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Masayoshi Nakajo
Ramen Bowl
When cooking ramen, timing is critical for boiling the broth. Even for a professional chef, ramen involves a lot of preparation, so it is easy to over-boil the broth. When I am at home, I cook extra-thick noodles, which gives me more time. When I go to a ramen restaurant, I can’t stand waiting in line, so I have various ways of dealing with that, too. I have many bowls, but none are specifically for ramen. This was a good opportunity to create a ramen bowl for myself.
Masayoshi Nakajo
One of Japan’s leading graphic designers, began career as a graphic designer for cosmetics brand Shiseido (died in 2021)
10
Jin Katagiri
Ramen Bowl
Hi, I’m Jin Katagiri, one of the Japanese comedy duo the Rahmens. I’m the one with frizzy, ramen-like hair. Although I perform as a Rahmen, I do not eat ramen that often. I’m not comfortable with the eccentric atmosphere of ramen specialty shops. So, for this project, I aimed to create a bowl that makes you uncomfortable. First, you can see your server’s thumbs in the soup! Then, when you are about to finish the soup, you discover a bunch of crimpy hair at the bottom of bowl! But, actually, that’s not hair - it’s just my face! Did I succeed in creating a bowl full of surprises? I sincerely hope a professional ramen chef uses my bowl.
Jin Katagiri
Well-known actor, former member of the comedy group Rahmens, and clay artist
11
Atsuki Kikuchi
Ramen Bowl
My personal ramen preference is a thick broth with mild soy sauce flavor. But in the Tsugaru region, you can encounter an extremely dark yakiboshi (grilled, dried fish) broth with soy sauce flavor. It has a straightforward taste but is rich beyond belief. When asked whether it is appealing, my answer is inevitably “No!” Yet, every time I am in the area, I visit the noodle shop to have a bowl. This is how deep and complex a ramen experience can be.
Atsuki Kikuchi
Graphic designer and art director working primarily with museums and fashion brands and designing magazines and books
12
Issay Kitagawa
Ramen Bowl
As an expression of gratitude for what I receive (Japanese: Itadakimasu!), I draw the Japanese gods. Japanese gods are invisible, so we cannot really draw them, but I do it anyway. In the inside bottom of the bowl, I created a god shaped like a magatama, a curved gem. Because of the location of the image, you don’t see it until you finish eating the ramen. On the renge spoon, I drew the god invisibly.
lssay Kitagawa
Graphic designer and artist working in product design, character design, and branding in Japan and overseas
13
Shin Matsunaga
Ramen Bowl
Unless extraordinarily large, ramen bowls are not particularly impressive. Rather, bowls that are decorated simply with the restaurant business name are the most appealing to me. A new, unexplored frontier, designing a ramen bowl sounded fun at first, but it was also a challenge. Since there is no correct way to design a ramen bowl, I decided to create my signature “old man” hand-drawn-style bowl so that at least my grandchildren will like it!
Shin Matsunaga
One of Japan’s leading graphic designers, working for decades primarily in corporate identity and packaging
14
Akira Minagawa
Ramen Bowl
The theme of my design is to extract the colors from a bowl of ramen and to apply them all over the surface of the ceramic. Our appetite is largely stimulated by the combinations of colors in the ingredients before us. I designed the bowl so that the richly colored scenery is revealed only when you finish drinking the soup at the very end of the meal. The final product has an easygoing, gentle feeling that is appealing for all who enjoy ramen.
Akira Minagawa
Textile and clothing designer, focusing on long-term wearability and incorporating Scandinavian elements into designs
15
Yasumichi Morita
Ramen Bowl
RAMEN GONNA TAKE OVER THE WORLD!! Everyone is enchanted by and drawn to ramen, as if there is a sunken city at the bottom of the soup. My wish is for the ramen culture of Japan to connect people and spread happiness around the world.
Yasumichi Morita
One of Japan’s most prominent interior designers, with projects in London, New York, Paris, and beyond
16
Kazufumi Nagai
Ramen Bowl
Starting as an import from China, ramen developed its own distinctive character within the noodle culture of Japan. These days ramen has gained international popularity as a new type of Japanese food. This is my Ramen Globe, symbolizing the universality of ramen.
Kazufumi Nagai
Designer and art director, working in company and product branding and exploring design’s ability to tackle social problems
17
Kazumasa Nagai
Ramen Bowl
So many Japanese people love ramen that it could be called the Food of the Nation. I attempted to create a bowl that ramen-loving people will find beautiful. I have also tried to make this bowl multipurpose, suitable for other food, too.
Kazumasa Nagai
Printmaker and graphic designer, co-founded Nippon Design Center in 1960 and exhibited widely in Japan and overseas
19
Kenjiro Sano
Ramen Bowl
My bowl is called “Kintsugi Donburi.” It is inspired by kintsugi the Japanese technique of repairing broken ceramics by gluing the joints with lacquer mixed with gold powder. My hope is that by bringing together different parts, I have created a bowl with special character connecting various patterns and materials, such as polka dots and pin stripes. If this bowl breaks, it should be repaired with gold lacquer joints for an even more attractive object. I suggest that the fashion of pre-damaged blue jeans be extended to table- ware too.
Kenjiro Sano
Graphic designer, art director, and creative director in the fields of advertising, book illustration, and television
1
Gugi Akiyama
Ramen Bowl
The most graphic ingredient in ramen is the naruto (a slice of white naruto roll made of processed fish and decorated with a pink spiral pattern). I created an alphabet with naruto, called “Naruphabet.” I developed this design with the hope of enhancing the joy of ramen for all.
Gugi Akiyama
Art director working in various creative fields, including graphic design, commercial planning and direction
20
Koichi Sato
Ramen Bowl
When ramen noodles expand, they become wet, soggy, and unpleasant; but when ramen culture expands throughout the world, it is a great thing. Around the bowl, I placed a string of flags of various nations. These flags give us energy, just like at the Olympic games or at a school sports day. I adjusted the colors in order to create an even more joyful, encouraging effect. No country in the world uses pink in its flag, but, interestingly, in Japan we regularly use pink in our food, such as kamaboko fish cake or naruto roll in ramen. I took the liberty of applying pink to some of the flags. We may receive some complaints from certain embassies.
Koichi Sato
Prominent graphic artist with a long, international career designing for major companies, fashion, theaters, and more (died 2016)
21
Taku Satoh
Ramen Bowl
Today, ramen bowls are changing rapidly, even as traditional ramen noodle vendors call themselves men-ya (noodle-sellers). This is part of Japan’s rough and rebellious yankii youth culture. Along with evolving tastes, classic ramen bowl graphic design is disappearing. In order to pay tribute to the traditional graphics, I designed my bowl with the “thunder pattern” (or Greek “meander pattern”) around the rim, and included a dragon and phoenix. By using these visual elements, I am emphasizing the generations that have handed down the tradition of ramen. Looking at the final product, I find that the bowl welcomes a lighter ramen with clear soup and frizzy noodles rather than a thick, muddy, pork-based broth.
Taku Sotoh
Graphic designer, producer of design-related exhibitions, and co-curator of this exhibition
22
Yuki Senda
Ramen Bowl
Karacho is a karakami (decorative paper) store founded by Choemon I in 1624 and proudly passed down for four hundred years to its current owner, Choemon XII. More than 650 historic printing blocks are used to print traditional patterns onto Japanese handmade paper, or washi, with unchanged techniques and sensitivity. By preserving Japanese cultural property on objects for daily life (such as fusuma paper doors, wallpaper, lanterns, and cards), karakami paper provides a sense of comfort. From the world of Karacho, I am bringing the design brilliance of karakami to ramen bowls as a contribution to global food culture. The bowl and spoon are decorated with the Chōji karakusa, or “clove arabesque,” pattern and the Kōmori kiri pattern that combines bats and paulownia leaves.
Outside: Clove and Karakusa Arabesque, Inside: Bat-shaped Paulownia
Yuki Senda
Artist, woodblock carver, and decorative paper pattern designer with Karacho in Kyoto
23
Izumi Shiokawa
Ramen Bowl
As I gazed at the dragons on the ramen bowl, I felt the urge to join them all together in a circle.
