There are various theories about Mizutaki’s origin, but one theory is that Mizu taki has its origin in the Keio era. The dish has spread to various places with Hakata as its home that it was also later then called “Hakata Mizutaki”. Born in Nagasaki, Heisaburo Hayashida moved to Hong Kong at the age of 15 in 1897 (Meiji 30) and lived in an English family to study the art of cooking. After returning to Japan, he arranged the Western-style consomme and Chinese-style chicken soup that he learned there which is indispensable for Western cuisine, and it is said that Hakata Mizutaki was completed in 1905 (Meiji 38).

 Mr. Heisaburo opened a water-cooking shop “Suigetsu” in Susaki, Hakata, and it was very lively, but it is said that it was well-received by people who came to the World Expo held at that time and spread all over the country. The chickens used were limited to males from Miyazaki and Kagoshima, and the trains carried were called “mizutaki trains”. In Hakata, mizutaki is not limited to winter, but it is a dish that you can enjoy all year round, such as spring when early cabbage is available and summer with Hakata Gion Yamakasa.