Mar 20, 2015 - 1 min read

Room of Sonogi, Siebold's Lover

Enjoy gorgeous Shippoku cuisine in a historic setting

By Masayoshi Hirose

Community writer

Translated by Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

After a guided tour, a serving lady ushered us to a room where gorgeous Shippoku cuisine was laid out for us on a low table.

This meal was served in the Room of Sonogi on the second floor, where the romance between Siebold and his lover Sonogi (Taki Kusumoto) flourished!

Shippoku cuisine starts with restaurant's proprietress saying, 'Ohire-o-douzo (Please enjoy a bowl of soup)'.

One of the dishes that was served. Shippoku cuisine was originated as a Chinese special meal to welcome guests with utmost hospitality.

Another dish (sashimi: sliced raw fish). It is fresh and delicious, as well as pleasing to the eye.

Another dish (Hatoshi), shrimp toast. It's not oily at all and crunchy!

Another dish...I soon forgot about taking photos and focused on eating! It seldom happens to me, these dishes were THAT good!

Another dish (fruit)! The stylish black tableware has a feel of Western culture.

Ume-wan (plum bowl: sweet red-bean soup). Unfortunately I couldn't take photos of the rest of the dishes. Please visit here to taste them with your own tongue and eyes!

On 27th December in 2014, I visited the historical Japanese restaurant Kagetsu-ro in Nagasaki prefecture.

Philipp Franz von Siebold, the evangelist of Western medicine, was a German physician who taught medicine in Nagasaki. The romance between him and his mistress Sonogi (her real name was Taki Kusumoto) once flourished in the room where our lunch was served, and it is named after her.

I had expected that Shippoku Cuisine would be served all at once on a round table but in fact each dish was served one by one like a multi-course meal. I was so fascinated with the cuisine, I lost myself in eating, and forgot about taking photos! If you ever come to Nagasaki I strongly recommend this restaurant (reservation needed).

Kagetsu-ro Restaurant Series

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Masayoshi Hirose

By Masayoshi Hirose

Community writer

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Takako Sakamoto

Translated by Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

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