Issen Yoshoku and Okonomiyaki

Issen Yoshoku is said to be the precursor of okonomiyaki, which is a savory pancake made with cabbage, noodles, pork and other ingredients. Essentially, it is a simple okonomiyaki. The dish was loved in the Taisho era (1912-1926). However, the origin of Issen Yoshoku and okonomiyaki is much older. It is said that Sen no Rikyu, the most distinguished tea master in Japan, was the first person in Japan to “mix flour with water then bake it.” He served it to Mori Terumoto, a shogun in Hiroshima, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi at a tea ceremony. Rikyu named it “fu no yaki” and that is where okonomiyaki’s heritage began.