Gyunabe is a traditional Japanese beef hot pot that originated in Yokohama during the Meiji era (1868–1912), a period when Japan was rapidly embracing Western culture and customs. Often regarded as the predecessor of sukiyaki, this dish is closely associated with the arrival of Western food culture and the beginning of Japan’s modern culinary traditions.
As an important international port, Yokohama was one of the first Japanese cities to experience significant Western influence. Following the opening of the port, foreign residents settled in the area, bringing new lifestyles and eating habits with them.
Restaurants near the foreign settlement began serving beef, inspired by the Western practice of eating beef. Initially, the meat was simply grilled on skewers. However, Japanese cooks gradually adapted the preparation to suit local tastes, eventually developing the beef hot pot known as gyunabe.
Gyunabe is closely related to sukiyaki, but the two dishes have different cooking methods. The main distinction lies in when the seasoning is added and how the beef is cooked.
In the traditional gyunabe style, the broth and other ingredients are placed in the pot before cooking, and the beef is simmered in the seasoned liquid. Some long-established restaurants also serve beef cut into chunks rather than the thin slices commonly used today.
Regional variations of sukiyaki also differ. In the Kansai style, beef fat is melted in the pot, the meat is grilled, and sugar and soy sauce are added to season it. In the Kanto style, the meat is cooked in an iron pot with warishita, a prepared seasoning broth, before the remaining ingredients are simmered.
When gyunabe first became popular around the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji era, high-quality beef was still relatively scarce in Japan. Consequently, meat was commonly simmered in miso-based seasoning to mask its strong odor.
As the quality and distribution of beef improved, a second wave of popularity for gyunabe followed. Warishita seasoning and thinly sliced beef gradually became more common, helping establish the foundations of modern Kanto-style sukiyaki.
Before the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Yokohama had many restaurants specializing in gyunabe. However, the earthquake and subsequent fires destroyed most of these establishments. Restaurants serving Kansai-style sukiyaki subsequently entered the market, and the two cooking traditions gradually influenced one another.
This blending of culinary styles is considered an important part of the development of Kanto-style sukiyaki.
One of Yokohama’s historic gyunabe establishments is Arai-ya, founded in 1895 (Meiji 28).
The restaurant continues to use its original secret warishita recipe, which is based on soy sauce and sugar blended with approximately ten other ingredients. The recipe has been carefully handed down through successive generations, with each head chef preserving the restaurant’s traditional flavor.
At Arai-ya, gyunabe is prepared by placing the warishita and ingredients directly into the pot and allowing everything to simmer together.
The restaurant uses Japanese Black cattle, specifically Sendai beef, purchasing whole animals. For gyunabe, cuts such as round and belly meat are selected, with a relatively high proportion of lean meat. This produces a satisfying, substantial beef flavor.
Arai-ya also serves Kansai-style sukiyaki, for which shoulder loin is used instead. The different cuts are selected according to the cooking style.
Other ingredients include thick, naturally sweet Senju green onions, shirataki noodles specially prepared to absorb the seasoning, and fragrant grilled tofu. Together, they create a traditional hot pot that reflects the restaurant’s long history.
Another famous establishment is Janomeya, founded in 1893 (Meiji 26). The restaurant is known for its traditional method of simmering beef in warishita.
One distinctive feature of its service is that a member of the restaurant staff prepares the gyunabe gradually at the table, carefully controlling each stage of the cooking process.
Janomeya selects carefully chosen Japanese beef according to seasonal availability. The warishita is first heated in a Nambu iron pot, and the beef is added one slice at a time once the liquid begins to boil.
The meat is simmered until its marbling reaches a wonderfully tender, melt-in-the-mouth consistency. It is then enjoyed with beaten egg, a classic accompaniment that adds a smooth richness to the beef.
While Kansai-style sukiyaki develops its flavor through the aroma of beef grilled in the pot, gyunabe emphasizes the natural richness and umami of high-quality beef simmered in seasoned broth.
Enjoying gyunabe at one of Yokohama’s long-established restaurants offers more than a satisfying meal. It is also an opportunity to experience the culinary history of a port city that played an important role in Japan’s modernization.