Izumi Shiokawa
Illustrator, featured in ads, books, magazines, products, and elsewhere
24
Shin Sobue
Ramen Bowl
I find tadpoles (Japanese: otama jakushi) fascinating. Why do they go to the trouble of moving onto the land when they have such a comfortable life in the water? This transition seems as radical as humans trying to live in a place without air. When you are in need of inspiration, please recharge your energy with this bowl and ladle (also called otama in Japanese). What could make you happier than having a bowl of delicious ramen with your favorite frog? ...
Oops! I tried to make a Japanese pun; however, we’re using a renge (spoon) not a ladle.
Shin Sobue
Graphic designer and art director, and one of Japan’s foremost book designers
25
Ayame Suzuki
Ramen Bowl
Today ramen is a popular dish around the world, but twenty years ago when I first lived in Florence, Italy, it was hard to find anywhere selling ramen at all. I would often eat instant noodles sent from home and reminisce about Japan. Now I have made a donburi that I can eat from while reminiscing about Italy. Enjoy eating your ramen with Venus! Buon Appetito!
Ayame Suzuki
Designer working for TSDO design and part of the design team for this exhibition
26
Tabaimo
Ramen Bowl
In my bowl, a couple is visible now and again in the broth - revealing various relationships of a man and a woman through the ramen. No matter how the relationship of these two people develops, however, the ramen will still be delicious!
Tabaimo
Contemporary artist known for immersive, thought-provoking video installations inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e prints
27
Keiichi Tanaami
Ramen Bowl
When I was in art college, my lunch was always ramen. One day as I was shoveling ramen into my mouth, a black spider descended on its thread right in front of my eyes into my bowl of soup. It struggled to survive, then died in the boiling water. When the spider stopped moving, I was so distressed that I dashed out of the noodle shop. Since this horrifying experience, I haven’t been able to eat ramen. Even now, I still can feel the shock. The design for this ramen bowl represents my long-term grudge against that spider.
Keiichi Tanaami
Pioneer “pop” artist, active since the 1960s as a graphic designer, illustrator, video artist, and fine artist
28
Hisashi Tenmyouya
Ramen Bowl
Red and gold are a stylish combination for a ramen bowl.
Hisashi Tenmyouya
Neo-Japanese-style artist, creates paintings using traditional Japanese styles and contemporary motifs.
29
Yuri Uenishi
Ramen Bowl
To me, the half-sphere of a donburi bowl is like an upturned sky full of planets and constellations. After I have finished eating my ramen, as all the delicious flavors are lingering in my mouth, the universe seems to spread over the inside of the bowl. That is what this donburi is.
Yuri Uenishi
Graphic designer and art director for Dentsu, Tokyo, work includes posters, logos, packaging, and branding campaigns
2
Katsumi Asaba
Ramen Bowl
The joy of heavy drinking starts with beer, then shōchu, then sake, and is finished off with whiskey. In my younger days, people told me that mixing drinks would lead to hangovers, but now I can take anything alcoholic within an evening. The best part is wrapping up the whole night with a bowl of ramen. I have eaten ramen in many cities, including Sapporo, Niigata, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Yokohama, and Tokyo, but I don’t have distinctive memories of the designs of the ramen bowls. Is there a unified specification across Japan for ramen bowls? To me, the patterns of the bowls should deliver some kind of message. One of my hobbies is flag semaphore, so I am sending a message through the flags. I hope some visitors will be able to decipher it.
Katsumi Asaba
Art director, designer, and calligrapher, active in Japanese advertising and design
3. Aroma
The aroma of ramen is a mixture of several elements. The most prominent are fats and oils, which might include lard (rendered pork fat) and chiyu (rendered chicken fat) or aromatic oils created by the transfer of flavor from scallions, wasabi, or seafood, for example. The broth also has an aroma that reflects the ways the dashi stock and tare sauce are made. Dashi uses ingredients like chicken carcass, pork bones, seafood, and vegetables; tare ingredients include soy sauce, miso, and salt. Additional aromas come from toppings and spices. When all elements are together in the mouth, the aromas pass out through the nose, stimulating the sense of smell.
30
Tadanori Yokoo
Ramen Bowl
Let’s make our bones stronger by eating tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen!
Tadanori Yokoo
Internationally renowned graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker, and painter known for bold, psychedelic style
3
Misa Awatsuji
Ramen Bowl
When I was a child, I often saw teacups decorated with the kanji (Chinese characters) for the names of fish. While I ate my sushi and watched the chef lay out the filleted fish and seafood, I would enjoy reading the fish kanji on the cups one by one. In ramen, there are so many types of broth and seemingly infinite toppings. For my bowl, instead of fish kanji, I printed two-kanji words related to ramen (I was surprised at how many different words there were).The two-kanji ramen bowl reminds me of the excitement I felt as a child eating at a restaurant.
Misa Awatsuji
Graphic designer; with sister Maki Awatsuji, co-founder of all-female design company in 1995, designing for shops, hotels, environments, product packaging, and signage
4
Jonathan Barnbrook
Ramen Bowl
This design is inspired by the fact that we, and everything around us, are made up of debris from stars - from the planets in the solar system and the earth on which we are born to the people we know and love and the food we put in our mouths. When we eat food, there is an obvious change from matter into energy, and this small transformation is a symbol of the bigger transformation of energy to matter of our existence. The text on the spoon says, “everything is,” and the text on the outside of the bowl says “stardust,” completing the statement: “everything is stardust.” The circle in the center is a diagram of a star. Each concentric circle represents an element that makes up a star. These are listed at the rim of the bowl.
Jonathan Barnbrook
British graphic designer, typogropher, and filmmaker, best known for designing David Bowie's album Heathen in 2002
5
Alan Chan
Ramen Bowl
My bowl is inspired by Oribe ware, one of the early ceramic styles created in the Mino region and influenced by the tea master Furuta Oribe. The free spirit and skill of Oribe ware have inspired Mino ceramic artists over the centuries. My bowl features images of a bird and a hand, motifs that represent free spirit and craftsmanship, respectively. Just as we pursue flying birds, the design encourages us to pursue new, unique possibilities for Mino ceramics.
Alan Chan
Hong Kong-based graphic designer with o long career in advertising and design
6
Yoshiharu Doi
Ramen Bowl
I call this bowl “Ramen Bowl for Citizens of the Sun and Moon” because the sun and moon are the foundations of all things - nature, religious beliefs, philosophy. They exist absolutely and beyond our consciousness. We are comforted by the thought that the sun is like a mother wrapping the Earth in a blanket to keep us safe, day after day, year after year. I want to express my gratitude for this. Even without humans, night will always be replaced by day. (The ceramic artist and tea master Rosanjin used the classical Sun and Moon pattern on his large bowls.)
Yoshiharu Doi
Food researcher and consultant, focuses on Japanese home cooking and sustainable food culture
7
Kazunari Hattori
Ramen Bowl
For my design, I spread out a world atlas and chose seven cities where I wanted to eat ramen. These cities are presented on my bowl. I would like to have ramen in Moscow in winter, just as much as I would like to enjoy a bowl in tropical Honolulu.
Kazunari Hattori
Graphic designer, working in advertising, exhibition graphics, and book and poster design
8
Hikaru Ichijo
Ramen Bowl
As a teenager, I did not typically eat ramen. On one occasion, however, I went out for ramen with a group of classmates from cram school and I found the dish delicious. Since then, it has been one of my favorite things to eat. I like modern, trendy ramen, but I love the traditional, no-frills versions even more. I designed a pretty bowl for some good, no-frills ramen.
Hikaru Ichijo
Illustrator known for bold, colorful works incorporating pop-style printing techniques
9
Junya Ishigami
Ramen Bowl
To my eyes, the common pattern found on the edge of Japanese ramen bowls has always looked like ivy. Apparently, it is derived from the Chinese “thunder pattern,” but to me it is ivy. I envisioned the ivy growing and blossoming into a simple flower and designed a bowl with a large flower and spoon with a small flower. I did consider decorating the bowl with a lotus flower, but the lotus is a bit too gorgeous; I made my flower simpler to reflect the everyday quality and appeal of ramen.
