FOUNDER

founder

Narumi Kawahara

Shigemi Kawahara

Chairman and CEO of Chikaranomoto Holdings

Founder of Ippudo

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1952, he opened the restaurant bar "AFTER THE RAIN" in 1979, opened "Hakata Ippudo" in 1985, and founded Chikaranomoto Company the following year in 1986. He contributed to raising national awareness of tonkotsu ramen by opening a branch at the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum in 1994. Since expanding into New York in 2008, he has been a global leader in promoting the appeal of ramen and Japanese cuisine around the world. He has won numerous awards in creative ramen competitions, including the 1997 TV Tokyo program "TV Champion Ramen Master Championship," where he won three championships and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 2014, he received the 10th Anniversary Special Award from the Food Service Awards for his contributions to the development of the restaurant industry and the maturation of dining-out culture. His books include "Ippudo: The Book of Five Rings" (Chichi Publishing), "The Rules for Keeping Your Restaurant from Closing" and "The Seven Habits and Ippudo" (PHP Institute).

Since its founding, Ippudo has built a new ramen culture in Japan. And from now on, we will continue to spread beloved Japanese food, starting with ramen, to the world. So that people all over the world can enjoy Japanese food, understand and love Japanese culture. And so that children all over the world, who will represent the future, can smile. We will continue to spread exciting Japanese food to the world.