Fish-shaped pastries have a long history in Japan, dating back to at least the Edo era (early 19th century). The predecessor of Taiyaki is thought to be a snack sold by street vendors called Mojiyaki (文字焼), which literally means "grilled characters." It was a thin and hard cookie made by pouring batter onto a griddle in different shapes, such as fish and turtles. Taiyaki also shares similarities with Imagawayaki, which is kind of like Japanese waffles, expcet the allow center of the mold allows the waffle batter to be filled with sweet azuki bean paste. The first modern Taiyaki is often credited to a shop in Tokyo called Naniwaya Sōhonten (浪花家 総本店) in Tokyo, which opened its doors in 1909. They used single iron molds to bake the treats, which gave them a three-dimensional shape while allowing them to be filled with anko.