Japan has a deep gift-giving culture, most often observed in bringing back souvenirs (omiyage>) for friends and families when one returns from out of town. Normally these are cookies or crackers that carry a regional or popular flavor of where they were made, but in some cases, they can be quite specific.

Yunko (@myunrenmaru) was recently gifted a very particular treat from Gifu prefecture--one with a very impactful appearance!

As the packaging explains, the traditional sweet is called the "Gekokokujo-Ayu" and is inspired by the famous samurai general Akechi Mitsuhide, who would go on to assassinate Oda Nobunaga. Ayu are a type of sweetfish in Japan, and the term "gekokujo" literally refers to the concept of a retainer supplanting his lord (as Mitsuhide did to Nobunaga), but is more loosely used to for overcoming a stronger opponent, obstacle, or supassing a superior That makes this treat a good luck edible souvenir for someone perhaps studying for an important test, or practicing for a big sports event.

Once you open the package, you'll see that these sweets lay on that imagery very thick!

"In the sweetfish sweets I got as a present, the sweetfish is overcoming its superior way more than I imagined and I busted up laughing. lol This is so cute."

To symbolize the meaning of the sweets, they're crafted into the shape of a sweetfish biting back at a cormorant! While that's quite a literal translation of the treat's name, it's also a reference to the longstanding tradition of fishing for sweetfish using trained cormorants in Gifu prefecture. So it's quite the regional good luck dessert!

According to the website of Tomoiya Honpo, the snack's maker, the sweets can come in handy when facing the various battles you can't afford to lose in life, so it may be a great treat to pick up when visiting Gifu--as many in the replies said: