Meibutsu

Meibutsu (名物, lit.'famous thing') is a Japanese term most often applied to regional specialties (also known as meisan (名産)).

Meibutsu can also be applied to specialized areas of interest, such as chadō, where it refers to famous tea utensils, or Japanese swords, where it refers to specific named famous blades.

Definition

The town of Arimatsu, Aichi: famous for its tie-dyed fabric
Minakuchi: famous for its pickled gourds

Meibutsu could be classified into the following five categories:[1]

In the past, meibutsu also included:

  • Supernatural souvenirs and wonder-working panaceas, such as the bitter powders of Menoke that supposedly cured a large number of illnesses;
  • Bizarre things that added a touch of the "exotic" to the aura of each location such as the fire-resistant salamanders of Hakone; and
  • Prostitutes, who made localities such as Shinagawa, Fujisawa, Akasaka, Yoshida and Goyu famous. In some cases these people may have encouraged visits to otherwise impoverished and remote localities, contributing to the local economy and the exchange between people of different backgrounds.

Several prints in various versions of the ukiyo-e series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō depict meibutsu. These include Arimatsu shibori, various tie-dyed fabrics sold at Narumi (station 41), and kanpyō (sliced gourd), a product of Minakuchi (station 51), as well as a famous teahouse at Mariko (station 21) and a famous tateba (rest stop) selling a type of ricecake called ubagamochi at Kusatsu (station 51).

Another category are special tea tools that were historic and precious items of Japanese tea ceremony.

Usage

Evelyn Adam gave the following account of meibutsu in her 1910 book, Behind the Shoji:

The strain of giving would really become unendurable to half the people in Japan were it not for what is known as the "meibutsu" or specialty of each town. This fills in gaps nicely; this provides the answer to vexed questions. "What shall I give to the kind person from whom I have received my twenty-fifth English lesson?" "A meibutsu." "And what shall I send my ailing father-in-law?" "A meibutsu" also, both to be brought back from the next place I happen to visit. The shops there are sure to make a reduction on quantity, well knowing that every person who goes off on a holiday is expected to return with "meibutsu" for everybody he knows, the idea being that a person who has enjoyed himself and had nothing particular to do should try to make up to those left behind in the place where they belong, engaged in the usual dull routine. Help to lift somebody out of the rut by bringing home to him or her some little novelty—that is the kindly spirit—and never mind what the trifle may be. Whether a metal pipe or a bamboo toy, it can be presented with perfect propriety to grandmother or infant grandson.

"Meibutsus" vary greatly of course. Some are sticky like the chestnut paste of Nikko, some are bulky and a source of perpetual anxiety like the fragile baskets of Arima, some are pretty like the Ikao cotton cloth dyed in the iron spring water, and some are useless and ugly and impossible to carry, like the fierce fishes of Kamakura—the fishes which blow themselves up into a globe when angry or excited and then remain blown up—as an eternal punishment I suppose—and get turned into lanterns. There are dozens of all varieties, useful and useless, dear and queer, sensible and silly, so that people with much-travelled acquaintances are soon in a fair way to start a museum. Or, to be accurate, they would be if they kept the things. But nobody does keep them all. The provident housekeeper constantly receiving "meibutsus," and constantly requiring things to send back in return, has invented a system to circumvent the expense. It is somewhat like double entry book-keeping. When the need for the return gift arises, she goes, like old Mother Hubbard, to her cupboard and looks over the parcels that have arrived lately. Distinctive things like blown-up fish may be out of the question, but there are sure to be some local or non-committal contributions. Doubtless there will be eggs hardly a month old yet, and cakes that only came week before last. Either of these will do nicely; therefore the lady wraps them up properly and passes them on. Nine times out of ten, she who receives them does the same; also her friend and her friend's friend, till those eggs or cakes are nearly as travelled as a war correspondent.[2]

