Help Us Solve This! What Was the Butcher Shop Near Mokkosu by Imazu Station That Sold Fried Croquettes?

Welcome to “Miyacco Detective,” a corner where readers can investigate Nishinomiya mysteries and feel like they’ve become detectives.Actually, you really are detectives, though. This section has the feel of an article that keeps getting updated as soon as tips come in from readers(Miyacco Detectives).

Here at @Nishi2, we receive lots of tips every day, as well as emails asking us to “look into this” or “check that out.”

The @Nishi2 team is excellent, of course, but there’s only so much we can do on our own, so we’ve decided to ask our readers for help～(^o^)／

What We Want Miyacco Detectives to Tell Us

This reader request comes from Kattoshi-kun.

“I’d like to know the details about the butcher shop that used to fry barrel-shaped croquettes.”

Please lend me your help, Nishi2! In the 1970s, when Imazu Station (both Hankyu and Hanshin) was still above ground, there was a public Hankyu market about 200 meters north to south on the east side of Hankyu Imazu Station (Tsuto Kureha-cho). On the south side of it, around where Mokkosu Imazu is now, there was a butcher shop that was always frying barrel-shaped croquettes in a black pot full of oil. They were small, but the taste was amazing! Even as an elementary school kid back then, I could easily eat four or five of them without sauce.
According to my aunt who lives in Kurakuen, the owner was supposedly Koji Tsuruta’s older brother!? I tried searching online but couldn’t find much. I’d be happy if you could look into the details.

@Nishi2 starts investigating!

Mokkosu Imazu opened on October 1, 2019.

Here it is on the map↓↓

We had written an opening-info article about it on @Nishi2～
↓↓

A Mokkosu Ramen Shop Looks Set to Open Near Hankyu Imazu Station Where Ajitetsu Used to Be

2019年9月14日

In that article, there was this note↓↓

There used to be a butcher shop here called “Ajitetsu.”

A butcher shop!?

If there was a butcher shop there until recently, wouldn’t it show up on Google Street View?

↑Google Maps Street View from 2008

We were able to confirm that there was a butcher shop called “Ajitetsu” (^o^)

This is what it looked like in July 2019.

“Ajitetsu,” a shop specializing in Japanese Black beef, was founded in 1949.
According to Mama @ Nishi2’s memory, she thinks this shop had been there the whole time for more than 20 years.

So, the croquettes Kattoshi-kun ate were
probably Ajitetsu’s croquettes, don’t you think?

Nearby, there also seems to be an Ajitetsu butcher shop in Suidosuji Shopping Street by Oji Koen Station♪
We thought, “Maybe you can eat croquettes there!?” and asked them, but they told us
“We don’t carry croquettes”😣 What a shame…

Mama @ Nishi2’s memories of “Ajitetsu”↓↓

It was incredibly delicious. Even more than 20 years ago, they were selling cuts of meat I had never heard of.
A person who lived next door said they wouldn’t consider it yakiniku unless the meat came from this shop, and they always went there to buy it.

Reviewing the Request

Kattoshi-kun’s request is:

“I’d like to know the details about the butcher shop that used to fry barrel-shaped croquettes.”

Based on @Nishi2’s investigation, we think it was probably “Ajitetsu,”

but if you have information like “It wasn’t Ajitetsu～” or know of another possible shop, please let us know.

And since we’re at it, we’re also looking for your memories of “croquettes” if you have any (^o^)

The investigation results are here

Send Us Information Here

Please share your tips through the information submission form, LINE, or Instagram.

Thank you in advance!