Dig Japan vol.5 “Taiyaki (たい焼き)”

Taiyaki is wagashi made primarily from wheat flour, stuffed with azuki bean paste and baked in a mold shaped like a sea bream. Since it was first sold in 1909, various types of fillings, shapes and sizes have been developed, and after the war it spread to America and other Asian countries. How did it come about?

A wagashi confectioner, Sazae's Danish taiyaki (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

Taiyaki is said to be an improved version of imagawayaki. There is a theory that it was made in a mold during the Meiji period, and references to taiyaki can already be found in literary works, books, and newspaper articles from the late Meiji period.

It is said that the original store was Naniwaya which Osaka-born Seijiro Kobe opened in Kojimachi, Tokyo in 1909. It all started when sales of imagawayaki were poor. Although imagawayaki itself was widely known, Seijiro's was not popular and sales were sluggish.

So, to overcome this crisis, he decided to try changing the shape while keeping the recipe the same. At first, he made it into a turtle shape, but sales were poor, so he changed it to the shape of a sea bream, which is considered to be lucky, and marketed it as a lucky sweet, which became a huge hit.

Taiyaki bought at the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival in Shizuoka Prefecture (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

Generally, there are two types of taiyaki pans: one that bakes one at a time, and one that bakes multiple taiyaki at once on a hot plate. Some people call taiyaki differently depending on the baking method, in which case the former is called “Itchoyaki” and the latter “Renshiki.”

Each itchoyaki mold weighs over 2 kilograms, and returning them one by one requires physical strength, so their use is declining. However, there are some taiyaki shops that continue to make them using this traditional method.

Like imagawayaki, taiyaki also comes in many variations, with fillings such as custard cream, chocolate, caramel, and whipped cream instead of bean paste. Some stores also sell taiyaki like sandwiches filled with meat, raw vegetables, sauces, etc. Taiyaki are also sold as frozen foods and can be heated in the microwave.

This article was written by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨, working as a freelance translator and press for overseas apparel brands in Japan, with the purpose of broadening her insight into the Japanese traditional culture.