Key Points

- As a mortal, Kazuo invented the Tsukemen Ramen dish at his Taishoken restaurant in 1961 

- His wife, who passed at an early age, fueled his passion for cooking

- Medical issues caused him immense daily pain yet he continued his work for over four decades due to his love of cooking and his customers

Brief Bio 

Kazuo Yamagishi (1934-2015) was a Japanese chef, who is known for inventing the tsukemen dish. He has had an immense influence on the Japanese ramen industry .He was born in Nagano Prefecture, and came upon the idea of Tsukemen at the age of 17 after seeing a co-worker eating noodles dipped in a soup bowl. In 1961, he added tsukemen, then named "special morisoba", to his Taishoken restaurant in Ikebukuro, near central Tokyo. 

Every day, there were long lines of people waiting to get in, and in four hours they would serve up ramen to 200 people. The number of regulars who became captivated by the taste of Taishoken were countless and even other ramen shop owners came to learn at the eatery.

Yamagishi's passion for making ramen went uninterrupted for 40 years. He readily accepted many apprentices and generously taught them his techniques while also delighting his customers. The source of Yamagishi's passion was his wife, who passed away at an early age. 

Despite immense daily physical pain due to numerous medical issues, Kazuo continued to work at his restaurant daily while perfecting his broth recipes because he felt overjoyed with the happiness that his dishes brought to his customers - 

Kazuo ascended to Takamagahara on April 1, 2015 in Takyo, Japan at the age of 80. We will remember his name.