TAKE-SAN's story
Miso soup is an integral part of Japanese traditional home cooking, and it’s something you see every day at the table.
Sometimes with tofu, sometimes with wakame (seaweed)… What’s inside it may be different, but it definitely gets made at home every day.
Miso is the base of Miso soup.
The Miso that has 70% of the Japanese market share is the Shinshu Miso. Shinshu is the old name for Nagano prefecture.
In Shinshu/ Nagano, there is an old town called Obuse-machi. This town is also well-known as Hokusai Katsushika lived and drew his great works in his last years here. Hokusai’s most monumental work from the Hokusai Exhibition that British Museum hosted is kept in Obuse-machi.
Yet, there is a Miso manufacturer who has been in this town even before Hokusai (1760-1849): KOKUHEI-MISO, an establishment of 230 years.
KOKUHEI-MISO has been protecting the traditional way of making Miso for the last 230 years. However, it has opened the door to the new world since they met TAKE-SAN.
TAKÉ-SAN's founder, Tetsuaki Takeda is a Nagano-born Ramen artist. He got trained in Tokyo and, in 2008, he opened the ramen store called “TAKÉ-SAN” in his home city, Nagano.
He developed the Clay-pot Miso Ramen, aiming to create Ramen with generous use of Shinshu Miso, and in a clay pot to be suitable for Shinshu’s cold climate.
The game-changer who Tetsuaki Takeda encountered, after 10 years of experimenting with ways to improve his Miso Ramen every single day, was the KOKUHEI-MISO. The owner of KOKUHEI-MISO was moved by Tetsuaki’s passion to master his Miso Ramen. He created special miso for TAKÉ-SAN. And he has led TAKE-SAN to open the second store in Obuse-machi in one corner of their company-owned land.
This is how 230 years of history has met the Miso Ramen artist.
Shinshu Miso Ramen has no animal products, or MSG. In 2018, this ramen will be coming to challenge the world to show you it’s worthy of 230 years of history.
An introduction to Miso
“Miso means ‘fermented beans’ in Japanese. In Japan, people begin their day with a bowl of miso soup, believed to stimulate digestion and energise the body.
A traditional ingredient in Japanese and Chinese diets, miso paste is made from fermented soybeans and grains and contains millions of beneficial bacteria. There are hundreds of different types of miso and different versions are linked with regional cuisines, identities and flavours.
The protein-rich paste is highly popular as it provides an instant flavour foundation. It adds the fifth taste, known as ‘umami’, to all sorts of dishes including soups/broths, salad dressings, vegetables, stews, glazes, and marinades.
Miso is rich in essential minerals and a good source of various B vitamins, vitamins E, K and folic acid. As a fermented food, miso provides the gut with beneficial bacteria that help us to stay healthy, vibrant and happy; good gut health is known to be linked to our overall mental and physical wellness.”
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-miso
One of the major factor for Japan’s long average life expectancy is the diet.
This chart was taken from Asahi Shinbun
A study by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare shows that people who consumed more miso soups daily had less chance of producing breast cancer (2003).
Miso soup intake frequency