Junya lshigami
One of Japan’s leading architects with numerous international projects and awards, including the Venice Biennale Golden Lion Award for Best Project in 2010
Regional Ramen
In the period following World War II, more and more ramen shops appeared throughout Japan. Often the eateries stressed their unique, individual flavors and styles, achieved by varying noodles, soup flavor, and toppings. Many ramen shop owners also incorporated ingredients popular in their regions to create local flavors. Below are some of the most well-known regional styles of ramen.
Sapporo Ramen
Sapporo ramen in one of the most beloved types of ramen, with a thick tonkotsu (pork bone) broth and rich flavoring from a miso base, seasonal seafood, and a knob of butter on request. Noodles are moderately thick and slightly curly, and toppings include chashu, fried beansprouts, bamboo shoots, and corn.
Hakodate Ramen
Hakodate ramen is a simple shio ramen (salt ramen, seasoned with salt rather than soy sauce), believed to be similar to the original noodle dishes brought to Japan from China. This ramen features a clear soup, roasted pork fillet, bamboo shoots, and shredded spring onions as toppings, and the noodles are moderately thin and straight.
Kitakata Ramen (Fukushima)
Relatively light, Kitakata ramen has a gentle, clear, soy-based broth flavored with pork bones and niboshi (dried sardines). Featuring thick, flat, and crimped noodles, this ramen is usually eaten for breakfast in the small town of Kitakata. Ramen is so popular here that the region is known to have the most ramen establishments in one area.
Tokyo Ramen
Considered the original ramen, Tokyo ramen typically contains a soup made from pork or chicken bones and soy sauce. The soy sauce broth gives the soup its recognizable dark color. Noodles are moderately thick and curly, and toppings include chashu, marinated bamboo shoots, fishcake, spinach, seaweed, kelp, kamaboko, scallions, and egg.
Yokohama Ramen
Since Yokohama was the port of entry for Chinese noodle soup, Yokohama ramen has a unique history, and it has come to be known as Iekei ramen (“lineage” or “family” ramen). The soup is made from pork, chicken, and soy sauce, and the noodles are thicker than most and topped with spinach, chashu, nori seaweed, and scallions.
Kyoto Ramen
Kyoto cuisine is generally known for being lightly flavored, however Kyoto ramen has a strong taste, and in one popular style, pork oil is poured onto the soup for extra flavor and richness. The soup uses a pork or chicken base and is relatively thick and heavy with straight noodles.
Tokushima Ramen
Tokushima is a region with three different kinds of soup: white, yellow, and brown. The most popular ramen here has become the brown. With salty-sweet ingredients in a soup made from slow-cooked pork bones and dark soy sauce, it is often served with a raw egg topping. The noodles are short, soft, and slightly curled.
Hakata Ramen
The most well-known ramen in Kyushu, Hakata ramen has a thick, creamy soup, made by boiling pork bones for a long time, and used straight noodles with little water added. Toppings include chasu, kikurage (cloud-ear mushroom), picked mustard greens, pickled ginger, green onions, sesame seeds, and crushed garlic. Customers can order kaedama – a second servind of noodles to add to the remaining broth.
11. Size
Ramen bowls are produced in a wide range of sizes, the most common of which measures 85 mm high and 220 mm across, with a base of 100 mm diameter or so. This sufficiently stable bowl is the perfect size for the volume of ramen required for one serving, and it is easy to hold in two hands. Some ramen shops heap their toppings above the height of the bowl. Most bowls used for soba noodles, udon noodles, and gyudon (beef on rice) are smaller than ramen bowls.
Featured Artists
1. Gugi Akiyama
2. Katsumi Asaba
3. Misa Awatsuji
4. Jonathan Barnbrook
5. Alan Chan
6. Yoshiharu Doi
7. Kazunari Hattori
8. Hikaru Ichijo
9. Junya Ishigami
10. Jin Katagiri
11. Atsuki Kikuchi
12. Issay Kitagawa
13. Shin Matsunaga
14. Akira Minagawa
15. Yasumichi Morita
16. Kazufumi Nagai
17. Kazumasa Nagai
18. Masayoshi Nakajo
19. Kenjiro Sano
20. Koichi Sato
21. Taku Satoh
22. Yuki Senda
23. Izumi Shiokawa
24. Shin Sobue
25. Ayame Suzuki
26. Tabaimo
27. Keiichi Tanaami
28. Hisashi Tenmyouya
29. Yuri Uenishi
30. Tadanori Yokoo
Ramen bowls & spoons fabricated by Sanyu Seitojo
Aoki Tensya Inc.
Maruto Co., Ltd.
Marui Seito
Photography: Yasuhiro Kajika | amana
Image Retouching: Teruumi Kuroda | amana
1. Name
The term “ramen” as first used widely in Japan in the 1960s. Before the 1910s, the dish was called “Nanjing soba” and later “Chuka soba.” (Soba are Japanese traditional buckwheat noodles.) In 1958, Nissin Foods released “Chicken Ramen” instant noodles, a hit product that firmly established the name “ramen.” There are a number of theories as to the origin of the term; the most convincing is that it derives from the Chinese word for noodle, Iā miàn, and may have been used at a Chinese restaurant in Sapporo in the 1920s.
10. Shape
Ramen bowls are spherical, perfectly round as seen from above. From the side, a bowl fans outward from the base to the lip. The shape of this curve is far from simple. The raised base of the bowl is about 15 mm, on top of which sits a bulging waist. The rim of the bowl curves out slightly to form an overhang. This type of ramen bowl is the most common in Japan and is known in the ceramics industry as a sorikodaidon. The bulge of the waist allows for large volumes of soup, and the wide rim provides space for attractive plating (it also makes the soup easy to sip).
12. Color
Ramen bowls are ceramic with a white surface, without visible blemish. The color reflects the quality of the world-famous porcelain clay of the Mino region, where the majority of ramen bowls is produced. The main glaze used on ramen bowls is white when applied and turns clear in firing, accentuating the white porcelain. The outside of the bowl is often decorated with a vibrant motif, perhaps red or another color.
13. Motifs
Many ramen bowls feature traditional Chinese decorations, such as raimon lightning spirals (or the “thunder pattern’), mythical birds, dragons, and Chinese characters meaning “double happiness.’ These motifs are rarely seen in Chinese noodle restaurants but were added to Japanese ramen bowls to give them a Chinese appearance. After the main firing, the designs are applied to the white porcelain using transfer sheets, then the bowls are refired at a cooler temperature of about 800°C (approximately 1,470°F). The intricate patterns require advanced mastery of the technique to ensure that there is no blurring.
[Various dragon designs
Sources: Colelction of dragon and phoenix designs, Liu Dawei MPC;
Dragon and the world of dragons – Illustrated. Yoshihiko Sasama. Yushikan Publishing;
Sekai monyo jiten (World design dictionary). Haruo Nishigami. Sogensha]
14. Glaze
The sheen on porcelain largely derives from the glaze, which can range from matte to glossy. Most ramen bowls are finished with a shiny glaze—formed as a glassy skin on the porcelain after firing when the liquid glaze hardens. The designs applied by transfer sheets fade after years of use, but the glaze is very durable and rarely wears off. The flat, smooth surface is hygienic, washing easily.
15. Feel
The feel of porcelain is determined by the glaze and surface form. The glossy glaze used on ramen bowls produces a smooth, glassy surface that is slippery. In contrast, a matte glaze allows for a better grip. The smoothness can be felt keenly when lifting the bowl to the lips. Porcelain is a better heat conductor than lower-fired ceramics, so the bowl is hotter when full and cold to the touch when empty.
16. Temperature
When 80°C soup is poured into a ramen bowl at a room temperature of 21°C, the temperature of the bowl near the rim immediately rises to about 60°C, the area near the center of the body to about 53°C, and the base to about 19°C. The middle of the soup is approximately 66°C. It is very difficult to taste anything over 60°C, therefore it makes sense to use chopsticks to lift the noodles out of the soup to blow on and cool them while eating. The temperature gradually subsides, except at the base. The rim that the soup does not reach retains more heat than the bowl’s waist.
[Soup, Rim, Center, Base]
17. Weight
The weight of a standard porcelain ramen bowl is approximately 720 - 730 grams. The boiled noodles are about 180 grams and combined with around 385 cc of soup, the total weight comes to approximately 1,290 grams. The bowl accounts for more than half of the weight. If the bowl is lifted to finish the soup, it feels reasonably heavy. Recent years have seen the rise of plastic ramen bowls of under 200 grams, but porcelain remains the most widespread.
