Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba

Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba is a historic soba (buckwheat noodle) restaurant located in Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, founded in 1872 (Meiji 5). It is one of the three major Edo soba traditions, alongside Sarashina and Yabu, and is a member of the Sunaba-kai noren guild as well as the Shiba Hyakunen-kai association of long-established Shiba-area businesses. The restaurant traces its lineage to the 'Sunaba' name, which originated in the Toyotomi Hideyoshi era when a confectioner called Izumiya opened a soba shop on a sand storage site during the construction of Osaka Castle. The name later moved to Edo (Tokyo) when Tokugawa Ieyasu built Edo Castle, establishing the 'Osakaya Sunaba' business. The Toranomon branch was established when Inagaki Otojirō and his wife Yoso received the noren (shop curtain) from the Sunaba head family 'Kōjimachi Shichichōme Sunaba Tokichi' in 1872. The restaurant has deep ties to samurai families, having received part of the former daimyo Abe family's estate, and was favored by the 'Three Boats' of the late Edo period: Yamaoka Tesshū, Takahashi Deishū, and Katsu Kaishū. The current building, constructed in 1923 just before the Great Kantō Earthquake, survived the earthquake and wartime air raids, and was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2011. The restaurant is currently run by the sixth generation, Inagaki Takatoshi, and continues to serve traditional Edo-style soba with a focus on house-made tsuyu (dipping sauce).

The history of Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba begins with the origin of the 'Sunaba' name, which dates back to the era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. When Osaka Castle was being built, a confectioner named Izumiya opened a soba shop on the sand storage site, and it came to be called 'Sunaba'. Later, when the Tokugawa family unified Japan, the business moved to Edo (Tokyo) and began operating as 'Osakaya Sunaba', marking the start of the Sunaba tradition as one of the three great Edo soba houses. In 1872 (Meiji 5), the Toranomon branch was established when Inagaki Otojirō and his wife Yoso received the noren from the head family 'Kōjimachi Shichichōme Sunaba Tokichi'. Yoso was the daughter of the Kariya family, which had deep ties to the Tokugawa clan; her father was a sword instructor for the Nabeshima domain but was killed in an ambush, after which she was adopted into the Sunaba Tokichi family. The restaurant received part of the former daimyo Abe family's estate and was favored by the 'Three Boats' of the late Edo period: Yamaoka Tesshū, Takahashi Deishū, and Katsu Kaishū. A calligraphy piece gifted by Yamaoka Tesshū still remains in the shop. The Inagaki family constitution states: 'Do not lend to others. Do not borrow from others. Devote yourself single-mindedly to the family business.' The current building was constructed in 1923 (Taishō 12) just before the Great Kantō Earthquake. It survived the earthquake and wartime air raids, and was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2011. In 1955, the 'Sunaba Chōeikai' was reorganized into the 'Sunaba-kai' noren guild, with Inagaki Kazuo of Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba as chairman. In 1956, the trademarks 'Sunaba' and 'Sunaba' (in hiragana) were officially registered, and later 'Su-na-ba', 'Ju-na-ba', and 'Su-na-ba' (various kanji/hiragana combinations) were added. In 1977, the address changed to Toranomon 1-chōme, and the shop name was changed to 'Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba'. In 2020, due to road widening on the Atagoshita-dōri, the Toranomon shop was temporarily closed from August and operated from a temporary location in Nishi-Shinbashi from September. The building was moved about 4 meters by relocation. The restaurant is currently run by the sixth generation, Inagaki Takatoshi.

• 2020

  Temporarily closed from August due to road widening; operated from temporary location in Nishi-Shinbashi from September.

• 2011

  Building registered as a Tangible Cultural Property.

• 1994

  Building renovation work carried out.

• 1988

  4th generation Inagaki Kazuo passes away; 5th generation Inagaki Ryūichi succeeds.

• 1977

  Address changes to Toranomon 1-chōme; shop renamed 'Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba'.

• 1956

  Trademarks 'Sunaba' and 'Sunaba' (hiragana) officially registered.

• 1955

  'Sunaba Chōeikai' reorganized into 'Sunaba-kai' noren guild; Inagaki Kazuo becomes chairman.

• 1933

  'Sunaba Chōeikai' formed.

• 1923

  Current building constructed just before the Great Kantō Earthquake.

• 1908

  First generation Inagaki Otojirō passes away.

• 1872

  Inagaki Otojirō and wife Yoso establish 'Kotohira-chō Sunaba' (later Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba) after receiving the noren from Kōjimachi Shichichōme Sunaba Tokichi.

• 1583

  Toyotomi Hideyoshi begins construction of Osaka Castle; origin of the Sunaba name.

Long-established traditional Edo soba restaurant, preserving 400-year-old Sunaba taste and history in a registered cultural property building.

• Edo-style soba

  Traditional buckwheat noodles served with house-made tsuyu.

1. 1虎ノ門 大坂屋 砂場 公式サイトtoranomon-sunaba.com
2. 2砂場の歴史 | 虎ノ門 大坂屋 砂場toranomon-sunaba.com
3. 3Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4虎ノ門大坂屋砂場 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org