ChiritotechinThe Nagasaki Delicacy
ちりとてちん（ちりとてちん）
One man greets every dish as "the first time in my life," another dismisses everything with "I know that one." Rotten tofu is dressed up as a Nagasaki specialty to teach the know-it-all a lesson in this comic story from Kamigata (Osaka-Kyoto style rakugo).
The story Kamigata version
Invited to the master's birthday celebration, Kii-san is delighted with every dish he tastes: "I've never had anything this good in my life!" The master is in high spirits.
Talk turns to Take-yan, who lives out back. Whatever you show him, he sneers, "I know that" or "I'm sick of eating that." The whole neighborhood can't stand him. Just then, a forgotten block of tofu that has gone bad turns up in the kitchen.
The master and Kii-san take the discolored, moldy tofu, add chili pepper and other things, pack it into a jar, name it "Chiritotechin, the famous specialty of Nagasaki," and call Take-yan over. Sure enough, Take-yan insists, "Ah, chiritotechin. I ate plenty of that in Nagasaki."
With no way to back down, Take-yan pinches his nose and, with tears in his eyes, tosses the rotten tofu into his mouth. Asked how it tastes...
The sage the punchline, contains spoilers
Tap to reveal the punchline
"It tastes exactly like tofu gone bad."
In the sage (the punchline), the line meant to keep up his know-it-all act ends up naming exactly what the dish really is. In the Edo version, Sudofu, a pretentious young master ends with "Sudofu is best taken in a single bite."
Chiritotechin and Sudofu
The same story survives under different names in the east and west. Chiritotechin is said to be a reworking of the Edo story Sudofu (literally "sour tofu") for Kamigata audiences by Yanagiya Kohan I. The word "sudofu," used for a know-it-all or someone who poses as a connoisseur, comes from this story.
| Chiritotechin (Kamigata) | Sudofu (Edo) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets taught a lesson | Take-yan, who claims to know everything | A pretentious young master who poses as a connoisseur |
| Who sets the trap | The master and Kii-san | The young men of the neighborhood |
| Name of the rotten tofu | "Chiritotechin," a Nagasaki specialty | The young master names it "sudofu" himself |
| Sage | "Tastes like tofu gone bad" | "Sudofu is best taken in a single bite" |
Key scenes original dialogue written for this site
Kii-san the flatterer
- MasterSea bream sashimi. Go on, help yourself.
- Kii-sanWow, I've never had anything this good in my life!
- MasterYou say that every single time you come here.
Chiritotechin, the Nagasaki specialty
- MasterTake-yan, you know this one? It's a Nagasaki specialty called chiritotechin.
- Take-yanChiritotechin? Oh sure, sure, I know it. Ate it every morning when I lived down there.
- (The moment he opens the lid of the jar, he turns away and pinches his nose.)
- Take-yan...That sharp kick in the nose. That's how you know it's the real thing.
Sage
- MasterWell? How does it taste?
- Take-yan...It tastes exactly like tofu gone bad.
This is not a transcription of any storyteller's performance. The plot and sage are traditional; the Osaka-dialect dialogue is written by this site.
Notable performers
- Katsura Shijaku II1939–1999KamigataKnown for drawing huge laughs from the changing expressions on Take-yan's face as he works up to putting the rotten tofu in his mouth.
- Katsura Beicho III1925–2015KamigataOne of the performers whose recordings survive.
- Katsura Bunraku VIII1892–1971EdoExcelled at the Edo version, Sudofu.