[Approximately 720 – 730 grams]
18. Volume
A ramen bowl has a volume of about 1,270 cc. However, this is the volume of a full bowl; the total volume of ramen soup and noodles is usually under 600 cc. Until the 1930s, the volume of a ramen bowl was 20 - 30 percent less than it is now. After World War II, the volume increased to the current size. The volume increased to its current size following World War II, when ramen was established as an inexpensive and nutritious dish for blue-collar workers and students.
19. Sound
Placing a ramen bowl on a table and tapping the rim with a fingernail produces a high, clear sound. This is a feature of porcelain. Its sound is closer to that of glass or metal than to other ceramics due to its high density and strength. The sound is around 1,439 Hz, or near F#6 on the musical scale, the highest vocal range of a soprano. When empty, a ramen bowl may sound a little like a reverberating wind chime. When the bowl is full of ramen or stacked with other bowls, the echo is replaced by a lower tone.
2. Appearance
Served in ceramic bowls, ramen consists largely of noodles submerged in broth. Toppings, such as chashu, menma bamboo shoots, fishcake, and sliced scallions, typically sit on the noodles or float in the broth. There are no fixed rules for the positioning of the toppings, which allows individual eateries and cooks to make their creative marks. When the ramen bowl features a pattern around the inside rim, eateries typically ensure that the level of the broth keeps the design visible.
20. Time
The time it takes to finish a bowl of ramen differs from person to person, but in Japan people take about 5 -10 minutes. Considering the heat at which ramen bowl, that is a short time. However, any slower and the noodles will start to absorb the broth, losing their ideal texture. Moreover, the umami in the soup is more keenly tasted when the ramen is warm. Finally, some people will finish all of the broth after eating their noodles, and others will leave it.
21. Strength
Porcelain ramen bowls are harder than those of ceramic or stone. This is due to the greater density of the clay. If you were to take a hammer to the rim of a ramen bowl, it would take a considerable force, about 0.65 J*, to smash it. It is the shape of the rim that gives it this strength. The equivalent number for breakage is 0.29 J for the base and 0.26 J for the sides. These durable bowls are less likely to shatter when dropped or washed, giving them a longer life expectancy.
[Strength of each part of the bowl measured under impact testing
The impact applied by the pendulum hammer is 0.04J. If the bowl does not break, the force is increased by 0.02 J, and this is repeated until the bowl breaks. The energy applied at the breaking point is the impact strength. (Breakage is defined as cracking or chipping.) *J = joule, a unit of energy]
22. Structure
The structure of a ramen bowl is exactly as it appears. The lowest part is the base with a height of about 15 mm. The spherical bowl rests on the base, bulging out toward the rim, which extrudes slightly. When bowls are stacked, the base of the bowl above nests snugly into the bottom of the bowl below, making for a secure structure. Ramen shops tend to stack their bowls in relatively high towers after washing, then take a bowl from the stack once they receive an order and serve the noodles in it.
23. Cross section
The cross-sectional dimensions of a ramen bowl vary by part. The thickest part is the top of the base, which is over 8.3 mm wide. Next is the bottom of the bowl, which is more than 6.5 mm thick near the upper base. At the center, it is slightly thinner at about 6.15 mm. The bowl then thins as it rises. The midsection is approximately 3.74 mm thick, but the rim is thicker again at about 4.87 mm. Bowls that are too thin lack strength and durability, while overly thick bowls are heavy and cost more. The slight variations in thickness by part are a testament to the extensive knowledge and expertise of the Mino porcelain industry.
24. Materials
Porcelain is made up of clay blended with silica and feldspar at a ratio of around 4:3:3. The ramen bowls produced in Mino contain gairome nendo and kibushi nendo clays and diatoms or sand, which also contain clay, silica, and feldspar. When fired, the clay is formed into a bowl, and the silica acts as an aggregate that holds the shape. Feldspar melts during firing, becoming glassy and filling any gaps between grains, which accounts for porcelain’s zero moisture absorption. The mass production of quality porcelain relies on excellent clay, and this standard must be rigorously maintained.
25. Spoon
Since the 1980s, a renge spoon has been widely used for drinking the ramen broth. Before that, typically the bowl would be lifted to the mouth to slurp the soup. Many renge are made from the same porcelain as the bowl. The scoop is flat-bottomed and the upper handle has a hole in it so that the spoon can be easily stored. The simple hole also allows the entire spoon to be glazed, as the renge is hung during firing.
4. Toppings
Basic ramen toppings include chashu pork slices, menma bamboo shoots, fishcake pieces, and finely chopped scallions. Chashu is pork that has been roasted and simmered with soy sauce, aromatic vegetables, and the like. Menma, originally from Taiwan, is made from braised bamboo shoots that are fermented or processed to add flavor. Scallions are also a topping on Chinese noodle soups, however adding finely chopped green onions is believed to derive from Japanese soba dishes. The use of naruto fishcake slices is thought to have started the same way. Other common toppings like boiled egg, spinach, and roasted seaweed laver are included or omitted to taste.
5. Noodles
The standard ramen noodle has a width and thickness of 1.6 x 1.6 mm and a length of 250—270 mm, and weighs approximately 1 gram. Each bowl takes about 120 noodles, weighing 120 grams. When a noodle is boiled for 2 to 3 minutes, it increases to 2.4 mm thick and 280—300 mm long, and weighs 1.4 grams —the total weight increases to about 168 grams. Some noodles are wavy, and others are straight (straight noodles mix better into broth). Made from wheat flour, noodles have a light beige color like pasta. Coloring or brine can alter ramen noodles to slightly yellow in tone.
6. Soup
Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen is the traditional ramen of the Tokyo area. The broth is clear with a brown tint, so the noodles are visible. A film of nearly colorless oil floats on the surface of the soup. Shoyu ramen broth is made using chicken carcass and aromatics (like scallions, leeks, garlic, and ginger), which are simmered without boiling. Chicken carcass broth contains a lot of glutamate (a rich source of umami) and a little collagen. A wide range of ingredients is used in ramen soup, from pork and beef bones to seafood, and the blend is what makes different ramen offerings unique. Thus, these blends are often closely guarded secrets.
7. Flavor
While ramen is a very accessible dish, its flavors are extremely complex. The most important factor in the flavor is the soup, which is achieved by adding tare sauce to the extracted broth. Even if the broth is the same, including a miso-based tare creates miso ramen, and a salt-based tare creates shio ramen. In the case of shoyu ramen, the tare is made from a chashu stock. The addition of the noodles, toppings, aromatic oils, and finally a sprinkle of spice mixes the flavors, resulting in a unique taste experience.
[Aroma / Saltiness / Umami / Consistency]
8. Texture
The noodle texture depends on the ingredients, how the noodles are made, and the length of time they are boiled. The gluten of wheat flour produces the unique texture - created by kneading the dough’s wheat protein with water, resulting in stickiness and elasticity. Brine, another ingredient of noodles, improves chewiness and smoothness. Once the noodles are made, they are rested for several days, which also alters their consistency. When cooking firm noodles, boiling should only last for a few moments. In Kyushu and some other regions, there is even a word for al dente noodles: barikata.
[Al dente noodles with a slightly undercooked center]
9. Ingredients
The principal ingredient of ramen noodles is wheat flour, typically with water, brine, and salt. Flour comes in four different grades, ranging from plain (soft) flour to high-grade (strong) flour, depending on the amount of gluten produced by kneading. Ramen noodles use high-grade flour rich in gluten. For water, the ratio by weight is about 30 - 40 percent of the flour. The brine is a mixture with potassi- um carbonate and sodium carbonate, which acts on the gluten to increase the chewy and silky texture of the noodles. Brine and salt at 1 - 2 percent is sufficient. Sometimes egg or coloring are also added. All of these figures are merely a standard, and there is wide variation among regions and restaurants.
[Ratio of ingredients in a bowl of ramen
Soup / Noodles / Toppings
flour, salt, brine, water, chashu pork, spinach, menma bamboo shoots, fishcake, scallions, tare or sauce]
A Chronology of Japanese Ramen
China
BC: Wheat flour is molded into a “noodle” form.
