30Honchōkabu Kasaboko
The Honchōkabu kasaboko is from Hon-machi, a former castle town of Yatsushiro Castle.
The characters “hon” “chō (town)” and “kabu (stock)” are written on the top of the kasa (octagonal plane parasol) to indicate business prosperity and a rise in the stock of Hon-machi.
Hon-machi, which sends out the Honchōkabu kasaboko, has streets that became the center of Yatsushiro Castle town during the Edo period. The Satsuma road passed through the center of the town (present day Hon-machi shopping area) from east to west.
In 1853, Atsuhime, who traveled to Edo to marry the shogun, passed through these streets. According to records, the Honchōkabu kasaboko, like the one today, were already out.
