Founded in 1755, this long-established Kyoto sweets shop is trusted by those involved in the tea ceremony and temples. ［There are three directly managed stores in the area near the Kyoto Gyoen: the main store, the Karasuma store, and the Ogawa store.

The Karasuma store, facing Karasuma Street, has a museum where you can learn about the history of Kyoto sweets and a tea room where you can taste Unryu with powdered green tea, making it an attractive place to relax and enjoy the world of Kyoto sweets. In addition to the standard Unryu and the mildly finished Shiro Unryu made with white azuki beans, the store also sells a reprinted version of Unryu using luxurious Tanba dainagon, available only at the directly-managed store.

Unryu is a moist muraume-an paste with large pieces of ogura-an (sweet red bean paste) rolled into it, and is loved by many Kyoto people. The man who created this simple yet profound hit product was Tomejiro Ishihara, the grandfather of the current owner. After the war, he rebuilt his store and was impressed by a painting of a dragon by Kano Doshun at Shokokuji Temple, which he frequented. He decided to create a confectionary that looked like a brave dragon, which was different from the elegant atmosphere he had previously created. The name "Unryu" was also given to the confectionery by Master Taiko Yamazaki of Shokokuji Temple, whom Rujiro Ishihara looked up to as his teacher.

The museum [Ryuhokan], which is connected to the Karasuma store, holds permanent exhibitions on the history of Japanese confectionery and seasonal special exhibitions.

Admission tickets from 700 yen (varies depending on the exhibition) include matcha green tea and unryu, which can be served at the Shounken tea house.

The brand "Toiro by Tawaraya Yoshitomi" was launched in 2018 with the concept of "Japanese sweets to deliver ten different feelings.

The "Toiro (都色) - Kyo-Daruma (京ダるま)," a strawberry-flavored ramune-like confection using a wooden mold for dried confections, and "Hana no Iro (華の色) - Momiji (モミジ)," which expresses the four seasons using tangerine- and grape-flavored amber sugar, are fresh with a fruitiness that is rare in Japanese confectionery! The 10th generation of the brand's founder's will to carry on the tradition coexists with a sensibility that fits the needs of today's people.

The year 2024, which is also the year of the dragon, marks a major milestone, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Unryu. I used to think of the 100th anniversary as a goal, but now that it is in front of me, I feel that it is not so. I feel that it is a passing point on the way to the next 100 years. We will continue to ask how we can preserve Kyoto sweets, a culture and industry that Kyoto should protect, for the next generation, and continue to offer Unryu that is in tune with the times," said Ishihara. Please try the Dragon Dragon, which is made in the shape of a lucky animal that is said to turn things around for the better.