Tang dynasty (618-908): First noodle dishes are developed.
Japan
734: A Shōsōin document features characters muginawa. In the following centuries, various noodle dishes – udon, somen, and soba – appear in Japan.
1853: Japan signs the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States. Foreign settlements are established in Yokohama and Nagasaki, and Chinese restaurants in the areas serve noodle dishes.
1899: The law requiring foreigners to live in designated areas is relaxed; stores serving Chinese food, including noodles, spread throughout Japan.
1910: Rairaiken restaurant opens in Asakusa, Tokyo, selling Chuka soba (Chinese noodles) with a clear, soy sauce – based broth, thin noodles, roast pork, bamboo shoots, and chopped green onions – the prototype of Tokyo-style ramen.
1923: The Great Kantō Earthquake damages ramen shops in Tokyo and Yokohama, resulting in a nationwide expansion.
1938: Food is distributed under the National Mobilization Law. Ramen disappears from city cafes.
1945: Japan surrenders and suffers severe food shortages. The United States supports Japan, the largest non-communist country in East Asia at the start of the Cold War, by exporting a high volume of American wheat to Japan. Much wheat is used to make ramen, reviving the dish.
1952: The San Francisco Peace Treaty restores Japan’s status as a nation.
1958: Nissin Foods launches the first instant noodles, “Chicken Ramen.”
1971: Nissin Foods releases the first “Cup Noodles.”
1984: Kitakata (Fukushima) attracts attention as a town revitalized by ramen. Local ramen becomes popular in different parts of the country. In the 1980s and 1990s, Japan experiences a ramen boom, transforming from worker food to youth food.
1994: The Shin-Yokohoma Ramen Museum opens. Tamen is closely associated with entertainment, and artisanal ramen made by individual shop owners becomes more popular than mass-produced fast food.
2000: Expansion of ramen shops begins in the United States.
2015: For the first time, Michelin Guide Tokyp 2016 edition fives one start to a ramen shop – Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta.
Artistas em destaque
1. Gugi Akiyama
2. Katsumi Asaba
3. Misa Awatsuji
4. Jonathan Barnbrook
5. Alan Chan
6. Yoshiharu Doi
7. Kazunari Hattori
8. Hikaru Ichijo
9. Junya Ishigami
10. Jin Katagiri
11. Atsuki Kikuchi
12. Issay Katagawa
13. Shin Matsunaga
14. Akira Minagawa
15. Yasumichi Morita
16. Kazufumi Nagai
17. Kazumasa Nagai
18. Masayoshi Nakajo
19. Kenjiro Sano
20. Koichi Sato
21. Taku Satoh
22. Yuki Senda
23. Izumi Shiokawa
24. Shin Sobue
25. Ayame Suzuki
26. Tabaimo
27. Keiichi Tanaami
28. Hisashi Tenmyouya
29. Yuri Uenishi
30. Tadanori Yokoo
Tigelas e colheres de ramen fabricadas por Sanuy Seitojo
Aoki Tensya Inc.
Maruto Co., Ltd.
Marui Seito
Fotografia: Yasuhiro Kajika | amana
Retoque de imagem: Teruumi Kuroda | amana
Blue-and-White Porcelains (Sometsuke)
Ramen Bowl
Porcelains are pure white ceramics, usually coated with a transparent glaze and fired at very high temperatures, between 1,200°C ( 2,190°F) to 1,400°C ( 2,550°F). Blue-and-white porcelains feature de- signs painted onto the white clay body with cobalt, a mineral oxide that turns blue in a reduction firing (when the kiln atmosphere is starved of oxygen). Originating in China, porcelains were made in Arita in Hizen (modern Saga prefecture) in the early seventeenth century. Influenced by the Arita and Seto porcelain kilns, the Mino kilns began producing porcelains in the nineteenth century. Since then, Mino has mass-produced blue-and-white porcelains that are decorated with hand-painted designs as well as those with designs applied using transfer techniques.
Made by Hitoka Kato
Brake pads for wind power generators
These sintered brake pads, formed through compacting ceramic material under heat and pressure, keep a high friction coefficient at very high temperatures. This ceramic innovation enables safe control of wind turbines even under severe wind conditions.
Exhibition items provided by TYK Corporation
Celadon (Seiji)
Ramen Bowl
Celadon is a pale greenish-blue glaze. The color derives from a small amount of iron in the glaze mixture and a reduction firing (when the kiln atmosphere is starved of oxygen). This glaze originated in China and was sometimes applied in layers to deepen the color or carved to create patterns. Celadon-glazed ceramics were imported into Japan during the Heian period (794 –1185) and were collected and admired by aristocrats, military rulers, and tea masters. In Mino, some of the Ofukei wares made in the early Edo period (1603 –1868) had the appearance of celadons, and since the Meiji period (1868 –1912), the glaze has been used on Mino porcelains.
Made by Kei Wakao
Ceramic Tile
The Mino region produces tiles for a variety of purposes. Mino kilns are particularly proficient at making mosaic tiles, which are less than 5 cm (1.97 in.) on a side, and are used in interior and exterior building applications.
Mosaic Tiles
Powdered clay is placed in a mold and pressed to form tiles. The tiles are glazed in groups, then put in saggars for protection and fired. To facilitate installation at the construction site, multiple tiles are arranged and adhered to paper, or netting, to complete the production process.
Exhibition items provided by X’s Co., Ltd.
Designer Ramen Bowls
This section of the exhibition presents thirty ramen bowls (donburi) and spoons (renge) with designs by thirty artists, architects, and other creatives, most of whom are Japanese and love ramen! The display spotlights the ingenuity of Japanese design and the artistic potential and cultural importance of the ramen bowl. In Japanese art and design, there has long been a strong connection between functionality and decoration. Everyday bowls often feature certain patterns and motifs when full and others when emptied or raised up. As you view these ramen bowls, imagine which would be the most fun to eat ramen from.
Some of these bowls were first exhibited in 2014 at Gallery Design 1953 In Matsuya Ginza Department Store in Tokyo.
Esmalte de cinzas (Haiyu)
Tigela de ramen
Os esmaltes de cinza são esmaltes de cerâmica feitos a partir das cinzas de árvores e outras plantas. Originários da cerâmica chinesa, tornaram-se comuns na cerâmica coreana e japonesa, e apareceram pela primeira vez nos fornos Mino durante o início do período Heian (794-1185). Dependendo do tipo de cinza utilizado e do método de queima, os esmaltes podem variar muito, de transparentes a opacos, incluindo o bidoro (da palavra portuguesa vidro) verde brilhante, uma técnica antiga em que o esmalte acumula e forma toques vítreos conhecidos como “olhos de libélula”. Os esmaltes de cinza vêm sendo utilizados durante grande parte dos 1.300 anos de história da cerâmica Mino.
Feita por Yoji Kato
Food in Post-War
With food supplies running low after World War II, the government promoted cooking with wheat, meat, and dairy products, radically transforming eating habits in Japan.
[Nutrition guidance class taught from a kitchen car, in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Honshu, 1957 // Photo: Naosuke Sasaki, courtesy of Aomori Prefectural Museum]
Iron Glaze (Tetsuyu)
Ramen Bowl
Iron glazes are colored by iron, and their hues vary from yellow to deep black, depending on the quantity of iron in the glaze mixture. Chinese in origin, these glazes were first used in Mino in the late Muromachi period (1333 –1573). They are featured on tea bowls and tea caddies known as temmoku wares, after the brown and black Chinese iron-glazed wares prized in the tea ceremony. Iron glazes appeared widely in the Edo period (1603 –1868), primarily on sake bottles, rice bowls, and other daily wares. The range of colors is reflected in the many names: yellow glaze, candy glaze, brown glaze, rust glaze, persimmon glaze, and black glaze.
Made by Nobuya Yoshioka
Kizeto Ware
Ramen Bowl
Kizeto (Yellow Seto) wares are ceramics (usually high-firing stonewares) with a pale yellow ash glaze, which evolved from earlier ash glazes. During the Momoyama period (1573 –1615), Mino potters increased the silica in the glaze mixture, which resulted in devitrification and the yellow color. Most Kizeto wares are tablewares, such as food dishes and bowls. On some, designs of plants or characters are stamped onto the soft surface of the clay before firing, with accents of copper green or iron brown applied on top of the glaze. Kizeto ware production stopped after the Momoyama period, and began again in the twentieth century.
