In a document from the Nara period, Udon noodles are described as 'Mugonawa' (wheat rope), which is believed to have been produced by the 'hand-stretching method' adopted in producing Goto Udon and Shimabara Somen in Nagasaki Prefecture.
奈良時代の文献には「麦縄」としてうどんが書かれており、これは長崎の五島うどんや島原そうめんに見られる「手延製法」と一致すると考えられる。