Inamuruchi
イナムドゥチ / いなむるちInamuduchi (イナムドゥチ), 'mock boar'DishMainly the cool months, and celebrations such as lunar new year, graduations and Coming-of-Age Day; lunar new year falls on 7 February 2027 by our reckoning
Inamuruchi is a thick, sweet white-miso soup of pork belly, konnyaku, shiitake and kamaboko, and its name means 'mock boar' because pork replaced the wild boar of the original. It is a Ryukyu court celebration dish that Okinawans still eat at lunar new year and school ceremonies.
Photo pelican · Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ina means wild boar and muduchi means imitation, and MAFF explains that cooks switched to pork when boar grew hard to find. Everything goes in as strips about a centimetre wide: boiled pork belly, konnyaku, rehydrated shiitake and Okinawa's castella-style kamaboko fish cake. The stock is pork and bonito, and sweet white miso thickens it as it simmers for about 15 minutes. MAFF recommends making it thicker in cold weather because it holds its heat longer.
It is a first-course dish of the Ryukyu court's five-course hospitality meal, and it still marks the big days. Families cook it at lunar new year, graduations, school entrance ceremonies and Coming-of-Age Day, and school lunches serve it on the same occasions. Hanagasa Shokudo in Makishi puts a bowl on its fu champuru set, so an ordinary weekday lunch there includes it.
Worth knowing
- If you are in Okinawa around lunar new year, look for inamuruchi on shokudo boards and in supermarket retort pouches.
3 places
Where to eat Inamuruchi店
Emi no Mise
Ogimi · Yanbaru
Menu prices not published online.
Hanagasa Shokudo
Makishi · Naha
Set meals around ¥1,000–1,250; tebichi nitsuke set ¥1,250 (Tabelog reviews, 2026)
Yunangi
Naha
Tabelog reviewers spend ¥2,000–2,999 a head; a July 2026 bill listed a bottle of Orion at ¥690 and jimami tofu at ¥620. Mapple priced fu champuru at ¥780 in March 2025.
FAQ
Quick answers about Inamuruchiよくある質問
What does inamuruchi mean?
Inamuruchi means 'mock boar'. In Okinawan, ina is wild boar and muduchi means imitation, and MAFF explains that the soup switched to pork when wild boar became hard to get.
When do Okinawans eat inamuruchi?
Okinawans eat inamuruchi mainly in the cool months and at celebrations, including lunar new year, graduations, school entrance ceremonies and Coming-of-Age Day. It comes from the first course of the Ryukyu court's hospitality meal.
Is there a vegetarian Inamuruchi?
No. Inamuruchi is made with pork belly in a pork and bonito stock.
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