The refined taste of 350 years of tradition

Kanbun Gonendo prides itself on making food by hand with great care and attention. Mr. Abe, sales director for Kanbun Gonendo, says that it wouldn’t be Inaniwa Udon unless it were lovingly fashioned by dedicated craftspeople.
“These days you could easily produce something similar on a production line,” he argues. “But at the end of the day, the fine art of kneading the dough?which is what defines the best udon?just can’t be done properly on a machine. You need that human touch, the ability to adjust your working to the state of the dough and not overdo it. This applies equally to the tenai process, where each individual strand of udon is painstakingly rolled out and modeled to perfection.”
The tenai process of making udon by hand involves kneading the dough, rolling it out into strings, then crossing the strands over a pair of rollers, a bit like making rope.This results in a wonderfully soft yet firm texture that is unique to tenai udon.

“In the old days, Inaniwa Udon used to be made during the winter season when the farmers had less to do, and the technique was passed down from generation to generation. But it’s certainly a time-consuming way to make udon, and eventually it began to fall out of favor. We thought it would be a shame if this slice of tradition were to be lost for ever, so we set up the first udon-making business in the district. We hired some experienced udon makers and started training our own, and in this way we were able to keep the tradition alive. As you can imagine we’re very proud of our business, and that’s why we chose the name Kanbun Gonendo to commemorate the year 1665 when Inaniwa Udon was created.”
Kanbun Gonendo currently employs around 70 full-timestaff who are busy making Inaniwa Udon all year round. “Our product tastes great because you know that every single strand has been painstakingly crafted with care,” beams Abe.
According to Abe, Inaniwa Udon used to be reserved as a very special gift to be presented to an honored person or brought out at weddings and ceremonial occasions. “In the same way that Inaniwa Udon clearly meant a great deal to the local people of old, we hope that people all over Japan will choose this unique product to present as a special gift.”
Handmade Inaniwa Udon Noodles from Kanbun Gonendo is a product that combines the pure waters and finest quality wheat of Akita prefecture with the traditional craftsmanship of local artisans. The care and attention that goes into making the noodles is reflected in the beautiful glossy appearance and refined taste.
Handmade Inaniwa Udon Noodles from Kanbun Gonendo preserve an important tradition and are the perfect gift at any time.