Examples

Prefecture Traditional crafts Agricultural products Tokusanhin (specialities)
 Aichi
  • Ankake spaghetti
  • Curry udon
  • Doteni, intestines simmered in miso
  • Ebi furai
  • Ebi senbei, shrimp crackers
  • Hitsumabushi
  • Kishimen, flat udon
  • Miso nikomi udon, udon in a miso broth with vegetables
  • Miso katsu
  • Miso oden
  • Moriguchizuke, daikon pickled in sake lees
  • Ogura toast, sandwich of butter and red bean paste
  • Oni manjū, steamed cake with cubes of mochi and sweet potato
  • Taiwan ramen, local version of Tan Tsu Mien
  • Tatami iwashi
  • Tebasaki karaage, deep-fried chicken wings
  • Tenmusu
  • Toriwasu, chicken sashimi
  • Uirō
 Akita
  • Akita ginsen-zaiku, silver filigree
  • Akita sugi-okedaru, cedar buckets
  • Honjō-nuri, lacquerware – Yurihonjō
  • Itaya-zaiku, woven maple wood baskets
  • Kabazaiku, cherry bark boxes and tea caddies – Kakunodate
  • Kawatsura-shikki, lacquerware – Kawatsura
  • KokeshiKawatsura
  • Magewappa, bent wood cedar boxes – Ōdate
  • Naraoka-yaki, pottery – Daisen, Akita
  • Noshiro-shunkei, lacquerware – Noshiro, Akita
  • Shiraiwa-yaki, pottery – Kakunodate, Akita
 Aomori
  • Kokeshi
  • Tsugaru tako, painted kite
  • Tsugaru-jamisen, shamisen
  • Tsugaru-nuri (津軽塗), lacquerware – Hirosaki
  • Tsugaru no hatobue, clay whistle shaped like a pigeon
  • Yawata uma, carved wooden horse
  • Apple pie
  • Bara yaki, grilled beef rib meat
  • Hittsumi, roux with chicken and vegetables - Nanbu, Aomori
  • Ichigo-ni, clear soup of thinly sliced sea urchin roe and abalone
  • Ikamenchi, minced squid fritter
  • Jappa-jiru, fish gut and vegetable soup, usually cod or salmon
  • Kaiya or kayaki, scallop boiled with egg and miso in its own shell
  • Keiran, red bean soup with dumplings
  • Senbei jiru, senbei soup
 Chiba
  • Aji no tataki, chopped horse mackerel
  • Ise-ebi senbei, spiny lobster crackers
  • Namerō
  • Peanut monaka
  • Suzumeyaki, broiled Crucian carp
  • Tai senbei,
  • Teppōzuke, pickles – Narita
 Ehime
 Fukui
  • Echizen Uchihamono, kitchen knives and scissors – Echizen
  • Echizen ware, pottery
  • Echizen washiEchizen
  • Wakasa nuri, lacquerware – Wakasa
 Fukuoka
  • Agano ware, pottery – Fukuchi
  • Amagi no bata-bata, painted pellet drum
  • Hakata doll – Fukuoka City
  • Hakata koma, iron spinning top
  • Hakata-ori, woven fabric – Fukuoka City
  • Hakata magemono, bent wood items
  • Karume kasuri, woven fabric – Kurume
  • Ki uso, carved wooden bird toy
  • Koishiwara ware, pottery – Koshiwara
  • Takatori ware, pottery
  • Hitokushi gyoza, "one-bite gyoza"
  • Karashi mentaiko
  • Meika Hiyoko, chick-shaped baked buns stuffed with yellow bean jam
  • Menbei, mentaiko and other seafood senbei
  • Mentaisenbei, mentaiko senbei
  • Mizutaki, chicken soup
  • Motsunabe
  • Niwaka-senpei, cookie shaped like Hakata Niwaka mask
  • Takana gohan, fried rice with pickled takana
  • Tonkotsu ramen
 Fukushima
  • Fukushima beef
  • Peaches
