Founded as a fish store in 1584, the current name, Minayo, was derived from the 3rd generation owner, Yohachi Iijima, taking the first Chinese character from his name. Nigai, boiled abalone with Japanese broth and soy sauce, is a very popular specialty of the Koshu Region. While many stores and restaurants now serve nigai, it was created by the 6th generation owner of Minayo. The Suruga Region (present-day Shizuoka Prefecture) next to the Koshu Region faces the ocean, where fishermen have harvested fresh　seafood for centuries. As it took time to transport the catch to the Kai Region in the Edo Period (1603-1868), most of it was dried or salted. The 6th generation owner of Minayo and other fishermen in Izu who harvested abalone experimented with methods of preservation hoping to provide the fresh the taste of abalone to people in the Koshu Region. This resulted in the creation of Nigai at the end of the Edo Period.　They put the abalone into barrels of soy sauce and transported them by packhorses. The horses’ gait shook the abalone and their body temperature warmed it along the way. This resulted in the abalone absorbing the great flavor by the time it arrived in Kofu. This marked the beginning of Nigai.