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

Tsuruoka City , local cuisine has been handed down over a long period of time, making use of seasonal ingredients such as wild vegetables and mushrooms, local bounties such as rice, edamame, turnips, and bamboo shoots, and seafood such as cod and flounder. I've been doing it.

has led to the city being recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy as a city with a rich food culture that is rarely seen anywhere in the world

UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy is a city that recognizes creativity as a strategic element of sustainable development in economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects. and was established in 2004 with the aim of "strengthening cooperation between cities in the world" (Ministry of Education , Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) .

The subjects are cities around the world, and there are seven categories: literature, film, music, craft & folk art, design, media art, and food culture.

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

In 2014, Tsuruoka City became the first city in Japan to be certified as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomic Culture. In Japan, other

• Food culture: Usuki City (Oita Prefecture/2021)
• Design: Kobe City (Hyogo Prefecture/2008), Nagoya City (Aichi Prefecture/2008), Asahikawa City (Hokkaido/2019)
• Craft & 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)
• Movie: Yamagata City (Yamagata Prefecture/2017)

has been accepted as a UNESCO Creative City.

Food culture that remains in Buddhist vegetarian cuisine and event foods “for survival”

Japan has a rich variety of local cuisines all over the country, and Tsuruoka City has a rich food culture that has been cultivated since ancient times, with a wealth of ingredients from the mountains, the countryside, and the sea.

"Shojin-ryori" was started more than 1,400 years ago by Shugendo mountain priests who entered the Dewa Sanzan mountains of Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan, and Mt. Yudono, and has been passed down to this day as a cuisine for survival.

The dishes prepared by monks in training using the scarce mountain blessings to sustain their lives are so rich in flavor that many tourists come out of their way to try them. A unique food culture is also passed down through Kurokawa Noh which has been passed down as a folk performing art for over 500 years

Shonai Plain is a treasure trove of traditional vegetables. Rich fishing ground, the Sea of ​​Japan off the coast of Tsuruoka

The Shonai clan in the village of Tsuruoka , and it developed as a castle town. The reason for building a castle in Tsuruoka is that the Shonai Plain, a fertile land created by the Mogami River, was located in the background.

The Shonai Plain produces dozens of types of crops that are unique to the area, giving rise to a variety of cuisines.

Farmers have continued to protect the seeds of the crops they grow for generations and continue to pass them down to the present day. As a result, more than 60 types of native crops have been identified, enriching Tsuruoka's food.

The Mogami River flows from the Shonai Plain to the Sea of ​​Japan. Off the coast of Tsuruoka, warm currents (Tsushima Current) and cold currents (Liman Current) from the south collide, and the nutrient-rich water from the Mogami River mixes with them, resulting in large numbers of plankton, making it the perfect environment for fish to live. . It is said that there are approximately 130 species of fish that come to Tsuruoka's port.

Tsuruoka, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomic Culture, has it all: harsh mountain cuisine, rich village cuisine, and fresh sea cuisine.

Shojin ryori is the basis of Japanese cuisine, including cooking methods and preservation techniques.

Founded around 1,400 years ago on Mt. Haguro, the vegetarian cuisine that is said to have been eaten by the Yamabushi has been passed down from generation to generation. The dishes, which are prepared using locally harvested ingredients and preserved ingredients, change depending on the season and the day.

Wild vegetables in spring and mushrooms in autumn are standard. There are also 7 to 10 different small dishes on the table, including simmered maitake mushrooms and tofu, sesame tofu with sauce, seasonal vegetable tempura, and mushroom miso soup.

You can enjoy the vegetarian cuisine of Dewa Sanzan at the Saikan on the summit of Mt. Haguro and the lodgings at the foot of the mountain.

Hagurosansangojo Saikan＜Information＞

• Name: Mt. Haguro Shrine Saikan
• Location: Summit of Mt. Haguro
• Phone number: 0235-62-2357
• Business hours: 11:00-14:00
• Sai food: 7 items/2,750 yen, 10 items/3,850 yen
• Accommodation: 1 night and 2 meals per person / 11,000 yen ~
• URL: Mt. Haguro “Saikan” 

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"Frozen tofu" served at festivals dedicated to Kurokawa Noh

Kasuga Shrine in Kurokawa , Tsuruoka City, at the foot of , Ougisai , will be held for two days from February 1st . ``Kawanou'' will be performed as a service.

Kurokawa Noh belongs to the five existing Noh schools: Kanze-ryu, Hosho-ryu, Konparu-ryu, Kongo-ryu, and Kita-ryu. It is a folk performing art that has been handed down as a Shinto ritual at Kasuga Shrine, where the parishioners are divided into upper and lower divisions, and has continued to develop in its own way.

Another feature of ``Kurokawa Noh'' is that it contains many old plays that are no longer performed in the 5th school.

There are various theories about the origin of Kurokawa Noh, but it is believed that Noh (Sarugaku), which was established by father and son Kanami and Zeami, was introduced to Kurokawa in the late Muromachi period.

Even today, the main actors of Noh play performers ranging from maikata (actors who perform Noh's shite, waki, and local chants) to hayashikata (accompanied by musical instruments), and kyogenkata (a dialogue drama centered on laughter). It is performed by a total of about 160 people, including actors (actors). In addition, there are 250 Noh masks, 5,500 Noh costumes, and 540 Noh and 50 Kyogen performances, making it a very large scale for a folk performing art.

