🍱 Hōraku-yaki

Hōraku-yaki is a specialty dish of Imabari City. It is a vibrant and hearty dish made using a flat roasting pan called a "hōraku-nabe" to roast a variety of fresh seafood, such as bream, octopus, turban shells, shrimp, and clams, all of which are caught in the rough waters of the Kurushima Strait, known as one of Japan's three major tidal currents. The seafood is seasoned only with salt and then steamed and roasted, resulting in a simple yet splendid and grandiose dish. The deliciously tender texture of the roasted seafood is truly addictive. It is said that during the Muromachi period, this dish was eaten by pirates to celebrate their victories in battles. Imabari City, known as the base of the Murakami pirates (navy) which were stationed in the Kurushima Strait, is the origin of this dish, hence it is sometimes referred to as "pirate cuisine. The term "pirate" might evoke images of lawless plunderers, but during peacetime, they played crucial roles as sea guides, coast guards, and facilitators of maritime trade and transportation in the Seto Inland Sea. During times of war, they skillfully operated small fast boats and excelled in combat using gunpowder, such as the "hōraku hiya" (fire arrow). It is also said that they were cultured group who not only enjoyed tea and incense but also composed poetry. The history of the Murakami Pirates is immortalized in the Murakami Pirate Museum located in Imabari City.