今日の「天職人」は、三重県四日市市川原町の「嶋小の団子職人」。（平成23年11月19日毎日新聞掲載）
晴れ着姿にすまし顔 しゃなりと歩く娘子も 焦げた醤油の香に惹かれ 固唾呑み込む団子茶屋 人目を避けて軒口に ちょいと身を寄せ茶を啜り 嶋小の団子焼きたてを 串ごと咥え袖屏風
三重県四日市市川原町、文政年間（1818-29）創業の嶋小餅店。背を丸めせっせと団子を焼く、四代目女将の栗田富美子さんを訪ねた。
♪食わな旨もない 食うたら旨い 団子食べやんもんは 死んでまえ～っ♪
何と物騒でべらんめいな売り口上が、罷り通った時代。
それが大正から昭和初期。
口上の主は、巷で「団子豊」と渾名された行商。
天秤棒を担ぎ、嶋子の団子をせっせと売り歩いた。
「豊さんのお陰やさ。家の団子、知らんもんがおらんほど、宣伝してもうたんやで」。富美子さんが、焼きたてを差し出した。
白肌の団子に、程よい焼き網の焦げ目。
そこに染み入る醤油の付けダレ。
醤油だけの潔い旨味と、もっちりした歯応え。
堪らず「姉さん熱燗！」と、つい口を付く。
富美子さんは昭和10（1935）年、近在の養鶏場を営む農家で、４人兄妹の長女として誕生。
中学を出ると、家業の傍ら花嫁修業に洋裁を学んだ。
「卵も配達せんなんでな」。
昭和29年、実さん（故人）の元へと嫁ぎ、一男二女を授かった。
「卵の配達ん時にな、どないしてもこの店の前を、通らんと行けやんのさ。それでいつの間にか、ここの姑と家の親が心安うなって、気い付いたら嫁入りしとったんやさ」。
先代夫婦に小姑と、７人の大家族での生活が始まった。
「隣りが魚屋やってな。『お前とこが買いに来てくれると、いっぺんに店仕舞いや』ゆうて、よう笑われよった。せやけど長男の嫁には、来るもんやないな。お金も体も、何一つままんならんで」。
日々、団子屋家業を手伝いながら、子育てに家事、舅姑と小姑の世話にと追われた。
昭和30年代の後半には、「嶋小の団子」を商標登録。
昭和40年代に入ると、ヘルスセンターから声が掛かり、売店で団子の販売が始まった。
「それまでお醤油味一本やったのに、先方に甘いのがええって言われ、甘ダレで収めましたんさ。それから店でも甘ダレ置いたら『わしゃあそんなもんいらん。嶋小の団子は、昔っから醤油味って決まっとる』って。えらい怒られて」。
ヘルスセンターブームが終焉を迎える昭和50年代前半まで、大忙しの日々が続いた。
「嶋小の団子は御手洗団子にあらず」。
とは言うものの姿形は、そこらでも目にする何の変哲も無い、御手洗団子と瓜二つ。
「でも家のは他所とちごて、石臼引きの米粉も最高級やで。団子そのものの旨さも違う」。
団子作りは、石臼引きの米粉を湯で捏ねて、蒸し上げる作業から。
「それを昔は、一つずつ手で千切り取って、５ツボ（粒）ずつ竹串に挿したんさ」。
後は客の注文に応じ、焼き上げるだけ。
「団子は、まず白で焼いて、ほてから二度刺身溜りを付けて焼けば、それで仕舞いや」。
地元の溜りと、嶋小団子の相性は天下一品。
何より庶民が愛した、190年の歴史が、それを見事に裏付けている。
このブログのコメント欄には、皆様に開示しても良いコメントをドンドンご掲示いただき、またその他のメッセージにつきましては、minoruokadahitoristudio@gmail.comへメールをいただければ幸いです。
勿論！
花より団子でねぇ！
たまに、セブンイレブンの団子買うけど
一度食べてみて下さい。結構！美味い！
今日はいい天気で暑かった☀
こんな日はビアガーデンに行って「プッハァ～⤴」
数年前、オカミノファミリーの皆さんと行ったビアガーデン！
あたしは呑めないけど、皆さんで集まるのって・・
楽しいな～～ぁ⤴です。
だからこそ、今はステイホームで、自分と家族を守って、周りの人々を守るしかないですものねぇ。
たまり醤油の焦げた匂いを鼻が見つけ、口が食べたがる。お主は罪なやつよのぉ⤴️
そうそう、焦げた醤油の香は、天下一品！
ぼくの知り合いのNZ女性は、筑波の大学に留学して、帰国した途端に「焼きおにぎり」の醤油の香が恋しくって、再び日本に舞い戻り結局は日本人のご主人様と添い遂げられちゃったほどですもの。
9000ｋ彼方の国の方でも、お醤油の焦げた香りに惹かれちゃったんですもの！
お醤油の団子 美味しそうですね〜 ❣️
高山バスツアーの時 歩きながら皆さんと一緒に食べた あの 生醤油の団子 食べたくなりました 〰〰〰
ビールにも お酒にも 合いますね〜 (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
高山のお醤油味のみたらし団子なら、ビールでプッハァにも、冷酒でキュ～ッにもお似合いですよねぇ。
ああ、食べたくなっちゃいますねぇ。
もしかしたら この嶋小の団子は 後味さっぱりのキリッとした感じの団子？
おやつには ちょっぴり甘いみたらし団子。夜には 鳩小の団子でビールや日本酒。
いいわぁ〜( ◠‿◠ )
景色が良ければ 尚最高！
景色もそうですが、誰と一緒に食べるかも、美味しさに不可欠な要素ですよねぇ。
美味しそうな団子。行ったら行かんけど、お忍びで行きたいです。
コロナを制圧する日まで、お預けですねぇ。
自分のみを自分で守るために。
I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your blog.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for
me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
Excellent work!
