Shibazuke were given their name by Kenreimon-in Tokiko, the consort of Emperor Takakura and a famous character in The Tale of Heike, because of her deep joy and gratitude at receiving pickled summer vegetables from local villagers during her retirement at Jakkoin Temple. The origin is said to be eggplants and ginger pickled in salt with Shiso leaves, a specialty of the Ohara region, and the pickles were long enjoyed as a preserved food by the families of the region. The Ohara basin, a place with a large temperature difference between morning and evening, is known as a place where quality Shiso leaves grow, and the carefully cultivated red Shiso from the region is still highly praised today. In recent years, Shibazuke pickles are commonly made by mixing thinly sliced eggplant and Ohara Shiso leaves with salt and weighting them down in a barrel until mature. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the vibrant color and delicious taste of Shibazuke, the result of fermentation using lactic acid bacteria, depends entirely on the precise application of the weight, a gift possible only through the masterful skill of the craftsmen.