The relationship between the hardness of dried Japanese radish root and the pectin content was investigated. When extracted with boiling water, the amount of pectin extracted from dried Japanese radish root was less than that from raw Japanese radish root. On the other hand, when the pectin was successively extracted with boiling water and a hot oxalate buffer solution (pH 4.3), the dried Japanese radish root was easily softened due to the removal of calcium from the tissue. The amount of pectin extracted from the dried radish root was almost the same as that from raw Japanese radish root. The results of gel-permeation chromatography and DEAE-Toyopearl chromatography showed that the pectin from the dried Japanese radish root had been degraded into low-molecular-weight substances. However, while the dried Japanese radish root did not macerate in a boiling water and acidic solution, it did when boiled in a neutral solution, the result of a β–elimination reaction.