Yamamotoya Souhonke

Yamamotoya Souhonke (山本屋総本家) is a Japanese restaurant company and food brand based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, best known as a specialist in miso nikomi udon — a hearty Nagoya specialty in which raw udon noodles are simmered directly in a red miso broth. The business traces its origins to 1925 (Taisho 14), when Shimamoto Manokichi and his wife Kinu opened a shop in Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya. The couple's establishment was taken over by Machida Morikazu and his wife Yukie, and later developed into a Nagoya institution by the third-generation owner Machida Zen'ichi and his wife Sachiko. The company describes itself as having reached its centenary, combining long-held traditions with ongoing innovation. The brand's core product, miso nikomi udon, was originally a humble home-cooked local dish found in households across Nagoya. Yamamotoya Souhonke refined it through repeated research and improvement, developing what it describes as a distinctive noodle firmness ("koshi") and an inimitable depth of flavor and richness. The udon is made from only flour and water — no salt — which allows the raw noodles to be cooked directly in the broth. The wheat used is 100% domestic (Japanese). The dish is served in a Shigaraki-yaki earthenware pot with a lid that has no steam hole, designed to keep the noodles hot, accompanied by thick 1 cm square hinoki chopsticks and a long bamboo condiment container. Today Yamamotoya Souhonke operates four restaurant locations in Nagoya, each offering some location-exclusive menu items, alongside retail sales of its products and an online shop for home consumption and gift-giving. The company also runs a noodle manufacturing operation and has expanded into new menu development, gift products, and appearances at Nagoya food events. Its corporate history includes the 1943 suspension of business during the Pacific War, the 1949 reopening in Minami-Gofukumachi (present-day Sakae 3-chome), the 1954 establishment of Goshi Kaisha Yamamotoya, the 1969 founding of Yamamotoya Shokuhin Co., Ltd. for dried noodle manufacturing and wholesale, the 1975 renaming to Yamamotoya Souhonke Co., Ltd., and the 2021 merger of the restaurant-operating and manufacturing arms into a single company.

Yamamotoya Souhonke's history begins with Shimamoto Manokichi and his wife Kinu, whose shop was taken over by the second-generation owners Machida Morikazu and his wife Yukie. The business was founded in 1925 (Taisho 14) in Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya. The third-generation owner Machida Zen'ichi and his wife Sachiko developed the shop into a Nagoya specialty. The company states that its miso nikomi udon was refined through repeated research and improvement to achieve a distinctive noodle firmness and an inimitable flavor and richness. In 1943 (Showa 18), the business was forced to suspend operations due to the Pacific War and material shortages. Four years after the war ended, in 1949 (Showa 24), the shop relocated from Osu to Minami-Gofukumachi in the same ward (present-day Sakae 3-chome) and resumed business. In 1954 (Showa 29), Goshi Kaisha Yamamotoya was established as the operating entity for the miso nikomi udon specialty restaurant Yamamotoya Souhonke. In 1969 (Showa 44), Yamamotoya Shokuhin Co., Ltd. was founded to handle the sale, wholesale, and manufacture of dried noodles, responding to customer demand to enjoy the restaurant's taste at home. In 1975 (Showa 50), the company name was changed to the current Yamamotoya Souhonke Co., Ltd. In 2021 (Reiwa 3), Goshi Kaisha Yamamotoya, which operated the miso nikomi udon specialty restaurant, merged with Yamamotoya Souhonke Co., Ltd., which handled manufacturing and sales. The two had previously been affiliated companies. The merger created a new Yamamotoya Souhonke, and the company continues to deliver its history and tradition of over ninety years. As of the centenary, the company operates four restaurants in Nagoya, sells products through retail outlets and an online shop, and continues to develop new menus and gift products while participating in Nagoya food events.

• 2021

  Goshi Kaisha Yamamotoya and Yamamotoya Souhonke Co., Ltd. merged.

• 1975

  Company name changed to Yamamotoya Souhonke Co., Ltd.

• 1969

  Yamamotoya Shokuhin Co., Ltd. founded for dried noodle manufacturing and wholesale.

• 1954

  Goshi Kaisha Yamamotoya established as the operating company.

• 1949

  Reopened in Minami-Gofukumachi (present-day Sakae 3-chome), Nagoya.

• 1943

  Business suspended due to the Pacific War.

• 1925

  Founded in Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya by Shimamoto Manokichi and Kinu.

A century-old specialist in Nagoya's signature miso nikomi udon, balancing tradition with innovation.

• Miso nikomi udon

  Signature dish of raw udon simmered in red miso broth, served in a Shigaraki-yaki earthenware pot.

• Dried udon noodles

  Retail dried noodle products for home preparation.

• Gift sets

  Gift-oriented product assortments for occasions such as o-chugen and o-seibo.

1. 1山本屋総本家｜名古屋名物味噌煮込みうどんの名店yamamotoya.co.jp
2. 2山本屋総本家について - 山本屋総本家｜名古屋名物味噌煮込みうどんの名店yamamotoya.co.jp
3. 3Yamamotoya Souhonke - Wikidatawikidata.org