Made by Mitsuhide Kato
Mino Ceramic Shards
This case features ceramic fragments, or shards (also sherds), that were recovered from the remains of discontinued Mino kilns, believed to be active from the latter half of the sixteenth century to the first half of the seventeenth century. During that time, when tableware and tea ceramics were cracked, chipped, or otherwise too damaged to be sold as merchandise, they were discarded close to the kilns. The shards provide information about the clay, the glazes and techniques used at the time, and the shapes of vessels and the types of painted decoration that were popular.
This grouping of Mino ceramic shards was gathered by artist Masahiko Ando, whose Oribe ware bowls are exhibited on the pentagonal stand in this section. Ando has used this collection of shards to guide his own ceramic making.
New Ceramics
Ceramics and porcelain have inherent characteristics of hardness, heat, and corrosion resistance, and are very good electrical insulators. The term “new ceramics” refers to ceramics with superior mechanical, electrical, optical, and chemical properties combined with other advanced functions valued in fields such as semiconductors, information and telecommunication technologies, automobile and industrial machinery, and medicine.
Ceramic Knives (Minoba or Mino Blade)
Zirconia ceramics are made by pressing raw ceramic material into molds and firing the forms at ultra-high temperatures, resulting in the highest strength and durability of all new ceramics. When zirconia blades are given an edge and mirror-polished, they can be processed into knives with a metal-like sharpness; they can also be painted.
Exhibition items provided by TYK Corporation
Oribe Ware
Ramen Bowl
Oribe wares are a novel and whimsical style of ceramics (usually high-firing stonewares) that evolved in the Mino kilns during the Momoyama period (1573 –1615) later than Shino and other wares. They are named after Furuta Oribe (1544 –1615), a military commander and tea master from Mino. The most well-known types feature a copper- green glaze. Ao-oribe (Green Oribe) pairs green-glazed sections with iron-brown underglaze designs on a white background, while Narumioribe uses a reddish clay to create more color contrast, and Sooribe ( Mono- chrome Oribe) is predominantly green. Oribe-guro (Oribe Black) and Kuro Oribe (Black Oribe) use the Setoguro technique, and Shino Oribe inherited the white glaze of Shino wares. Oribe wares are known for their playful forms, such as the oval kutsugata bowls, and their vibrant, untraditional patterns. The ultimate Momoyama ceramic, their production also ended after the early seventeenth century and was revived in the twentieth century.
Made by Hiroshi Sakaguchi
Overglaze Enamels (Aka-e)
Ramen Bowl
On some ceramics, designs are painted onto the transparent glaze after the vessels have been fired. The pigments used are enamels (glazes colored by iron and other metal oxides) that harden when the vessel is fired again at a low temperature. The most elaborate examples are known in Japanese as nishikide, or brocade paintings. This decorative technique originated in China and was first used in Japan in the seventeenth century at some of the Arita porcelain kilns and later in Kyoto ceramics. The technique became popular in Mino after the Meiji period (1868 –1912), and since then colored enamels have been applied by hand and through transfer techniques.
Made by Hiroshi Hanzawa
Ramen Anatomy Section Credits
Art Direction:
Taku Satoh, TSDO Inc.
Graphic Design:
Ayame Suzuki and Momo Hasegawa, TSDO Inc.
Text:
Takahiro Tsuchida
Photography:
Yusuke Nishibe
Food Sample Fabrication:
Iwasaki Mokei Seizo Co., Ltd.
Special thanks to:
Ceratechno Toki
Gifu Prefectural Ceramics Research Institute
Ishihara Seimen
Kaneko Kohyo Pottery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Marui Clay and Ceramics Inc.
Marunishi Nagae Shouten
Mino Ceramic Art Museum, Tajimi
Nissho Kagaku Kogyosho
Ryotosha & Co., Ltd.
Sanyu Seitojo
Uoseki
Yuko Miyagawa
Yuto Kiyota
Zuno
Ramen Goes into Space in 2005
Years later, “Space Ram,” an instant ramen that can be eaten in outer space, was developed. The meal enabled astronauts to enjoy a dish with a familiar taste, relieving stress and improving performance. The compact noodles are designed to cook in water at 70°C (158°F), the highest water temperature that can be generated in the space shuttle, and to retain their shape without scattering in the gravity-free environment. The soup is made thicker, richer, and spicier because the senses of smell and taste tend to become dull in space.
In 2005, packets of “Space Ram” were included on NASA’s space shuttle Discovery, and in 2020, the seven items on display were certified as Japanese Space Food based on the standards of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The food helps support Japanese astronauts.
Ramen and the Rapid Growth of the Japanese Economy
In the 1950s, as the Japanese economy grew rapidly, ramen became a staple food throughout the country for workers who needed to replenish their energy inexpensively. The ramen was made from wheat exported cheaply by the United States.
[Ramen stalls, or yatai, in Taito-ku, Tokyo // Photo courtesy of Asahi Shimbum, 1950]
Setoguro Ware
Ramen Bowl
Setoguro (Seto Black) wares are ceramics (usually high-firing stonewares) with a jet-black glaze. They were first made during the Momoyama period (1573 –1615), when Mino kilns mostly produced tea bowls for the tea ceremony. Firing the bowls at a high temperature of over 1,200°C ( 2,190°F) and then cooling them rapidly causes the iron in the glaze to turn a deep, shiny black. Many well-known Setoguro bowls have angular, tube-like shapes with ridges formed with a bamboo spatula, and rims that undulate like a mountain path. The tea master Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591), who promoted a humble style of the tea ceremony known as wabicha, favored the jet- black glaze since its color and sheen perfectly contrasted with the deep green of the tea. These Momoyama bowls were revived in the twentieth century.
Made by Ryotaro Kato
Shino Ware
Ramen Bowl
Shino wares are ceramics (usually high-firing stonewares) with a thick, creamy white feldspar glaze. They were created in Mino during the Momoyama period (1573 –1615) for use in the tea ceremony— mostly tea bowls, water jars, and mukozuke food bowls. Many are decorated under the glaze with simple iron-brown painted landscapes, plants, and geometric patterns— the first underglaze painting on Japanese ceramics. Some feature subtle colors, such as the grayish Nezumishino (Mouse Shino)— in which designs are etched into an iron-black coating and covered with creamy white glaze— and Benishino (Red Shino), with a rusty red hue derived from a similar iron-red coating beneath the glaze. Production of Shino wares ceased after the Momoyama period but was revived in the twentieth century.
Made by Takumi Ando
Slip Ware (Kohiki)
Ramen Bowl
There is a tradition of covering dark-colored, iron-rich ceramic vessels with a coating of slip, or white liquid clay. This technique was used widely in Korea in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries on ceramics that became very popular with Japanese tea masters. Korean bowls, sake bottles, and sake cups were brought to Japan, collected and highly prized for use in the tea ceremony. In the late sixteenth century, the technique was copied in Japanese kilns such as Hagi in Yamaguchi prefecture, which were established by Korean potters, and then later used in the Mino kilns.
Made by Daisuke Tomioka
Tableware
Since its development in the modern era, Mino ware has ap- plied innovative molding and painting techniques to mass production, resulting in a broad spectrum of daily ceramic ware essential to the table and beautifying the home.
Mugs
Once the cup form is removed from the mold, a handle is attached. Then a design is transferred to the surface, glaze is applied, and the cup undergoes an initial firing. As a finishing touch, a thin gold line is added around the rim, and the final firing is done.
Exhibition items provided by Izawa Corporation
The Anatomy of a Bowl of Ramen
Dissection, typically, is the act of taking apart a living thing, examining it from outside to inside in order to verify its structure and formation. In this section of the exhibition, we explore ramen by dissecting the food itself and the ramen bowl in which it is served revealing the structure, form, and details of the popular food.
