Tail of Iconic Dragon at Osaka Ramen Restaurant Cut Off After Court Ruling; Teardrop Placed in Eye Instead

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:10 JST, August 23, 2024

OSAKA ― The operator of a popular ramen restaurant in Osaka’s Minami area cut the tail off a dragon sculpture affixed to the building on Friday in accordance with a court ruling.

The tail had extended into an adjacent alley, prompting the land owner to file a lawsuit demanding its removal, and the court’s decision ordering the company to remove the tail had become final.

The dragon sculpture was installed at the Kinryu (golden dragon) Ramen Dotonbori branch in around 1992. The body was positioned on the upper side of the shop front, which faces north, while the tail extended out from the west side of the wall.

Passersby watched as an electric saw was used to cut off the tail at around 1:30 a.m. Following the removal, a teardrop was placed under the dragon’s eye.

The company behind the restaurant issued a statement, saying, “We had to have the tail removed and were reluctant to do it, but we will carefully preserve the rest of the sculpture, which our customers love as a symbol of the shop.”