Ibo no Ito

Ibo no Ito is a hand-stretched somen brand associated with the Hyogo Prefecture Hand-Stretched Somen Cooperative. According to the cooperative's website, the brand is made from carefully selected wheat and Ako salt, produced in a climate suited to somen making, and made using a traditional hand-stretching method passed down for about 600 years. The cooperative's overview page lists its name, location in Tatsuno, Hyogo, warehouses, registered trademarks including Ibo no Ito, and other organizational details.

The cooperative's history page states that somen production in the Banshu area has a long history, with records such as a description of "サウメン" in the 1418 document "鵤庄引付" from Hannyaji Temple in Taishi, Ibo District, and the use of "そうめん" in a congratulatory address for the construction of the Iwa Shrine in 1461. It says full-scale somen making in Banshu is thought to have begun around the Anei era (1771–1780) of the Edo period, when it was encouraged as a licensed industry by the Tatsuno Domain. It also states that the formation of the traditional Ibo no Ito production area is thought to date from around the Bunka era (1804–1818), when the Tatsuno Domain began protecting and fostering famous products.

1. 1【揖保乃糸ホームページ】兵庫県手延素麺協同組合ibonoito.or.jp
2. 2揖保乃糸の歴史 | 【揖保乃糸ホームページ】兵庫県手延素麺協同組合ibonoito.or.jp
3. 3組合の概要 | 【揖保乃糸ホームページ】兵庫県手延素麺協同組合ibonoito.or.jp