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Meibutsu

is a Japanese term most often applied to regional specialties (also known as ).

can also be applied to specialized areas of interest, such as , where it refers to famous tea utensils, or Japanese swords, where it refers to specific named famous blades.

Definition

could be classified into the following five categories:

In the past, also included:

  • Supernatural souvenirs and wonder-working panaceas, such as the bitter powders of Menoke that supposedly cured a large number of illnesses;
  • Bizarre things that added a touch of the "exotic" to the aura of each location such as the fire-resistant salamanders of Hakone; and
  • Prostitutes, who made localities such as Shinagawa, Fujisawa, Akasaka, Yoshida and Goyu famous. In some cases these people may have encouraged visits to otherwise impoverished and remote localities, contributing to the local economy and the exchange between people of different backgrounds.

Several prints in various versions of the ukiyo-e series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō depict . These include Arimatsu , various tie-dyed fabrics sold at Narumi (station 41), and (sliced gourd), a product of Minakuchi (station 51), as well as a famous teahouse at Mariko (station 21) and a famous (rest stop) selling a type of ricecake called at Kusatsu (station 51).

Another category are special tea tools that were historic and precious items of Japanese tea ceremony.

Usage

Evelyn Adam gave the following account of in her 1910 book, Behind the Shoji:

Examples

In media

are key to the promotion of tourism within Japan, and have been frequently depicted in media since the Edo period (1603–1867).

Ukiyo-e

Manga and Anime

Television

See also

References