``Kurokawa Noh'' has been designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property

the traditional dish ``frozen tofu'' is served at the Ogi Festival it is also called the ``Tofu Festival.'' In mid-January, 5,000 tofu cubes are cut into rectangular parallelepipeds and baked by the people of the Toya village, which celebrates the shrine. The grilled tofu is first frozen, boiled in miso, and eaten with a sauce called ``nibanjiru'' seasoned with sake, soy sauce, walnuts, seaweed, and sansho pepper.

"Frozen tofu" is an event food for the Ogi Festival, and is a local dish that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Ogisai/Kurokawa Noh <Information>

• Name: Wangisai/Kurokawa Noh
• Venue: Kasuga Shrine (Zanaka Toya)
• Address: 291 Miyanoshita Kurokawa, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture
• Phone number: 0235-57-3019
• “Ogisai” (Saiko period): February 1st to February 2nd
• URL: Kasuga Shrine

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Local cuisine of the Shonai Plain using native species that has been passed down since ancient times.

More than 60 types of native vegetables have been identified in Tsuruoka, mainly in the Shonai Plain, including Dadacha beans, which have become known nationwide. In Tsuruoka, there are different native species grown depending on the region, such as along the mountains, on the plains, or along the coast, and there are also various ways to eat them.

When cultivating native seeds, as a general rule, you grow your own seeds rather than buying them. Most of the vegetables currently eaten in Japan are made by combining vegetables of the same genus, and many are also grown in combination with Western varieties. Cultivation management is difficult because native varieties cannot be crossed with other varieties (naturally pollinated). Many new varieties are being cultivated in the Shonai plains, and the efforts of farmers who have maintained native varieties are worthy of praise. Without this, we would not have been accepted as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Tsuruoka's native vegetables include Dada tea beans, Moso beans, Atsumi turnips, Hirata red onions, Dada cha beans, Japanese knotweed, and potato shells. Typical local dishes include Moso soup, Benkei rice, Dongara soup (cold cod soup), trout in ankake sauce, egg agar, soy sauce agar, sandfish dengaku, boiled sandfish, dadacha mameganmo, Moso yaki, etc. can be given.

The abundance of seafood creates unique local cuisine. In addition, seaweed is often used as soup stock, adding to the flavor of Tsuruoka's cuisine.

[Benkei rice]

Miso nigiri wrapped in pickled greens and grilled for a fragrant aroma. The origin of Benkei rice is that ``the appearance of the rice ball wrapped in pickled greens resembles the appearance of Musashibo Benkei, whose face was covered with a kesa.''

[Boiled sandfish]

In the Tohoku region, sandfish is an essential winter ingredient. Dengaku is made by putting sandfish in a soup made with kelp and sake, then scooping out the buriko (egg) when it turns whitish and enjoying it with soy sauce.

[Dongara soup/cold cod soup]

A hot pot dish using cod that has eggs in winter. It is said to have originated as a fisherman's dish and uses every cod. “Dongara” refers to the pit of a codfish.

[Moso soup]

“Yudagawa Moso” is known nationwide as a branded bamboo shoot. It is also the northern limit of Moso bamboo and is highly prized. Moso soup is served with a soup made with Moso bamboo shoots, pork, fried tofu, kinusaya, and sake lees.

[Trout sauce]

It is said that Kyoto's "ankake culture" was brought to Tsuruoka on the Kitamaebune ship. Using cherry salmon that swim up the river in the spring, add chives to the boiled meat, sprinkle with sweet bean paste, and top with ginger to complete the dish. Unlike the ankake in Kyoto Prefecture, we use cold and sweet ankake.

[Egg agar/soy sauce agar]

Dissolve agar made from amanita in hot water, add sugar, soy sauce, and beaten eggs, stir well, and cool. Once it becomes jelly-like, cut it into bite-sized pieces and eat it as is. It sometimes contains boiled or hard-boiled eggs, and because it contains soy sauce and sugar, it has a sweet and salty taste.

[Rice cooked with Dada Cha Beans/Dada Cha Beans]

Dadacha beans are a type of soybean, and when they ripen in autumn, they turn into hard brown soybeans. The beans are harvested during the summer before the beans are ripe, when they are still green and soft. Boil it and eat it as is, or add it to processed products. The origin of the word "Dada" is said to have come from the fact that the lord of the Shonai domain liked the beans that were served to him and said, "Which Dada (father's) field did you pick the beans from today?" It is said that Dadacha beans can only be produced in the Tsuruoka area, and are cultivated under strict control as they are kept out of the public domain.

The newly born Tsuruoka food theme park “Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER”

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

``Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER'' a food complex where Tsuruoka's food culture is gathered together , you can enjoy traditional dishes and new menus using Tsuruoka ingredients.

We also recommend zazen meditation and a vegetarian cuisine experience at Zenpoji , a Zen temple that enshrines the guardian dragon god of Kitamaebune

Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER＜Information＞

• Name: Tsuruoka Food Culture Market FOODEVER
• Location: 1st floor, 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
• Location: 100 Sekine, Shimokawa, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture
• Phone number: 0235-33-3303
• Free admission to worship
• URL: Zenpoji Temple

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