In Japanese, dora means "gong". The simililarity of the shapes, made people thought it was where dorayaki originated. According to legend; the first Dorayaki were made when a samurai named Benkei, forgot his gong (dora) upon leaving a farmer’s home (where he takes refuge). The farmer who didn't know what the item serves for, unknowingly he used the gong to fry pancakes; thus the came up with the name Dorayaki.