There are various stories concerning the origins of Ogi yokan. In 1868 (Meiji 1), Morinaga Sokichi began producing yokan, and towards the end of the 19th century Muraoka Yasukichi started to sell a stiffer version of the sweet made with agar under the name Ogi Yokan. Yokan made with agar is virtually identical to a sweet called tosako, which is recorded in “Takushishiki,” a book on Chinese-influenced Shippoku cuisine published in 1784 (Tenmei 4) by Tanaka Shinpei of Buzen Nakatsu in present-day Oita Prefecture. This suggests that the sweet may have actually originated in China.