小田原市地場産業振興協議会(英語)

Made of fleshy, thin-skinned savory ume plums, Odawara umeboshi is one of Odawara’s renowned traditional specialties. Using time-honored techniques, selected Odawara ume plums are made into umeboshi of the finest quality.

During the Sengoku period, Hōjō Soun, a lord of Odawara Castle who extended power over the Kanto area, made use of umeboshi in the battle fields. The soldiers then would carry shiso-wrapped umeboshi in the fields, and this is said to be the origin of shiso maki umeboshi, or shiso-rolled umeboshi.

Bainiku Extract, or ume plum extract, is made by boiling down the juice of green ume plums. Widely consumed in local households, it is one of Odawara’s most popular health foods, and fresh ume plums right off the trees are used to make it.

As Odawara is situated on the Sagami Bay and blessed with fresh squid, ika-no-shiokara, or fermented salted squid, has been long produced in the area. Originating in Odawara, ika-no-shiokara made with koji rice is a local delicacy created with the traditional skills.

The hototogisu, or Japanese cuckoo, is the subject of a famous set of sayings used to compare the personalities of Japan’s unifiers. One of the sayings means “if the hototogisu doesn’t sing (cry), force it to,” a reference to the personality of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The name hotogogisu maki was inspired by those sayings as it is so hot that it can make you cry, and is a traditional delicacy of Odawara. The hotogogisu maki is a shiso roll filled with mustard and other ingredients, and it was selected as one of the top 100 specialties of Kanagawa prefecture.