five best in Japan 日本珍味五種.

It is sold in cans or containers from Arita porcellain that look like water goblins (kappa 河童)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


mutsugoroo むつごろう 　/ むつ五郎 haze-type mudskipper of the wetlands
This animal is prepared as food in various ways.
mutsugoro no kabayaki むつごろう蒲焼 grilled on charcoal
Eaten from May to September.
Also as sashimi or simmered in sweetened soy sauce.


niimoji にいもじ sweet potatoes in vinegar dressing
mizuimo, mizu imo みずいも【水芋】, a kind of satsumaimo.
Best in summer to induce an appetite. Sometimes called "zuiki", when it is dried.
(See also KUMAMOTO for zuiki.)


nori 佐賀のり / 佐賀海苔 Saga Nori Laver. seaweed
from the Ariakekai Sea, which is rich in nutritients and rivers carry more nutritients from the mountains to the sea. The mix of fresh water and sea water is good for growing these nori. Since the tide changes the sea level about 6 meters, they also absorb a lot of sunight to give them extra sweetness.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
..... yakinori aisu 焼きのりアイス icecream with roasted nori flavor
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




Ogi koi 小城　鯉 carp from Ogi town
Near the Falls of Kiyomizu are many restaurants to serve them as sashimi or in miso soup, since the meat does not have a raw taste to it.
The fish grow in the clear rivers of the Tenzan mountains nearby.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the waterfall and fish dishes!


Ogi yookan 小城羊羹 (おぎようかん）bean jelly from Ogi
also called sakura yookan. Some green powdered tea is added to the mix of sweet bean paste and kanten jelly.
Even the warlord and later regend of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is said to have liked this.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Sagagyuu 佐賀牛 beef from Saga
One of the best in Japan. Cattle grazes in the mild climate of the area, with plenty of fresh water and clean air. It has a sweet taste.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


sazae さざえ【栄螺】 turban shells
Best grilled, near Cape Hado. They taste slightly salty and of the soy sauce grilled with them. 波戸岬サザエ
from Chinzei town, Karatsu
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


shishirian raisu シシリアンライス Sicilian rice
served on a plate, decorated with mayonnaise, eaten with chopsticks
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


shooro manjuu 松露饅頭 (しょうろうまんじゅう) round Manju cakes
"like shoro mushrooms (truffles) that grow on the trees of Niji na Matsubara 虹の松原 in spring and autumn". The cakes are filled with sweet bean paste, outside is castella cake. They are about 3 to 4 cm in diameter.
Speciality of Karatsu 唐津市.
shooroo ショウロ Rhizopogon rubescens
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Suko sushi 須古寿司 from Suko town
Suko Town, Kishima island 杵島（きしま）郡白石（しろいし）
The area is famous for its rice planting, since more than 500 years Sushi is made. Especially mutsugoro and other seafood from Ariakekai are used. Also shiitake mushrooms, eggs, goboo, Narazuke pickles, red pickled ginger and mountain vegetables are used to bring sea and mountain on one box sushi (oshi sushi). It is thus very colorful and often also made for festivities. The villagers make it in memory of a former daimyo, who helped them inprove the rice plants of the area.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Takesaki kani, Takezakigani 竹崎蟹 crab from Takesaki town
aogani アオガニ "blue crab" Callinectes sapidus
They are as large as 30 cm. Females are better in winter, the males in summer.
They are boiled in seawater 茹で竹崎蟹 to enjoy their natural taste.
koorazake, koora sake 甲羅酒 hot ricewine in the crab shell
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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toofu 豆腐 bean curd
Saga is famous for its various bean curds.

. . . . . godoofu ごどうふ tofu made with kuzu vines
It is like a pudding with a shining surface and taste of rice.
from Arita 有田名物, often served in a beautiful pot of Arita pottery.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


. . . . . ishiwaridoofu - ishiwari toofu 石割豆腐 ishiwaridofu, ishiwari-dofu "tofu that can split a stone"
"stone breaking tofu"
from Kashiwajima island 神集島, near Karatsu
It is very hard and quite salty. The amount of eight normal portions of tofu are used for one serving.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought this preparation back from his war excursion to the Korean peninsula in the 16th century and is alive to our day.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




