Yoshino Hon Kudzu Tengyokudo Nara main shop

Established in 1870, a directly-managed sweets shop of “Inoue-Tengyoku do” in which Yoshino Hon Kudzu is made in Gose city of Nara prefecture. The shop is located near the ruins of Nishimon gate of Todaiji which is a famous temple for the Great Buddha and you can enjoy dishes and sweets made from Kudzu.

Kudzu flour refers to starch purified and taken from a root of Kudzu plant which is a leguminous and perennial climbing plant and is one of the traditional ‘seven flowers of autumn’ in Japan, and used as an ingredient for Japanese sweets or to add a sticky texture for cooking. Only 100g of flour can be extracted from 1 kg of root, so you will see how valuable this flour is. 100% pure Kudzu flour is called Hon Kudzu and those purified in Nara are called “Yoshino Hon Kudzu”. As a side note, “Yoshino Kudzu” differs from “Yoshino Hon Kudzu” in that the former is a mixture of Kudzu flour and sweet potato starch.

Tengyokudo Nara's main shop uses “Yoshino Hon Kudzu” purified with a special method called ”Yoshino-sarashi (purified using cold water)” which has been kept since the establishment. Various dishes are recommended, for example, the jiggly texture of Kudzu-mochi is irresistible, and the chewy Kudzu-kiri is freshly served. Other dishes are Goma-tofu (sesame-tofu) with an elastic texture using “Yoshino Hon Kudzu” and a healthy dish, “Kudzu-gayu (rice porridge with Kudzu)” and more. If you aren’t satisfied with them, ‟Kudzu-dukushi course (a course of all dishes using Kudzu)” is recommended (reservation required).

Inside, there is also a retail shop. Buy “ Yoshino Hon Kudzu” and try making Kudzu dishes at home. Its smooth texture is better than ”Katakuri starch” when you want to make a sticky texture. Check out the recipes on the official website!