One of the ancestors of 81-year-old Taguchi Tomisaburou, a minshuku owner on Ojika island, had a particularly profound link with Funamori. In the closing days of the Edo period, an ancestor of his five generations removed (named Tokuheiji) had stopped at Sotome port, and had there encountered a father with twin sons who were Hidden Christians on flight from Sotome. His temperament was such that he did not want to abandon those who were in need of help and, risking his life to help them, he took them with him to Ojika as his servants. Afterwards, this family went and settled in Funamori. It is said they called the man who had helped them “Danna-sama” (literally, “master”) and that at o-bon (a Buddhist festival which commemorates one’s ancestors) and o-shougatsu (Japanese new year) they sent him vegetables and fruit.

In the post-war period, Taguchi Tomisaburou was for a while appointed to the junior high school on Nozaki island as a teacher. As he recalls with fondness, “When I called on the homes of my pupils in Funamori, I was given hot pancakes fried in Camellia oil. They were delicious!”