This exploration is part of the Design Anatomy Project. The ongoing project, which was first held in Japan in 2001, has featured many different objects, or “specimens.” Why do we dissect objects like this? The process of making things is design, and all objects can be researched and analyzed from the perspective of design, comprehensively from the outside to the inside. With ramen, we start with its appearance, the origin of its name, and the ingredients, noodles, and soup (in this case, the Tokyo soy sauce-based version). We also examine the shape, pattern, weight, and raw materials of the bowl, and everything else that makes up and is contained in the food called ramen.
Here, you will learn what ramen actually is before seeing the designer ramen bowls in the main gallery and being introduced to the Mino ware ceramics in the final section of the exhibition. I hope that by “dissecting” ramen, you will gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture.
Taku Satoh
The Birth of “Cup Noodles” in 1971
In 1966, while on a business promotion trip to Europe and the United States, Momofuku Ando visited Holiday Magic, a supermarket in Los Angeles. During a meeting, the buyers sampled his instant noodles by breaking up the chicken ramen and putting it in paper cups; they poured hot water over it and began to eat with a fork. The experience sparked Ando to figure out how people who don’t eat ramen with bowls and chopsticks might consume instant ramen. He came up with “Cup Noodles,” which can be eaten with a fork from a container that can be held with one hand.
[Holiday Magic buyers and Momofuku Ando, Los Angeles, 1966 (Photo courtesy of Nissin Foods Holdings)]
The Ceramic Valley of Mino
The Ceramic Valley of Mino is located in Gifu prefecture in Japan’s Chubu region, and includes Tajimi City, Toki City, Mizunami City, and Kani City. With a long history of ceramic production reaching back to the seventh century, the region now hosts hundreds of entities involved in the creation of Mino ware - from individual ceramicists and clay-mining companies to kiln and machine makers and trading corporations that distribute the wares. The many ceramics produced here range from everyday tableware to decorative items, architectural tiles, electronic components for IC boards, and specialized ceramics used in the aerospace industry.
There are seven excellent ceramics museums in the area that explore the history and possibilities of Mino ware from ancient times to the present. And, for over thirty-five years, the celebrated Mino International Ceramics Festival, a triennial, has brought together ceramic works from countries and regions around the world.
In 2019, government and trade group volunteers established a council to re-examine the culture, history, and industry of ceramics of the Mino region, and to share and disseminate their value. The ceramics production area of Mino has been newly named the Ceramic Valley.
The History of Mino Ceramics
Mino is located in the southern part of Gifu prefecture. Once known as Mino no kuni, or the province of Mino, the region has a long and rich history of ceramics, which have been made in the area since the seventh century. It was in the late sixteenth century, however, that ceramic production began to truly blossom in Mino. At that time, potters from Seto, the ancient ceramics center nearby, settled in Mino and started making Ki-Seto and Setoguro ware (based on earlier Seto stoneware ceramics), as well as Shino and Oribe ware— all ceramics that were highly admired by practitioners of the tea ceremony.
For the next two hundred years, the potters of Mino continued to create wares that skilfully blended a high aesthetic sensibility with functionality, from tea ceremony ceramics to dishes, bowls, and other utilitarian vessels for daily use. In the nineteenth century, Mino potters began using porcelain clay to make housewares, including dishes that were decorated with underglaze cobalt blue designs as well as colorful overglaze enamels. Some of these designs were hand-painted onto the vessels, but the kilns also excelled at various types of printed decoration, including copperplate transfers.
By the mid-twentieth century, improved technology and mass- production techniques enabled Mino to become Japan’s leading ceramics region. Mino currently produces 90 percent of the country’s porcelain ramen bowls. The Ceramic Valley of Mino is known for its ability to innovate and adapt to contemporary needs and now creates many ceramic styles, including fifteen styles listed as traditional regional handicrafts.
The History of Ramen, Part 1
Noodles - strands of dough made from wheat flour - are believed to have existed in Asia for well over two thousand years. From Chinese literature, we know that various noodle dishes were developed in China during the Tang dynasty (618—906), but it is uncertain when noodles were first made in Japan. The word muginawa (literally, barley rope) was found in an eighth-century document in the Shōsōin Repository in Nara. Although noodles have a long history in Japan, these are not the direct ancestors of the ramen we know today.
When and how ramen noodles first came to Japan is unknown. In 1854, with the opening of Japanese ports to foreign trade, Chinese restaurants opened in the ports included in the treaty such as Yokohama and Nagasaki and the surrounding settlements. They served Chinese noodle soups, dumplings, and other favorite dishes to Chinese and other foreign residents. Eventually Japanese locals began to eat at these restaurants, and some set up food carts, or yotai, from which they sold similar noodle soup. Originally known in Japan as Chuka soba, or Chinese soba (as opposed to traditional Japanese buckwheat noodles), these noodles were made with uniquely Japanese soup stock, with rich flavors derived from five to forty ingredients.
The History of Ramen, Part 2
In the early twentieth century, Chinese restaurants serving noodle dishes appeared throughout Japan. One in Sapporo, Hokkaido, is said to have called the noodles “ramen” for the first time. Gradually, as Japan modernized and industrialized, workers who flowed into cities looked for inexpensive, satisfying food that was served quickly - and ramen fit the bill. However, with the start of World War II, food supply was restricted and ramen became a luxury item, disappearing from urban centers. Immediately after the war, Japan experienced severe food shortages, and the United States responded by shipping large quantities of American wheat to Japan, boosting the production and sale of ramen noodles. During the rebuilding of the country, the dish was an affordable, filling meal for the nation’s working classes.
As Japan’s economy grew and stabilized, the dish again evolved into a popular meal for those seeking food and entertainment in cities as diverse as Sapporo, Hakata in Kyushu, and Tokyo. Like other aspects of Japanese food culture, ramen has been elevated into an art form requiring great skill and experience to make. And, of course, from the late 1950s, the invention of instant ramen introduced the dish to the world as a cheap, tasty, and fast food that can be eaten at home, deployed to people in need in emergencies, and consumed by astronauts in outer space.
The Love of Ramen in Japanese Popular Culture
In manga (comic books) and anime (animated tv shows and films), ramen is frequently featured as a food that everyone loves. In Doraemon, a renowned manga that is representative of Japanese popular culture, the main character, Doraemon, is depicted holding a bowl of ramen.
[Panel from Fujiko F. Fujio, “Kumono Iton,” Doraemon, 1978 // Image © Fujiko pro, Shogakukan]
[Doraemon: “What’s wrong? You look so sad.”]
The Michelin Guide and Ramen
In 2014, a ramen shop was first featured in a Michelin Guide, in the Bib Gourmand category (good-value restaurants) of Michelin Guide Tokyo 2015. The following year, in 2015, in Michelin Guide Tokyo 2016, a star was given to a ramen shop for the first time. In 2022, there are three one-star ramen restaurants and thirty-one Bib Gourmand restaurants in Japan (eighteen in Tokyo, six in Kyoto, and seven in Osaka).
The Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum
Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum was founded in 1994 as the world’s first Ramen-themed amusement park. The museum was conceived as a one-stop destination to enjoy the flavors of regional ramen without having to board a plane. Part theme park, part restaurant mall and part ramen gallery, the attraction celebrate the role of ramen in the lives of the common people of Japan. The setting in the main hall recreates a downtown neighborhood in 1958 – time of high economic growth in Japan – just as the sun goes down. Visitors are introduced to some of the history, ingredients, science, and regionality of ramen, while browsing ramen-related merchandise and dining at a selection of six different ramen restaurants and one cafe.
[The Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum, 1994 // Photo courtesy of the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum]
The Worldwide Popularity of Ramen
Japanese ramen has become popular throughout the world, both in restaurants and in the form of instant noodles. The scale and variety of ramen are impressive, and the technology invented to make instant ramen has been used to create many other instant noodle types.
According to figures from the World Instant Noodles Association, about 116 billion packets of instant noodles were eaten in 2020. Some of these were produced by Japanese food companies to suit regional food tastes, while others were produced by local companies and were rich in variety. The countries that consume the most instant ramen and instant noodles are China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Japan, and the United States.
