Udon’s origin is from Chinese noodles first made in Japan’s Kamakura era (1185–1333), but it was only later, in the Muromachi era (1336 to 1573), that these noodles came to be called udon. It was a kind of high class food at that time, so many people couldn’t get the chance to eat it, especially farmers. In the Edo era (1603-1868), the western route along the Sea of Japan was developing more than the Eastern Pacific Ocean route, which is why the seaweed (kelp) from Hokkaido, which is used for making udon’s tsuyu, was transported to Osaka through Edo (now Tokyo).