Did you know he has five siblings? A deep look at Iwate's local mascot Sobatchi and his dog siblings! [Iwate Prefecture]

Sobatchi and his in 2009 as PR characters for the " Iwate Hiraizumi Tourism Campaign ," and were officially recognized as the image characters of Iwate Prefecture in 2010 .

With their cute appearance, there are surely many people who have picked up some merchandise while traveling in Iwate...This time, we'll take a closer look at Sobatchi and his dog siblings

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Five brothers, each with their own unique personality! It wasn't just one person taking turns..

When I first learned about it, I thought that Sobatchi was changing the contents of his bowl and rotating them, but I was wrong! Each character has a different head bowl , and each one is in charge of a different region of Iwate Prefecture.

The main character , Sobacchi "Wankosoba," a specialty of Iwate (Hanamaki), which is said to be a symbol of hospitality in Iwate Prefecture Johoji-nuri," lacquerware made from Iwate lacquer, which is the number one lacquerware produced in Japan .

"Kokuchi" which contains whole grains "Tofuchi" which contains tofu "Omochi" which contains rice cakes "Unichi" which contains sea urchin rice bowls .

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Profile of the dog siblings

Sobatchi (main character)

Sobatchi is a character that represents Morioka Wanko Soba, one of Morioka's three major noodles. As the main character of the dog siblings, he travels all over Japan promoting Iwate Prefecture!

• Motif: Wankosoba
• Home: A buckwheat field in the Kitakami Mountains
• Personality: laid back (long like soba noodles)
• Special skill: I can eat a lot of wankosoba

Kokcchi (Northern Area)

Kokcchi is a mascot whose head represents the grains that are produced in the northern part of Iwate Prefecture, such as foxtail millet, barnyard millet, and inakibi. He is responsible for the northern part of the prefecture, from the inland areas such as Ninohe and Kuji to the coast

• Motif: Grains
• House: A grain field in the woods
• Personality: I fall asleep all the time
• Special skills: Nature walks, very resistant to cold
• Coverage area: Ninohe, Kuji, northern part of the prefecture

Tofutchi (Central Prefecture Area)

Morioka City has the highest tofu consumption among all prefectural capitals, and for this reason, Tofucchi is a mascot who is in charge of promoting the central area of ​​the prefecture, with a tofu inside a dog

By the way, Morioka City ranked first in the nation for tofu purchases for two consecutive years in the 2018 and 2019 surveys, but since the following year it has been in second place for four consecutive years. We hope that one day it will regain its top spot!

• Motif: Tofu
• Home: A long-established tofu shop
• Personality: Kind, reliable
• Special skills: Early rising (same as the tofu shop owner!), Sansa Odori
• Area covered: Morioka, Hachimantai, central prefecture area

Omochi (Southern Area)

Mochi culture has been passed down through the generations in the southern region of Iwate Prefecture, centered around Ichinoseki and Hiraizumi. It has been a traditional food since the Edo period, when this region was under the control of the Date clan, and there are said to be as many as 300 different types of mochi dishes

The head of "Omochi," the mascot in charge of the southern area of ​​the prefecture, contains a traditional rice cake

• Motif: Zunda mochi
• Home: A long-established rice farm
• Personality: Tenacious
• Special skills: pounding rice cakes, transformation (more than 200 ways to eat rice cakes), strong rice cakes
• Covered area: Hiraizumi, Hanamaki, Tono, southern part of the prefecture

Unichi (Southern Coastal Area)

"Uni-chi" is the mascot for the coastal area of ​​Iwate Prefecture. The head of Uni-chi features a sea urchin bowl, chosen from the abundant seafood of Sanriku

Speaking of sea urchins along the coast of Iwate Prefecture, they are famous for "raw sea urchin in milk bottles," which are sea urchins preserved in milk bottles with sterilized seawater, so perhaps the name comes from that

• Motif: Sea urchin bowl
• Home: A rocky area on the Sanriku coast
• Personality: Shy (usually keeps a secret)
• Special skills: Free diving, peeling sea urchins
• Coverage area: Miyako, Kamaishi, Ofunato, southern coastal area

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"Comic Iwate WEB" where you can read the manga about the dog siblings

As part of the Iwate Manga Project an initiative undertaken by Iwate Prefecture to promote the appeal of Iwate's culture, lifestyle, and scenery through the use of manga Comic Iwate WEB distributes original works by manga artists with ties to Iwate Prefecture, as well as winning entries from the Iwate Manga Award contest. Manga featuring Sobatchi and his dog siblings are also available for free.

Among them, the dog siblings that appear in Asahi Noboru's work "Inside My Head" are particularly charming and adorable

Link: Comic Iwate WEB – Asahi Noboru "Inside my head"

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"The Dog Siblings' Song" is also the departure melody for JR Morioka Station

These dog siblings even have character songs

It was also used as the departure melody at JR Morioka Station for a limited time from May to June 2012, in conjunction with the large-scale tourism campaign "Iwate Destination Campaign" held from April to June 2012

Judging from the video, it's a pretty surreal finish!

The songs can also be downloaded from the official Wanko Kyodai website

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summary

I always thought that the characters of the dog siblings were rotated among Sobacchi, but if you think about it, they're "siblings," so there's no way there's just one

When the contents of your mind change, your character changes too...I'll try to make sure to distinguish between the brothers the next time I visit Iwate!

Dog Siblings <Information>

• Dog Siblings Official URL: We are Iwate's Dog Siblings (Iwate Prefecture Tourism Association)
• Dog Brothers Official X (formerly Twitter): Iwate Travel @ Iwate Prefecture Tourism Association

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