Atsuta Hōraiken, the historic main branch

‘Hitsumabushi’ is their registered trademark, and one serving costs 4,950 yen.

In the nineteenth century the second owner grew tired of the delivery boys breaking bowls on their way back from deliveries, and had a wooden container made that would not break: in it he put several servings together, with the eel cut thin and mixed into the rice. That is where the name comes from: ‘ohitsu’ is that rice container, ‘mabusu’ means to mix. Today there is one bowl per person, and the last part is finished with broth poured over it.

Atsuta Hōraiken opened in 1873 as a ryōtei, that is a traditional restaurant with private rooms and service at low tables, near Atsuta Shrine. ‘Hitsumabushi’, grilled eel cut up and mixed into rice, is a registered trademark of the house, and the way of eating it became established in the Meiji era, that is between the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth. The eels are still opened fresh, skewered by hand between skin and flesh and cooked over white charcoal; the sauce is the one from 1873, topped up ever since, and the recipe is passed down by word of mouth within the founder's family. The historic main branch burned down in the bombing of 12 March 1945.

ℹ️ Open 11:30–14:00 and 16:30–20:30, and those are the last-order times: when the dining room is full, they stop taking names earlier. Closed on Wednesdays and on the second and fourth Thursday of the month; if the closing day falls on a public holiday, the restaurant opens and takes the day off later instead. One hundred and eighty seats and forty parking spaces. Credit cards and electronic money are accepted, barcode payments only in part, and you go in when your whole group is there. Hitsumabushi costs 4,950 yen, the one-and-a-half portion 6,600; set menus with several courses start from 12,100 yen, and bookings for them are taken up to three days in advance. From Atsuta Jingū Temma-chō Station, on the Meijō line, it is seven minutes' walk, and it is the same line as Atsuta Shrine, which is already in the catalogue. ⚠️ You cannot book and the wait is long: the sign at the entrance has shown three hours, and someone who arrived at 10:30 was given a return time of 13:00. You put your name down, get a time and leave: Atsuta Shrine is a few minutes' walk away, and you can spend the wait there.

🚉 Atsuta Jingu Temma-cho · 7 min walk

Sources: houraiken.com · houraiken.com · houraiken.com

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