Historic restaurant still serves 19th-century dish

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 2, 2026

Kappo Ryokan Futaba in Ogawa, Saitama Prefecture, has been serving a unique Zen-inspired chazuke dish called “Chushichi Meshi,” created in the 19th century at the request of famed swordsman and calligrapher Yamaoka Tesshu. This historic recipe, imbued with symbolic flavors, connects the restaurant to Japan’s cultural heritage and continues to attract visitors interested in traditional cuisine and artifacts linked to Tesshu’s legacy.

Located in Ogawa, Saitama Prefecture, Kappo Ryokan Futaba is a historic restaurant that continues to serve a distinctive dish dating back to the 19th century. Ogawa, once part of the old Musashi Province—which encompassed areas now known as Tokyo, Saitama, and Kanagawa—earned the nickname “Little Kyoto of Musashi” due to its role as a key stopover for merchants traveling through the region. These traders, often involved in the production and trade of traditional Japanese paper (washi) and silk, frequented this post town on routes to and from the Chichibu area. The town maintains a traditional atmosphere, featuring stone warehouses and row houses, and today is accessible via Ogawamachi Station on the Tobu Tojo Line.

Established in 1748, Futaba flourished alongside the highway that once ran through the town. When Ogawamachi Station opened during the late Taisho period (1912–1926), the restaurant relocated to its present site. A prominent sign featuring the kanji characters for “Futabaro” (Futaba tower) hangs at the entrance. This piece is attributed to Yamaoka Tesshu (1836–1888), a renowned swordsman, calligrapher, and Zen practitioner who served as a trusted retainer to Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Tesshu is said to have visited Futaba in his thirties due to its proximity to lands granted to his family by the shogunate. On this occasion, he requested that the then-proprietor, Yagi Chushichi—the restaurant’s eighth-generation owner—infuse their cuisine with the principles of Zen Buddhism. This challenge reportedly required considerable thought and effort from Chushichi, according to Chutaro Yagi, the current 14th-generation proprietor.

The result was a unique version of chazuke, a simple dish made by pouring a dashi broth from bonito flakes over rice. The dish combined the aroma of nori seaweed, representing the depth of Zen, with the sharpness of wasabi symbolizing the edge of a sword, and the scent of chopped yuzu citrus reflecting the fragrance of sumi ink used in calligraphy. Impressed by the harmonious blend of flavors, Tesshu named the creation “Chushichi Meshi” after the proprietor.

Yamaoka Tesshu later played a significant role in Japan’s transition from shogunate to modern government, including the peaceful surrender of Edo Castle, and served as deputy governor of the Shizuoka domain in present-day Shizuoka City.

Today, Futaba continues to serve Chushichi Meshi alongside Hamanatto, a fermented soybean specialty from Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. The restaurant also maintains an exhibition room displaying various artifacts, including calligraphy gifts from Tesshu. One notable piece features an image of a rice pot with an inscription stating that cooking Chushichi Meshi in the pot will summon Fukurokuju, one of Japan’s seven lucky gods associated with happiness—underscoring Tesshu’s appreciation for the dish.

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