Jindaiji soba is a type of buckwheat noodle that has long been made around Jindaiji Temple in Chofu City, Tokyo, and has developed since the Edo period as monzen soba — soba served to temple visitors at the gate. The plateau along the Kokubunji Cliff Line, which stretches north of Jindaiji, drained well and was poorly suited to rice cultivation, but well suited to growing buckwheat. According to tradition, farmers in the area paid buckwheat flour to the temple in place of annual rice tribute, and the temple made it into soba to serve visitors — this is said to be the origin of the dish. During the Genroku era, when Jindaiji's soba was presented to Prince-Abbot Koben of Kaneiji Temple in Ueno, it was highly praised and became widely known to the shogunate and various feudal lords, earning it the name kenjo soba (tribute soba). The area around Jindaiji is also rich in spring water, which is used both to mill the buckwheat flour and to boil and rinse the noodles, and this pure water is said to enhance the soba's flavor. Today, around 20 soba shops still line the approach in front of Jindaiji's main gate, and every autumn the Jindaiji Soba Festival is held.
Origin
During the Edo period, the plateau along the Kokubunji Cliff Line to the north of Jindaiji drained well and was unsuited to paddy fields, so tenant farmers in the area grew buckwheat and paid buckwheat flour to Jindaiji in place of annual rice tribute. The temple used this flour to make soba noodles to serve visitors who came to worship, and this is said to be the origin of Jindaiji soba.
History
It is said that during the Genroku era, Jindaiji's soba was presented to Prince-Abbot Koben of Kaneiji Temple in Ueno, where it was highly praised and came to be widely recommended to the shogunate and various feudal lords, earning it the name kenjo soba (tribute soba). In the Bunkyu era of the late Edo period, soba shops began to be set up in front of the temple gate, and the dish continued to develop from there as monzen soba serving temple visitors; today, around 20 soba shops still operate in front of the main gate.
Features
In addition to its well-drained soil, the area around Jindaiji is rich in spring water, and pure water with a stable temperature year-round is used in milling the buckwheat flour and in boiling the noodles. This blessing of spring water is said to give the soba a smooth texture and a refreshing flavor, and each shop competes with its own take on preparation and presentation, including nihachi soba (soba made with an 80:20 ratio of buckwheat to wheat flour).
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
The dish developed as monzen soba enjoyed alongside a visit to the temple, and today it remains popular to combine a stroll around Jindaiji and a visit to the temple with touring its soba shops.
How It Differs from Home Cooking
Unlike soba made at home, shops around Jindaiji use local spring water at every stage — milling, boiling, and rinsing — which is said to recreate the noodles' distinctively refreshing texture.
Famous Shops
元祖 嶋田家
東京都調布市深大寺元町5-12-10
Founded in the Bunkyu era, this long-established shop is regarded as the oldest soba shop in the Jindaiji area. Guests can enjoy soba in a tatami room overlooking the pond of Kameshima Benzaiten, and the fifth-generation owner continues to preserve the traditional flavor.
View details →FAQ
Q. Why is it called kenjo soba (tribute soba)?
A. It is said that after Jindaiji's soba was presented to Prince-Abbot Koben of Kaneiji Temple in Ueno during the Genroku era and received high praise, it came to be recommended to the shogunate and various feudal lords as well, which is how it came to be called kenjo soba (tribute soba).