is a style of Japanese

soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found ...

noodles originating from

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectu ...

in Japan, particularly

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

and

Hanamaki is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazaw ...

. It consists of a small serving of soba noodles in small bowls. In this soba experience, customers quickly eat their soba noodles and get their bowl immediately refilled in repetition.

History and origins

The name ''wanko'' comes from the regional dialect of the Iwate Prefecture from which it comes, meaning "

bowl A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This makes ...

", but more specifically, a small, wooden Japanese soup bowl. There are many theories about the origin of the dish itself however. *One such origin is of a landowner who was having a festival on his land. There was a crowd of over a hundred villagers and guests who customarily ate soba at festivals. However, there were so many people to feed but the pots in which the soba were to be made were very small. The soba noodles were spread around in reduced quantities so that there would be enough for everyone. *

Nanbu Toshinao was an early Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 1st ''daimyō'' of Morioka Domain in northern Japan. He was the 27th hereditary chieftain of the Nanbu clan Toshinao was the eldest son of Nanbu Nobunao, and was born at the clan’s Tago Castle ...

, a territorial lord of the Nanbu area, came and stopped at a house in

, asking for a meal. His retainers served him a local variety of soba in a small soup bowl. Thinking they served Nanbu something too rustic and without much flavor, they were afraid of his reaction. But Nanbu thought it was delicious, and ordered more servings. This is said to have established the tradition of hosts continuing to serve small bowls until their guest was satisfied. There are many stories of how the dish came to be, but these two are the most common. However, as the term ''wanko'' did not come about until after World War II, some repudiate the stories. In December 1957, the Hanamaki-shi Cultural Centre was the site of the first annual contest of who could eat the most bowls of ''wanko'' soba. The event continues to this day, featuring noodle fans from many countries. ''Wanko'' soba is one of the

Three Great Noodles of Morioka Three Great Noodles of Morioka () is a term to describe the noodle dishes Morioka Reimen, morioka Jajamen, and wanko soba of the city of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Japan . * Morioka Reimen ( ja, 盛岡冷麺) is a cold noodle dish based on Kore ...

, along with

Morioka Reimen Morioka Reimen () is a local cuisine of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. It is a cold noodle dish and one of the Three Great Noodles of Morioka, along with Morioka Jajamen and Wanko soba. It is known for its chewy noodles, rich chilled broth, and toppi ...

and

Morioka Jajamen Morioka Jajamen () is a local cuisine of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. It is one of the Three Great Noodles of Morioka, along with Morioka Reimen and Wanko soba. It is based on Zhajiangmian from China. History Before World War II Takashina Kanshou ...

Gallery

File:Wanko soba2013.JPG File:Wanko Soba.jpg

References

{{reflist Soba Japanese cuisine Japanese noodle dishes