老舗の伝統を守りつつ、料亭の価値を新たに創造する
Preserving the tradition of a long-established restaurant while creating new value for the ryotei
＜通な料亭の楽しみ方をお教えします＞
「料亭 公楽」に行く時は、食事の前後に建物を細部まで見学してはどうでしょう。玄関の竹の装飾、場所によって素材や仕上げを変えた天井、欄間の装飾や、網代編みの襖など、見所いっぱいです。食事終わりに、亭主や女将に建築ミニツアーをしてもらうのも楽しそうです。
＜Let us show you the expert way to enjoy a ryotei. ＞
When visiting Ryotei Koraku, why not take some time to explore the details of the building before or after your meal? Bamboo decoration at the entrance, the ceilings with varying materials and finishes depending on the area, the ornamental transoms, and the woven bamboo sliding doors are just a few of the highlights. It sounds fun to have Master or Lady of the house give you a brief tour of the architecture after your meal.
「料亭 公楽」は、築100年を超える数寄屋造りのお屋敷で、気品に満ちた料理とサービスでもてなしてれる、非日常の空間です。創業は、戦後すぐの1946年。初代亭主が現在の建物を譲り受けて料理旅館を開業しました。大阪で建築関係の仕事をしていた亭主は、時代の先端を走る風流人として知られた人物。資材も職人技も潤沢に投入して細部まで手を加え、建築のプロが見学にくるほどの建物に改修。焼け野原だった高松の復興事業、番の州工業地帯の建設工事など、宇多津に多くの人が集った時代を、洗練された雰囲気の中で寝床と食事を提供して支えたのです。
“Ryotei Koraku” is an extraordinary space set in a sukiya-style mansion over one hundred years old, where you are welcomed with refined cuisine and service, offering a luxurious escape from the everyday. The company was founded in 1946, shortly after the end of the war. The first master inherited the current building and opened a ryokan-style restaurant. He worked in the construction industry in Osaka and was known as a cultured individual ahead of his time. Abundant materials and skilled craftsmanship were invested, with meticulous attention to detail, transforming the building into a masterpiece that even construction professionals came to see. During the time when many people gathered in Utazu for the reconstruction projects in Takamatsu, which had been reduced to ashes, and the construction of the Bannosu industrial area, he supported them by providing lodging and meals in a refined atmosphere.
茶室だった場所を造り変えた個室は、入り口を狭く、あえて窓も小さめに。秘密の隠れ家にこもるような感覚に 。 The private room, which was transformed from a former tearoom, has a narrow entrance and intentionally small windows. It gives the feeling of retreating into a secret hideaway.
現在の亭主・米崎彰洋さんは、旅館から料亭となった公楽を受け継いで20数年になる三代目。お祝い事、法事など「人生の節目の時間を公楽で」とひいきにしてくれるお客さまのために、日々料理の腕を磨き続けています。彰洋さんには、亭主となって以来の夢があります。祖父である初代亭主の時代のように、お客さまが集い楽しんでいたにぎやかさを、現代の料亭に再現したいというものです。その実現への相棒となったのが、妻で女将の加壽代さん。食べる事と料理が大好きな社交家です。
The current master of the house, Akihiro Yonezaki, is the third-generation successor of Koraku, which transitioned from an inn to a ryotei, and has been running it for over 20 years. For loyal customers who choose Koraku to celebrate life’s milestones, such as joyous occasions and memorial services, he continues to refine his culinary skills every day. Ever since he became the master, he has held onto a dream. He dreams of recreating the lively atmosphere of his grandfather’s time, when guests would gather and enjoy themselves, in a modern ryotei setting. His partner in making that dream a reality is his wife and lady of the house, Kazuyo. She is a sociable person who loves both eating and cooking.
伝統的な料理の中に現代的なアレンジの料理も混じる会席料理。亭主が無類の甘いもの好きなのでデザートまで手抜きなし。 Kaiseki cuisine that blends traditional dishes with modern twists. Since the master has an unparalleled love for sweets, no shortcuts are taken when it comes to dessert.
ふたりはタッグを組み、新しい公楽をつくるさまざまな試みを行っています。そのひとつが「蔵カフェこうらく」。祖父が旅館横の蔵を改装して造った大広間とダンスホールが長く眠っていたのを、復活させた空間です。公楽のおすそわけ料理を気軽にランチで食べられるカフェは、オープンして16年。特に女性の心をがっちりつかみ、宇多津の町外からも人が訪ねて来ます。また、女将の加壽代さんは、特別な日の会食だけでなく、日常から食で地域に関れるはず、と料亭の女将像をアクティブに更新中です。亭主が次に計画しているのは、にぎり寿司メインの寿司会席の開発。宇多津には少ない江戸前のにぎり寿司を提供することで、地元の人も、徐々に増えている外国人観光客にも喜んでもらえる、と考えました。
The two of them have teamed up and are making various efforts to create a new Koraku. One of these efforts is ‘Kura Café Koraku.’ It is a revived space where the grand hall and dance hall, which his grandfather built by renovating the storehouse next to the inn, had long been dormant. The café, where guests can enjoy a taste of Koraku’s fine cuisine in a casual lunch setting, has been open for 16 years. It has especially captured the hearts of women, attracting visitors from outside Utazu as well. In addition, Kazuyo, the lady of the house, provides bento boxes once a month at the guesthouse ‘Chiiori.’ Not just for special occasion meals but also believing that food can connect with the community in everyday life, she is actively updating the role of the ryotei’s lady of the house. The next plan of the master is to develop a sushi kaiseki, with nigiri sushi as the focus. By offering Edomae nigiri sushi, which is rare in Utazu, he believes both the residents and the steadily increasing number of foreign tourists will be pleased.
2024年３月に開催された、寿司バーの会席料理 Kaiseki cuisine at Sushi Bar held in March 2024
夫妻の息子である公楽の四代目候補は、現在東京で料理の修業中。近い将来、四代目も加わった公楽が、今までと違う料亭の形を見せてくれるかもしれません。
The son of the master and lady, who is set to be the fourth generation of Koraku, is currently training in cuisine in Tokyo. Soon, Koraku, with the fourth generation, may present a different kind of ryotei from what it was before.
