While Hozenji Yokocho Alley is located in the business and shopping district of Minami, the alley is also known for its Naniwa-style mood and relaxed atmosphere. The gates at both east and west sides are lettered with “Hozenji Yokocho” in Japanese, with the west being signed by Kanbi Fujiyama* and the east gate signed by Harudanji Katsura* the Third.
*Fujiyama was a famous theater actor, while Katsura was a famous comedian. Within the two alleyways that stretch from east-west for 80 meters and are 3 meters in width, there are longstanding Kappo restaurants and bars, okonomiyaki and skewered cutlet stores, all while footsteps steadily echo along the refined stone steps. This area was originally within the premise of the Tenryuyama (Jodo sect), Hozenji temple, and the stalls that serviced the worshippers eventually established into the alley. The temple and the alley were both destroyed by fire due to the air raids during the Pacific War, but came back after the war. Known as the setting for the novel “Meoto Zenzai (Marital Relations)” by Sakunosuke Oda, and the popular song “Tsuki-no-Hozenji-Yokocho (Hozenji alley by the moonlight).” After the war, the Fudoson statue became covered in moss due to the many people who poured water over it as a form of prayer. Even after surviving 2 fires of the former Naka-za, the Hozenji Yokocho Alley came back even stronger, turning into an even more livelier town while protecting its Naniwa-hospitality and its good old atmosphere.