[Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture] Tsuruoka's food culture has been passed down for hundreds of years

Tsuruoka City, local cuisine that makes use of seasonal ingredients such as mountain vegetables and mushrooms, rice, edamame, turnips, and bamboo shoots, and seafood such as cod and flounder has been passed down for generations.

, possessing a remarkably rich culinary culture, rare even on a global scalea UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomybeing recognized as

A "UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy" is a city thatUNESCO Creative Cities Network," which consists of seven sectors and was established in 2004 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific andhas been recognized as a member of the Gastronomy sector of the "Cultural Organization) with the aim of "strengthening cooperation among cities that recognize creativity as a strategic element of sustainable development in economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects".

The program covers cities around the world and has seven categories: literature, film, music, craft and folk art, design, media art, and food culture

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Tsuruoka City was the first city in Japan to be recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2014

Tsuruoka City was the first city in Japan to be certified as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2014

• Food Culture:Usuki City (Oita Prefecture / 2021)
• Designs:Kobe City (Hyogo Prefecture/2008), Nagoya City (Aichi Prefecture/2008), Asahikawa City (Hokkaido/2019)
• Crafts & Folk Art:Kanazawa City (Ishikawa Prefecture/2009), Tamba-Sasayama City (Hyogo Prefecture/2015)
• Media Art:Sapporo City (Hokkaido / 2013)
• Music:Hamamatsu City (Shizuoka Prefecture / 2014)
• Film:Yamagata City (Yamagata Prefecture / 2017)

has been accepted as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities

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Food culture that remains as a vegetarian cuisine for survival and ceremonial food

Japan has a rich variety of local cuisines throughout the country, but Tsuruoka City has a wide range of ingredients, from mountain produce to rural produce and seafood, and has cultivated a rich food culture since ancient times

was started over 1400 years ago by mountain ascetics of Shugendo who entered the Dewa Sanzan mountains of Hagurosan, Gassan, and Yudonosan.Shojin ryori, a type of vegetarian cuisineIt has been passed down to the present day as a meal for survival.

The dishes prepared by the ascetic monks, using the limited resources of the mountains to sustain themselves, possess such a profound flavor that tourists come specifically to eat them. Furthermore, athe Kurokawa Nohunique culinary culture is also passed down through

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The Shonai Plain, a treasure trove of traditional vegetables. The rich fishing grounds of the Sea of ​​Japan off the coast of Tsuruoka

in TsuruokaThe Shonai Domain, and the town developed as a castle town. One of the reasons for building a castle in Tsuruoka was that the fertile land of the Shonai Plain, created by the Mogami River, stretched out behind it.

The Shonai Plain produces dozens of unique crops, which have given rise to a wide variety of dishes

Farmers have been protecting the seeds of the crops they cultivate for generations and have continued to pass them down to the present day. As a result, there are now over 60 types of indigenous crops that have been identified, enriching the food of Tsuruoka

The Mogami River flows from the Shonai Plain into the Sea of ​​Japan. Off the coast of Tsuruoka, a warm current from the south (the Tsushima Current) and a cold current (the Liman Current) collide, and when this mixes with the nutrient-rich water from the Mogami River, a large amount of plankton blooms, creating the perfect environment for fish to live. It is said that around 130 species of fish are caught in the port of Tsuruoka

Tsuruoka, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, has it all: cuisine from the harsh mountains, rich countryside, and fresh seafood

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Shojin ryori, the foundation of Japanese cuisine, including cooking methods and preservation techniques

Mount Haguro, which was founded around 1,400 years ago, has a tradition of vegetarian cuisine, which is said to have been eaten by mountain ascetics. The cuisine, which is made mainly from ingredients harvested at the time and includes preserved ingredients, changes with the seasons and the day

Spring mountain vegetables and autumn mushrooms are standard, and the meal is usually lined with 7 to 10 or more small dishes, including simmered maitake mushrooms and deep-fried tofu, sesame tofu with thick sauce, seasonal vegetable tempura, and mushroom miso soup

Dewa Sanzan's vegetarian cuisine can be enjoyed at Saikan on the summit of Mount Haguro or at the temple lodgings at the foot of the mountain

Hagurosan Sanrosho Saikan ＜Information＞

• Name: Hagurosan Sanrosho Saikan
• Location: Summit of Mount Haguro
• Phone number: 0235-62-2357
• Business hours: 11:00-14:00
• Lunch food: 7 items/2,750 yen, 10 items/3,850 yen
• Accommodation: 1 night with 2 meals per person / from 11,000 yen
• URL:Hagurosan "Saikan" 

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Frozen tofu served at the Kurokawa Noh festival

, Tsuruoka City, at the foot of Mount GassanKasuga Shrine in Kurokawafor two days starting on February 1st, and thethe "Ogi-sai,"that has been passed down for 500 years,"Kurokawa Noh,"will be performed as a special offering.

Kurokawa Noh does not belong to any of the five existing schools of Noh - the Kanze, Hosho, Konparu, Kongo and Kita schools - but is a folk performing art that has continued to develop independently as a ritual Noh performance at Kasuga Shrine, with parishioners divided into upper and lower seats

Another feature of Kurokawa Noh is that it still has many old plays that are no longer performed by the five schools

There are various theories about the origins of Kurokawa Noh, but it is believed that Noh (Sarugaku), established by father and son Kan'ami and Zeami, was introduced to Kurokawa in the late Muromachi period

Even today, Noh is performed by a total of about 160 people, including the main actors, dancers (actors including shite, waki, and jiutai), musicians (accompanied by instruments), and kyogen actors (actors who perform dialogue plays with a focus on comedy).In addition, there are 250 Noh masks, 5,500 Noh costumes, and the number of plays is 540 Noh and 50 Kyogen, making it an extremely large scale for a folk performing art

"Kurokawa Noh"an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japanis designated as

The Ogi Festival is alsothe traditional dish "frozen tofu"is servedthe "Tofu Festival". In mid-January, 5,000 rectangular blocks of tofu are cut and roasted by the people of the Toya village who welcome the sacred object. The roasted tofu is then frozen once, simmered in miso, and eaten with a sauce called "niban-jiru," which is seasoned with sake, soy sauce, walnuts, seaweed, and sansho pepper.