  • Awa manjū, steamed millet buns stuffed with red bean paste
  • Dobu-jiru, stewed ankimo and vegetables
  • Ikaninjin, squid and carrot in soy-sauce
  • Kitakata ramen
  • Kozuyu, osechi soup made from dried scallops, mushrooms, and vegetables - Aizu
  • Mamador
  • Namie yakisoba
  • Nishin no sanshouduke, dried Pacific herring pickled with sansho
  • Shirakawa ramen - Shirakawa
 Gifu
 Gunma
  • Isobe senbei
  • Kamameshi
  • Himokawa udon, extremely wide udon
  • Miso pan
  • Mizusawa udon, udon in sesame sauce
  • Okkirikomi, hand cut noodles in a soy sauce and mirin broth
  • Tōge no kamameshi, mountain pass kettle rice
  • Torimeshi, chicken cooked in tea rice
  • Yakimanju, grilled manjū
 Hiroshima
  • Fude, calligraphy brush – Kumano
  • Hariko, papier-mâché masks and dolls – Miyajima
  • Kendama, cup and ball game – Hatsukaichi
  • Otagawa glass
  • Shakushi made from cherry wood – Miyajima
  • Calbee
  • Dote-nabe, nabemono dish of oysters, tofu and vegetables stewed in a miso-based broth
  • Momiji manjū
  • Monaka
  • Okonomiyaki
  • Onomichi ramen
  • Shakushi Senbei, senbei shaped like ladles
  • Tsukemen
 Hokkaido
  • Kibori kuma, carved wooden bear – Yakumo, Hokkaido
  • Nibutani bark cloth
 Hyōgo
 Ibaraki
  • Ankoimo
  • Anko nabe, anglerfish nabe
  • Kenchin jiru
  • Miso peanuts
  • Namegata-don, seafood and vegetables over rice
  • Shishi-nabe, wild boar hotpot
 Ishikawa
  • Gori-karaage, deep-fried gori
  • Gori-tsukudani, gori simmered in soy sauce, sometimes with walnuts
  • Hasumushi, steamed lotus root egg dish
  • Ishiru hotpot, hotpot cooked with fish sauce instead of soy sauce
  • Jibu-ni
  • Kaburazushi, turnip sushi
  • Kamifūsen, balloon shaped sweet filled with kingyoku jelly - Kanazawa
  • Kaisendon, seafood rice bowl
  • Kintsuba, red beans and agar wagashi - Kanazawa
  • Rakugan, pressed dry sweets - Kanazawa
 Iwate
  • Hidehira-nuri, lacquerware
  • Iwayadotansu (岩谷堂箪笥), wooden chests of drawers – Ōshū, Iwate
  • Johoji lacquerware
  • Kokeshi
  • Tetsubin, cast iron kettle
 Kagawa
  • Kagawa shikki, lacquerware – Takamatsu
  • Marugame uchiwa, flat fan – Marugame
  • Sanuki itto-bori, chisel woodcarving – Kotohira and Mannō
  • Sanukite instruments
  • Takamatsu hariko, papier-mâché dolls –Takamatsu
  • An-mochi zoni, zōni with red bean paste stuffed mochi in a white miso broth
  • Honetsuki tori, fried chicken – Marugame
  • Iriko meshi, iriko cooked with rice
  • Mamba no kenchan, stirfried mustard leaf and tofu
  • Oshinuki sushi, sushi made with spring sawara
  • Sakana no sambai, grilled small fish marinated in vinegar, mirin and soy sauce
  • Sanuki udon
  • Shippoku Udon
  • Shoyumame
  • Teppai, cold dish of carp
  • Teuchi udon
  • Uchikomi jiru, noodle soup
  • Wakagi-ae, Japanese scallion mixed with razor clams or asari clams
 Kagoshima
  • Oshima tsumugi
  • Satsuma kiriko, cut glass
  • Satsuma ware, pottery
  • Tai-guruma, toy red snapper on wheels
  • Yoronjima bashōfu, banana fiber cloth