Tigela de ramen grande, 2022
Shoyu (molho de soja) estilo Tokyo com chashu (carne de porco), menma (broto de bambu), naruto (massa de peixe), espinafre e cebolinha
Material da amostra de comida: Policloreto de vinila (PVC)
Material de amostra de sopa: Resina de uretano
Material da tigela: Plástico reforçado com fibra de vidro (PRFV)
Fabricado por Iwasaki Mokei (Sample Village Iwasaki)
Primeira empresa japonesa de amostras de alimentos
Situada em Gujo Hachiman, província de Gifu
(Sabemos que parece apetitoso, mas por favor não coma!)
Tigelas de ramen dos designers
Esta seção da exposição apresenta 30 tigelas de ramen (donburi) e colheres (renge) com design de 30 artistas, arquitetos e outros criadores, a maioria japoneses que adoram ramen. A exposição realça a capacidade inventiva do design japonês e o potencial artístico e a importância cultural da tigela de ramen. Na arte e no design japoneses, há muito tempo existe uma forte ligação entre funcionalidade e decoração. Frequentemente, as tigelas usadas no dia a dia apresentam certos padrões e motivos quando estão cheias e outros quando vazias ou quando são erguidas. Ao ver estas tigelas, imagine qual seria a mais divertida para se degustar um ramen.
Algumas destas peças foram exibidas pela primeira vez em 2014 na Gallery Design 1953, na loja de departamentos Matsuya Ginza, em Tóquio.
Traditional Craft
Many of the potters working in Mino, a region with a 1,300-year history of ceramic culture, continue the Shino and Oribe techniques that emerged in the Momoyama period (1573—1603).
Narumi Oribe Tebachi (Oribe Handled Vessel)
White and red clay (which is yellow before firing) are combined and formed into the shape of a shallow bowl using a mold. A handle is attached and the piece is fired with a copper-based green glaze over the white clay and a transparent glaze on the red clay.
Artwork by Masahiko Ando
Transfer-printed Small Dishes (Japanese: Inbande Kozara)
Transfer printing, a technique in which images are applied onto ceramics through transfers, allows for the mass production of vessels that feature the same pattern. During the Meiji (1868 –1912) and Taisho (1912– 26 ) eras, two main types of transfer printing were used at the Mino kilns: printed images (suri-e or katagami-etsuke) made with paper stencils and copperplate transfers (dohantensha).
In katagami, traditionally used to decorate textiles, a paper stencil cut in a particular pattern is pressed against the surface of the ceramic vessel. Then pigment (usually cobalt blue) is rubbed against the stencil and the color transfers through tiny holes to form a pattern on the vessel.
In copperplate transfer, originally a Western printing technique, a design is engraved into a copper plate with a metal stylus. Pigment is applied to the copper plate, which is pressed onto paper, transferring the design onto the paper. In ceramics, the paper is then moistened and applied to the surface of the vessel, transferring the design onto the vessel.
In both techniques, a multitude of patterns and designs used in two-dimensional printing is applied to three-dimensional, curved surfaces. Sometimes there are gaps and overlaps in the transfers, but this is part of the charm of these antique ceramics.
Unique Artwork
In ceramic art, artists can express themselves through form without the pretense of the form functioning as tableware. In the field of contemporary art, more and more artists are using ceramics as a material for their work.
Urchin
In this piece, the thorns are fired in advance and pierced through the soft raw clay body. The work is glazed and fired again. The finishing touch is a gold overglaze on the thorns.
Artwork by Masatomo Toi
“Kitchen Cars”: Promoting the Westernization of Food
The kitchen car was operated by the Japan Nutrition Association, an affiliate organization of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, from 1956 to 1960. Demonstration classes were held on the roadside throughout Japan, and a total of two million women undertook the classes.
[Kitchen car, in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Honshu, 1957 // Photo: Naosuke Sasaki, courtesy of Aomori Prefectural Museum]
For many years, I sought for a way to convey to the world the wonders produced in the ceramic-making cradle of Mino, in partnership with the local residents. I am therefore delighted by the opportunity to present, at Japan House São Paulo, the ramen bowls’ charms, the cultural aspects that reside in the Mino ceramics, and the culinary culture associated to this Japanese recipe. The exhibition arises from this unique universe, and I will be pleased if, through this dish, I can awaken the public’s interest in the ceramic-making culture of Mino and other regions of Japan.
Taku Satoh, graphic designer
The Japanese dish of ramen, prepared in different variations according to the tastes of each region, is now enjoyed in many countries. It is no exaggeration to say that it is one of the Japanese foods that has spread most broadly worldwide. Despite this popularity, the vessel this delicacy is served in – the donburi – is rarely discussed. New options for the bowls’ design can make ramen even more fascinating. We hope that this exhibition will foster a new perspective on ramen.
Mari Hashimoto, writer and publisher
In recent years, ramen has become a hit in São Paulo, as seen in the rise of new restaurants dedicated exclusively to serving this dish, and in the booming numbers of people eating it.
On the one hand, ramen has characteristics of fast food in Japan: restaurants calculate an average consumption time of 15 minutes per person, and customers can even buy ramen from vending machines that take mere seconds to serve it ready to eat. On the other hand, it is prepared slowly and carefully, with a detailed choice of ingredients and variety of compositions, demanding a great deal of time and dedication.
Besides the food itself, the bowl it is served in and eaten from also requires attention and is imbued with stories and details.
The exhibition The Art of the Ramen Donburi was organized by the Japanese design firm TSDO together with the Mino Ceramic Valley Association and curator Mari Hashimoto in response to the growing interest in this theme in Brazil and elsewhere. It presents historical and cultural aspects, considering characteristics that range beyond the strictly culinary, focusing on the design of the typical bowl produced in the region of Mino, located in Japan’s Gifu Prefecture.
To enrich the knowledge of our visitors, Japan House São Paulo has created, in parallel, a program that includes lectures, videos and gastronomic experiences, in which visitors have the opportunity to delve more deeply into other aspects, such as the ingredients used and the affective relationships awakened by this dish.
We hope that this will make your next experience with ramen – whether at home, in a restaurant, or in Japan – even more enjoyable!
Natasha Barzaghi Geenen
Cultural Director of Japan House São Paulo
#RamenDonburiNaJHSP
Ramen - wheat noodles served in soup with toppings - was introduced to Japan in the late nineteenth century. In the following decades, it became increasingly popular and deeply connected with the culture of postwar Japan. A fast food served in a single bowl, the hot noodle soup can satisfy hunger for a reasonable price. Originally Chinese, this everyday dish features diverse ingredients and seasonings, uniquely developed in each region of Japan. With the growth of the country’s economy and the spread of Japanese cuisine globally, ramen has continued to evolve even more so than sushi - with vegan, halal, and gluten-free options. It is no exaggeration to say that ramen has become the most popular Japanese food in the world.
In Japanese food culture, vessels of diverse shapes, styles, and materials - including ceramics, lacquer, metal, and glass - appear on dining tables for meals from celebratory to ordinary. The bowls used in Japanese ramen shops, however, are often porcelain donburi with consistent dimension, form, and design. Nearly 90 percent of these ramen bowls are produced in the Tono area in the eastern part of Mino in Gifu prefecture, and many have made their way to ramen shops overseas. In one simple type of vessel, ramen of many flavors is savored around the world. While the flavor of ramen - the soup, noodles, and ingredients - is a focus of attention (including in the Michelin Guide), the quality of the bowls is rarely discussed. Why is this, when these bowls can greatly enrich our enjoyment of ramen?
Although this exhibition touches upon the history and culture of ramen, its goal is to spotlight donburi. To examine donburi more closely, these bowls are “dissected” and observed in detail, like specimens. Then, in the hands of thirty artists, most of whom love ramen, the bowls seme as canvases on which the fun, the deliciousness, and the many possibilities of ramen are uniquely expressed. In addition, the exhibition introduces the region of Mino - Japan’s largest producer of porcelain ramen bowls - and its long and important history of ceramic production, from tea bowls to housewares to donburi.
The Birth of Instant Noodles in 1958
In the years following World War II, Japan experienced severe food shortages, and long lines of people formed at the black market ramen stalls in the country’s major cities. The popularity of ramen inspired Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Foods, to invent instant noodles. His first creation in 1958 was “Chicken Ramen,” a product that could be prepared at home using only hot water. These instant noodles took Japan by storm and were eaten at tables all across the country. Today, this best-selling product is still enjoyed in Japan – and beyond.