THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 23, 2024 at 18:17 JST
OSAKA--A popular ramen restaurant that landed in the soup with a neighboring landowner was forced to cut off the tail that extended from its massive 3-D dragon signboard early on Aug. 23.
The dragon’s tail, measuring around 1 meter long and 30 centimeters wide, hovered over adjacent property from the second-floor exterior of the Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori branch.
A real estate company that owns the adjacent land filed a lawsuit demanding the removal of the reptilian tail, arguing that it encroached on its property.
After losing in the first and second trials, the restaurant said on Aug. 14 that it decided not to appeal.
The removal work was carried out by Pop Kogei Co., based in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, which had installed the dragon signboard about 30 years ago.
Around 1:30 a.m., Masahide Nakamura, 74, the founder of Pop Kogei, boarded a lift with his team and used a power tool to cut off the tail at its base.
About three minutes later, when the appendage was cut off, applause broke out from passers-by watching the work.
Descending with the detached tail in hand, Nakamura said, “It was heartbreaking to cut off my first work. It reminded me of the challenges I faced when I made it.”
Afterward, the exposed cut on the wall where the appendage had been was painted over, and a light blue teardrop-shaped decoration was added under the dragon’s left eye to symbolize its sadness.
“When the tail was cut off, I felt a deep sadness. But I’m grateful to Pop Kogei for painting the exposed area so neatly,” said a Kinryu Ramen staffer.
“We will continue to cherish and preserve the 3-D dragon signboard, which is recognized as one of the iconic symbols of the Minami area,” the staffer said.
As for the detached tail, the ramen restaurant said, “We plan to store it carefully for now and will decide what to do with it later.”
(This article was written by Sakiko Kondo and Yoshiko Sato.)
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Masahide Nakamura, founder of Pop Kogei Co., holds the dragon’s tail that was cut off from the 3-D signboard at Kinryu Ramen's Dotonbori branch in Osaka on Aug. 23. (Sakiko Kondo)
