🍡 Kujira-mochi
Although it is called " Kujira-Mochi （whale cake）," it is not made with Whale meat. There are various theories as to the origin of the name. One theory is that it was named "Kujira- Mochi", because it is said to be a "good rice cake that lasts for a long time" because it can be preserved well(in Japanese character), another is that it used to be larger than today's mochi and the size was compared to that of a whale, and still another is that it looks like “Shio- Kujira”(a salted whale), which is made by pickling the fatty meat with whale skin in salt. There are many theories, as mentioned above. There are several theories as to its origin, with the most popular theory being that it was made as a food for soldiers during the Edo period, about 300 years ago, during the reign of Masatsune TOZAWA, the third lord of the Shinjo clan, and is said to have originated in Shinjo City in the Mogami region.