Legend has it that the first Dorayaki were made when a samurai named Benkei forgot his gong (dora) upon leaving a farmer’s home where he was hiding and the farmer subsequently used the gong to fry the pancakes, thus the name Dorayaki.
En legende fortæller dog, at den første dorayaki blev lavet, da en samurai ved navn Benkei glemte sin gongong (dora), da han forlod en bondes hjem, hvor han havde skjult sig, hvorefter bonden benyttede gongongen til at stege pandekager, heraf navnet dorayaki.