  • Akumaki
  • Kagoshima ramen
  • Karukan
  • Keihan rice
 Kanagawa
 Kōchi
  • Dorome
  • Katsuo no Tataki
 Kumamoto
  • Amakusa pottery
  • Higo zogan, damascene
  • Konohazaru, monkey pottery dolls
  • Shōdai ware, pottery – Arao
  • Tatami
  • Dagojiru
  • Fuga-maki, bean paste wrapped in nori
  • Hitomoji guruguru, boiled green onion with mustard sauce
  • Ikinari dango
  • Jindaiko
  • Karashi renkon, mustard stuffed lotus root
  • Kumamoto ramen
  • Takamori dengaku
  • Yamato croquette - Yamato
 Kyoto
  • Asahi ware, pottery – Uji
  • Fushimi ningyo, clay doll
  • Kyō ware, pottery
    • Kiyomizu ware
    • Rengetsu ware
  • Nishijin-ori
  • Sensu, folding fan
  • Tango chirimen
  • Uchiwa, flat fan
  • Ebi-imo, taro
  • Hōjicha
  • Kyo-yasai, Kyoto traditional vegetables
  • Saikyo miso
  • Shogoin turnip
  • Uji tea
  • Awafu, namafu made with millet as well as glutinous rice
  • Buri shabu, yellowtail hotpot - Ine
  • Hamo no otoshi, blanched pike conger
  • Konpeitō
  • Nishin soba, soba topped with dried Pacific herring
  • Saba heshiko, spicy nukazuke mackerel - Ine
  • Saikyoyaki, grilled fish pickled in Saikyo miso
  • Tsukemono, including:
    • Semmaizuke, sliced turnip pickled in mirin
    • Shibazuke, eggplant pickled with red perilla
    • Sugukizuke, salt pickled whole turnip
  • Yatsuhashi
  • Yudofu
 Mie
 Miyagi
  • Kinoshita-goma, carved wooden horse
  • Kokeshi
  • Sendaihira, woven silk fabric for hakamaSendai
  • Tansu
  • Tsutsumi ningyo, clay doll
  • Tsutsumi-yaki, pottery
  • Yanagiu-washi, paper
 Miyazaki
  • Aoshima senbei
  • Cheese manjū
  • Chicken namban
  • Gobochi, gobo chips
  • Hiyajiru, cold miso soup with cucumber
  • Karukan
  • Miyazaki no sumibiyaki, chicken grilled over charcoal
  • Nanjakorya Daifuku, lit. "What is this?" daifuku stuffed with a strawberry, chestnut paste, cream cheese, and red bean paste
  • Sumibiyaki, charcoal-grilled chicken
 Nagano
  • Goheimochi, grilled mochi made from non-glutinous rice
  • Inago no Tsukudani
  • Korimochi, naturally freeze-dried mochi
  • Pickled nozawana
  • Oyaki
  • Soba
  • Sunki, pickled red turnip stalk and leaves
  • Yawataya Isogorō shichimi togarashi
 Nagasaki
  • Hasami ware
  • Hirado ware
  • Koga ningyo, clay doll
  • Nagasaki hata, kite
  • Pearls
  • Sasebogoma, spinning top
  • Vidro, blown glass
 Nara
  • Akahada ware, pottery
  • Nara Fude
  • Nara ittobori (奈良一刀彫), woodcarving
  • Nara uchiwa, carved paper fan
  • Shikamikuji, carved deer with o-mikuji in its mouth
  • Sumi, inkstick
  • Takayama Tea Whisk
  • Tora hariko, papier-mâché tiger
  • Aburakasu, deep-fried beef intestine
  • Asuka-nabe, hot pot of chicken and vegetables cooked in milk
  • Chagayu, kayu cooked in tea
  • Kakinoha-zushi, salted mackerel sushi wrapped in persimmon leaf
  • Kashiwa no sukiyaki, chicken sukiyaki
  • Kasuzuke, especially narazuke, aged pickles flavored with mirin
  • Kuzumochi
  • Manjū
  • Mikasayaki, a kind of dorayaki
  • Miwa sōmen
