🍱 Tama Konnyaku(Ball-shaped konjac)

"Ball-shaped konjac", nicknamed Tamakon , is the soul food of the people of Yamagata Prefecture. As the name suggests, it is a spherical konjac about 3 cm in diameter and is sold on skewers at tourist attractions and event halls. While square konjac and konjac noodles are popular throughout Japan, "ball-shaped konjac "is a food culture unique to Yamagata Prefecture. The origin of the ball-shaped konjac is said to be Chitoseyama Konnyaku, a konjac specialty store located at the foot of" Chitoseyama Mountain", which was established in 1926. The temple that is closely associated with konjac is "Hoshuzan Risshakuji Temple", also known as "Yamadera", in Yamagata City. The temple was founded in the Heian period, and its founder, Jikaku Daishi (monk Ennin), brought konjac back from China and began using it in the temple's vegetarian dishes, which later became popular among the local residents. This eventually led to the spread of konjac throughout the prefecture. Currently, "ball-shaped konjac" is sold at restaurants and stalls in the vicinity of the temple. Since one has to climb the 1015 steps to get to the temple's main sanctuary, it has become popular among tourists as "chikara-konnyaku" (power konjac) to eat before the climb. Tamakon is a registered trademark of Hiranoya Co.