They became popular after onshi (low-ranking Shinto priests) began to distribute them as lucky charms, in tribute to the noshi abalone produced in Kuzaki-cho, Toba City, Mie Prefecture which were used in Shinto rituals in Ise Jingu Shrine.
伊勢神宮での神事に使用される国崎（三重県鳥羽市国崎町）産の熨斗鰒にちなみ、御師が縁起物として配りだしたのが一般に広まったきっかけである。