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Please drop in again.
May I simply say what a relief to discover somebody that truly knows what they’re talking
about online. You certainly know how to bring a
problem to light and make it important. More and more people must look at this and
understand this side of the story. It’s surprising you aren’t more popular since you definitely possess the gift.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Please drop in again.
I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has
truly peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your site and keep checking for new information about
once a week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Please drop in again.
Hi everyone, it’s my first visit at this web page, and piece of writing is actually fruitful designed for me,
keep up posting these types of posts.
Hi there, I read your new stuff on a regular basis.
Your story-telling style is awesome, keep doing what
you’re doing!
Aw, this was an extremely good post. Finding the time and actual
effort to generate a very good article… but what can I say… I
hesitate a lot and never seem to get nearly anything done.
Hi everyone, it’s my first go to see at this website, and article is really fruitful
for me, keep up posting such articles or reviews.
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you
might be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark
your blog and may come back sometime soon. I want to encourage one to continue your great writing,
have a nice day!
I’ve been surfing online greater than 3 hours lately, but I by no means found any fascinating article like yours.
It’s beautiful worth enough for me. Personally, if all web owners and bloggers made just right content material as you probably did, the
internet will likely be much more useful than ever before.
Great post.
Heya i’m for the primary time here. I came across this board and I
find It really helpful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping
to provide one thing again and aid others such as you helped
me.
Thanks , I have just been looking for info approximately this topic for a long time and yours
is the greatest I’ve discovered so far. But, what concerning the bottom line?
Are you positive about the supply?
Thank you, I’ve recently been looking for info approximately this topic for a long time and yours is the greatest I’ve discovered till now.
However, what concerning the conclusion? Are you certain about the supply?
I am regular visitor, how are you everybody? This paragraph posted at this website is actually fastidious.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing
this write-up and also the rest of the site is really good.
Greetings I am so thrilled I found your website, I really found you by accident, while I was
browsing on Google for something else, Regardless I am here
now and would just like to say many thanks for a tremendous post and a all round thrilling
blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have
time to read through it all at the moment but I have bookmarked
it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up
the great work.
Aw, this was a very nice post. Taking the time and actual effort to generate a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and don’t seem to get nearly anything done.
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for
website
Greetings from California! I’m bored at work so I decided to check out your website on my iphone during lunch break.
I enjoy the information you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded
on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G ..
Anyhow, awesome site!
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is wonderful, let alone the content!
Keep on writing, great job!
Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this site.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very difficult to
get that “perfect balance” between usability and visual appearance.
I must say you’ve done a very good job with this.
Also, the blog loads very fast for me on Safari.
Superb Blog!
Nice response in return of this difficulty with genuine arguments and describing
everything regarding that.
This paragraph is genuinely a nice one it helps new the web viewers, who are wishing in favor of blogging.
Thank you for visiting us.
Please feel free to drop by again.
Today, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if
it can survive a twenty five foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views.
I know this is completely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
What’s up to all, how is everything, I think every one is getting more from this site, and your views are fastidious for new people.
I really like reading an article that can make people think.
Also, thanks for allowing for me to comment!
magnificent submit, very informative. I ponder why the other specialists of
this sector don’t notice this. You should proceed your writing.
I’m sure, you have a great readers’ base already!
Thank you for visiting us.
Please feel free to drop by again.
Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the web the
simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they just do not know about.
You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole
thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal.
Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
Pretty! This was a really wonderful post. Thanks for supplying this information.
Thank you for visiting us.
Please feel free to drop by again.