"Frozen tofu" is a ceremonial food served at the Ogi Festival and is a local dish that has been passed down through the generations in the region

Ogi Festival and Kurokawa Noh <Information>

• Name: Ogi Festival and Kurokawa Noh
• Location: Kasuga Shrine (Zanchutoya)
• Address: 291 Miyanoshita Kurokawa, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture
• Phone number: 0235-57-3019
• Ogi Festival (Period of the festival): February 1st to 2nd
• URL:Kasuga Shrine

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Local cuisine from the Shonai Plain made with indigenous species that have been passed down since ancient times

More than 60 types of native vegetables have been identified in Tsuruoka, mainly in the Shonai Plain, including the dadachamame, which has become known nationwide. Even within Tsuruoka, the native vegetables grown vary depending on the region, such as along the mountains, the plains, or the coast, and there are many creative ways to eat them

As a general rule, when cultivating native species, seeds are not purchased but are self-collected and grown. Most of the vegetables eaten in Japan today are the result of crossbreeding vegetables from the same genus, with many crossbreeds with Western species also being cultivated. Native species are not allowed to crossbreed with other varieties (which would result in natural pollination), so cultivation management is difficult. Many new varieties are also cultivated in the Shonai Plain, and the efforts of farmers who have maintained native species in this environment are worthy of praise. Without this, the city would not have been approved as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy

Indigenous vegetables of Tsuruoka include dadachamame beans, moso, Atsumi turnip, Hirata red onion, dadachamame beans, knotweed, potato peels, and the list goes on and on. Representative local dishes include moso soup, benkei rice, dongara soup (cold cod soup), trout with thickened sauce, egg agar, soy sauce agar, sandfish dengaku, parboiled sandfish, dadachamame ganmo, and mosoyaki

The abundant seafood has given rise to unique local cuisine, and seaweed is often used as dashi (stock), adding depth to the flavor of Tsuruoka's cuisine

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[Benkei-meshi]

This miso rice ball is wrapped in pickled greens and grilled until fragrant. The origin of Benkei-meshi is that the appearance of the rice ball wrapped in pickled greens resembles the figure of Musashibo Benkei, who covered his face this morning

[Baked sandfish]

Sandfish is an essential winter ingredient in the Tohoku region. Dengaku is made by placing the sandfish in a soup made from kelp and sake, and when the buriko (roe) turns whitish, scoop it out and eat it with soy sauce

[Acorn soup/Cold cod soup]

This hot pot dish uses Pacific cod (cold cod) that lays eggs in winter. It is said to have originated as a fisherman's dish and uses every last bit of Pacific cod. "Dongara" refers to the bones of Pacific cod

[Moso soup]

Yuda-gawa Moso is a nationally known brand of bamboo shoots. It is also the northernmost limit of Moso bamboo and is highly prized. Moso soup is made with Moso bamboo shoots and a broth containing pork, deep-fried tofu, soybeans, and sake lees

[Trout in thick sauce]

This is a dish that is said to have been brought to Tsuruoka by Kitamaebune ships from Kyoto as part of its "ankake culture." It uses cherry salmon, which swim upstream in the spring, and is boiled, topped with chives, sauce, and ginger. Unlike the ankake of Kyoto Prefecture, this dish uses a cold, sweet sauce

[Egg agar/Soy sauce agar]

Agar made from tengusa seaweed is dissolved in hot water, then sugar, soy sauce, and beaten eggs are added, and the mixture is stirred thoroughly before being chilled. Once it becomes jelly-like, it is cut into bite-sized pieces and eaten as is. Sometimes boiled or scrambled eggs are added, and the soy sauce and sugar give it a sweet and salty taste

[Dadacha mame rice / Dadacha mame ganmo]

Dadacha beans are a type of soybean that ripen in the fall and turn brown and hard. They are harvested during the summer, before the beans ripen, when they are still green and soft. They are boiled and eaten as is, or added to processed foods. The name "Dada" is said to have come from a time when the lord of the Shonai domain liked the beans he was served and asked, "Which of my dada's (father's) fields did these beans come from?" It is said that the flavor of Dadacha beans can only be achieved in the soil of Tsuruoka, and they are grown under strict control as a closely guarded secret

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The newly opened Tsuruoka food theme park "Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER"

Tsuruoka also has many other local dishes and food cultures that use indigenous species that have been cultivated over a long period of time

a food complex that brings together Tsuruoka's food culture"Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER,", you can enjoy traditional dishes as well as new menus using ingredients from Tsuruoka.

temple that enshrines the dragon god who was the guardian of the Kitamae shipsZenpoji Temple, a Zenwe recommend experiencing Zen meditation and vegetarian cuisine at

Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER <Information>

• Name: Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER
• Address: 1F Marika East Building, 3-1 Suehirocho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture
• Phone number: 0235-25-7678 (Tsuruoka City Tourist Information Center)
• URL:Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER

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Zenpoji Temple <Information>

• Name: Ryuoson Zenpoji Temple
• Address: 100 Sekine, Shimokawa, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture
• Phone number: 0235-33-3303
• Free admission
• URL:Zenpoji Temple

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