Originally, the term 'sakubei' often appeared in documents during The Later Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty in ancient China, and the oldest record of the term is a mokkan (a narrow strip of wood on which an official message is written) excavated from the site of residence of Prince Nagaya, the grandson of Emperor Tenmu (Nara City).
元々「索餅」は古代中国の後漢や唐の文献に度々出てくる言葉であり、日本では天武天皇の孫、長屋王邸宅跡（奈良市）から出土した木簡が最も古い記録となっている。