  • Momiuri, cucumber sunomono
  • Nyumen, somen noodles in a hot broth
  • Shishi-nabe, wild boar hotpot
  • Wakakusa nabe, spinach hotpot – Nara (city)
  • Yubeshi
 Niigata
  • Anchi ware, pottery – Agano
  • Mumyōi ware, pottery – Sado
  • Neko chigura, cat basket
  • Sankaku daruma, conical daruma
  • Tarai-bune, tub boats
  • Fried half chicken, half of a chicken seasoned with curry powder and salt then deepfried
  • Hegi-soba, soba made with funori
  • Namban miso, chili-infused miso
  • Noko miso ramen, rich miso ramen with side broth to dilute it - Niigata (city)
  • Noppe
  • Sasa dango
  • Tare katsudon
  • Wappa meshi, cooked rice steamed with dashi and seafood in a bentwood box - Niigata (city)
 Ōita
  • Buri no atsumeshi, marinated yellowtail over rice
  • Dango-jiru, dumpling miso soup
  • Gomadashi udon, grilled fish ground with sesame seeds and soy sauce served over udon
  • Karaage
  • Karukan
  • Jigokumushi, steamed food cooked by Beppu's hot springs
  • Takanazushi, sushi made with takana and nori
  • Toriten
  • Yuzukoshō
 Okayama
 Okinawa
  • Bingata
  • Chin-chin uma, papier-mâché toy of Okinawan king on horseback
  • Kumejima-tsumugi
  • Ryukyuan lacquerware, lacquerware inlaid with shells and often red
  • Ryukyuan pottery
 Osaka
 Saga
  • Dagojiru, chicken and noodle soup
  • Kakinoha-zushi, trout sushi wrapped in a persimmon leaf
  • Kuri okowa, sticky rice with chestnuts
  • Mutsugoro no Kabayaki, grilled mudskipper
  • Ogi yōkan
  • Saganishiki, a steamed chestnut cake named after the brocade
  • Sicilian rice, combination of rice, salad, and meat
 Saitama
 Shiga
 Shimane
 Shizuoka
  • Mishima ware, pottery – Mishima
  • Shitoro ware, pottery – Shimada
  • Suruga hina doll
  • Tatsu-guruma, wheeled dragon toy
 Tochigi
  • Ashikaga shumai, meatless shumai - Banna-ji
  • Ayu udon
  • Ayumeshi, ayu cooked with rice
  • Chitake soba
  • Funa no kanro-ni, crucian carp simmered in soy sauce
  • Gyōza
  • Imo-kushi, roasted skewered small potatoes
  • Itoko-ni, adzuki with potatoes or pumpkin simmered in soy sauce and miso
  • Kenchin jiru, vegetable soup
  • Konnyaku, often homemade
  • Kanpyo no tamago-toji, soup made with kanpyō
  • Okkirikomi, hand cut udon noodles in a soy sauce or miso broth
  • Rakkyo-zuke, pickled rakkyo - Nikkō
  • Shimotsukare
  • Suiton
  • Tote-yaki, crepe-like pancake filled with sweet or savory ingredients - Shiobara Onsen
 Tokushima
  • Iya soba, soba in iriko broth
  • Sobagome zosui, buckwheat porridge
  • Tarai udon, udon that is dipped in a sauce and then eaten
  • Tokushima ramen
 Tokyo
  • Edo bekkō, tortoiseshell accessories
  • Edo kiriko (江戸切子), cut glass
  • Edo sashimono, wood joinery
  • Edo wazao, bamboo fishing rods
  • Honba kihachijo, dyed silk – Hachijō-jima
  • Imado doll
  • Inu-hariko and zaru-kaburi inu, papier-mâché dogs
  • Murayama oshima tsumugi, woven silk fabric – Musashimurayama
  • Tama ori, brocade
  • Tokyo antimony kogeihin, antimony craft