. . . . . zarudoofu ザル豆腐 / ざる豆腐 tofu in a bamboo basket
This tofu is made without soaking the beans in water, so it has the natural flavor of the soy beans.
from Karatsu 唐津

see also below, Ureshino Onsen Tofu

. Saga Tofu from Kyoto　嵯峨豆腐


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Ureshino cha うれしのお茶 / 嬉野茶 tea from Ureshino
Green tea and black tea are produced, since it was introduced by the Ming-Chinese in 1504. The original tea is roasted in a metal container or kettle.
Some say this was the origin of tea production in Japan.
Also used to flavor soft ice and other regional sweets.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Ureshino Onsen Tofu　嬉野温泉豆腐 tofu with hot spring water
Onsen water is used to make this delightful local dish. The alkaline in the water makes the bean curd in the tofu soft and mellow when it is heated in ceramic pots. Onsen tofu is traditionally served with condiments such as green onion, ginger, and sesame paste to taste.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


warasubo 藁素坊 (ワラスボ) green eel goby
Taenioides rubicundus
ワラスボ（藁苞）
Odontamblyopus lacepedii
from Ariakekai. sometimes also called subo スボ、jinkichi ジンキチ or even mutsugoroo ムツゴロウ.
His strange outlook with sharp teeth made him a model for ALIEN.
His flesh is rather tasty. Raw as sashimi, or boiled or grilled with miso. Also dried. A good friend for the sake drinker.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Yobuko ika よぶこイカ / 呼子（よぶこ）squid from Yobuko town
near Karatsu town. The squid is almost transparent when served fresh as sashimi. Other parts are eaten as tempura.
The port of Yobuko is famous for its rich fish grounds nearby and fresh fish.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Yoshinogari 吉野ケ里
In Memory of Queen Himiko


Yagura manjuu やぐらまんじゅう Yagura manju
Himiko manjuu 卑弥呼まんじゅうや / 卑弥呼饅頭 Himiko manju
Himiko senbei 卑弥呼せんべい / 卑弥呼煎餅 Himiko sembei


akamai aisu 赤米アイス red rice icecream
Yoshino gaarikku 吉野ガーリック giant garlic from Yoshino
Yoshinogari kodaimen 吉野ヶ里古代麺 noodles the old style
Yoshinogari saburee 吉野ヶ里 サブレー Sablee from Yoshinogari

. WASHOKU : 吉野ケ里名物
Specialities near Yoshinogari, Saga 　

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yudedago, yude dago ゆでだご simple wheat cakes
dough from wheat is formed into small round plates by hand and cooked in water. Then brown sugar is coated around it. Sometimes yomogi mugword or red beans are mixed into the dough.
Eaten as a snack by the farmers.


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Delicacies from Saga
- source : www.asobo-saga.jp/lang/english

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HAIKU and SENRYU

aki no tabi Ariakekai no umi no sachi

travelling in autumn -
the good seafood from
Ariakekai sea

Nakayama Hanako, October 2004


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むつ五郎むつ十郎の泥試合
mutsugoroo mutsujuuroo no doro shiai

mudskipper five
and mudskipper ten
fight in the mud

Mutsugoro
und Mutsujuro
machen eine Schlammschlacht

Awano Seiho 阿波野青畝 (1899 - 1992

This is a play of words with the name of Mutsugoro. Five and ten, a small one and a big one are fighting for a female.

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仏滅の晴天を呼ぶむつ五郎
butsumetsu no seiten o yobu mutsugoroo

bringing fine weather
for Buddha's death day -
Mutsugoro

Nagajima Tenseki 永島転石

(butsumetsu is also an unlucky day in the traditional yearly almanacs.)


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Related words

Mutsugoro むつ五郎 a type of haze, mudskipper, kigo for late spring

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes


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. Tokyo Kōtō 江東区 Koto ward, "East River" .
Sagacho 佐賀町 . 佐賀一丁目,佐賀二丁目 Saga district, first and second district



In 1692, it was named after the village headmen, 藤左衛門町 Tozaemoncho and 次兵衛町 Jiheicho.
In 1695, it was named after the Saga prefecture, because the harbour of 肥前国佐賀湊 Saga looked similar to the area in Edo.
Near the 深川地域 Fukagawa area, former 深川佐賀町 Fukagawa Sagacho.
In 1878, it became part of 深川区 Fukagawa ward.
In 1947, Fukagawa became part of Koto ward.

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