  • Tokyo ginki, silver craft
 Tottori
  • Inshū-washi, paper
  • Yodoegasa, paper umbrella – Yodoe, Tottori
  • Gyūkotsu ramen, beef broth ramen
  • Horu soba
  • Kaniju, crab soup
  • Oyama okowa, steamed glutenous rice with vegetables
  • Tofu chikuwa
 Toyama
  • Etchū Fukuoka sedge-woven hats
  • Etchu washi - Asahi, Yatsuo, Taira
  • Inami chokoku, woodcarving especially ranma - Inami
  • Shogawa hikimono kiji, zelkova wood bowls or trays
  • Takaoka Doki (高岡銅器), copperware – Takaoka
  • Takaoka shikki, lacquerware – Takaoka
 Wakayama
  • Kīshū bina, lacquered doll
  • Kīshū lacquerware
  • Shuro tawashi
  • Yatagarasu Daruma, three-legged crow doll
  • Kagero, cream puff
  • Kue nabe
  • Kujira no tatsutaage, deep-fried whale meat
  • Meharizushi
 Yamagata
  • Benibana-zome, safflower dyeing – Kahoku
  • Dantsu (山形緞通), woven wool carpets – Yamagata City
  • Fuku suzume, luck sparrows – Shinjō
  • Hirashimizu-yaki, pottery – Hirashimizu
  • Imono, cast iron ware – Yamagata City
  • Ita shishi (板獅子), lit. flat lions – Tsuruoka
  • Kaminoyama hariko (上山張子), papier mache dolls – Kaminoyama
  • Kasen-dako (花泉凧), kites – Yamagata City
  • Kokeshi
  • Neko ni tako, lit. "octopus on cat" doll
  • Otaka Poppo, toy hawk – Yonezawa
  • Sasano-bori (笹野彫り), Sasano woodcarvings – Yonezawa
  • Shogi koma, Japanese chess pieces – Murayama and Tendō
  • Tetsubin, cast iron kettle
  • Bo-dara ni, simmered dried Pacific cod, served at Obon
  • Dongara-jiru, cod soup
  • Hiyajiru, cold fish soup with mustard spinach, cabbage and cucumber
  • Hyo hoshi, Osechi side dish made from dried purslane simmered with dried soybeans, deep-fried tofu, fish sausage, and carrots
  • Imoni
  • Inago iri, locusts simmered in soy sauce and mirin
  • Karakara senbei, folded triangular sweet rice cracker with a toy inside
  • Kasu-jiru, radish, soybean, and sake lees soup often with salted salmon
  • Koi no umani (鯉の甘煮), carp simmered in salty-sweet soy sauce
  • Kujira-mochi, steamed sweetened rice cake
  • Masu no ankake, trout in thickened sauce
  • Niku soba, cold soba with chicken
  • Sansai nabe, mountain vegetable hotpot
  • Shonai soba
  • Tamago konyaku
  • Yamagata dashi (山形だし), chopped salsa-like condiment containing eggplant, cucumber, okra, myoga and shiso often served as a topping for cold tofu or somen
  • Yuza curry, vegetable curry – Yuza
 Yamaguchi
 Yamanashi

In media

Meibutsu are key to the promotion of tourism within Japan, and have been frequently depicted in media since the Edo period (1603–1867).

Ukiyo-e

Manga and Anime

Television

  • Japanese Style Originator - variety show that presents meibutsu and traditional craftsman as regular segments

See also

References

  1. According to a paper by Laura Nenzi cited by Jilly Traganou in The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan (Routledge, 2004), (72)
  2. Evelyn Adam, Behind the Shoji (London: Methuen, 1910), 185–187.
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