History
Fascinated by Mazesoba, which originated in Nagoya, Takuma Ishikawa, founder of KOKORO (now CEO), opened his first shop in January 2014 in Ookayama, Ota-ku, Tokyo, with the desire to make the then little-known Mazesoba available to Tokyo residents.
The first shop was said to be in a difficult location for business, far from the nearest station (Ookayama Station), where many ramen stores had opened and disappeared, but it quickly established itself as a thriving shop thanks to its friendly customer service and outstanding products.
The first shop operated for about 7 years until the building was demolished. The origin of everything.
The original Mazesoba sparked the Mazesoba Boom.
A rare shot of founder Mr. Ishikawa in the early days of the company. At the Ookayama 1st shop.
Inside the first Downtown shop in North America, which recorded the highest sales.
Journey of Kokoro
2014 | Beginning of the Legend
- First shop opened in January 2014 in Minami-Senzoku, Ota-ku, Tokyo
- Tabelog Best Ramen 2014 Award
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2014 -Rookie of the Year Award
2015 | Started Franchising
- Mizonokuchi shop, the first franchise store, opened
- TRY Ramen of the Year 2015 -Non soup category No.2
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2015 -New Genre No.1
2016 | Achieved 10 shops in Japan
- Achieved 10 Kokoro shops
- First supervised/planned product launched as cup noodles (Myojo)
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2016 -No event held
2017 | First overseas shop opening
- Opened first overseas Grand Indonesia shop(Currently closed due to Covid-19)
- Full-scale launch of central kitchen
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2017 -New Genre No.2
2018 | Expansion into North America
- Opened the first Downtown(Vancouver) shop in North America
- Opened the first shop in Singapore at Suntec City
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2018 -Non soup category No.2
2019 | Established as the spark for the Mazesoba Boom
- Achieved a total of 30 shops in Japan and overseas
- Opened first shop in the Philippines at Uptown Mall
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2019 -Non soup category No.1
2020 | Launched multiple shops in various countries
- Began opening multiple shops, including 4 in Canada and 3 in Singapore
- Achieved 30 total shops openings in Japan
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2020 -Non soup category No.1
2021 | The 1st shop is regrettably relocated
- The 1st shop relocated due to demolition
- Supervised/planned product launch at FamilyMart
- Opened first shop in Hong Kong
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2021 -Mazesoba Grand Prix & Mazesoba category No.1
2022 | Mazesoba has established a genre
- TV commercial for Instant Mazesoba(Nissin)
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2022 -Mazesoba category No.1
2023 | Over 50 stores in Japan and abroad
- Achieved 40 stores in Japan, becoming a chain of more than 50 stores in Japan and abroad
- Central kitchen relocated to additional floor space
- Takumen’s Ramen of the Year 2023 -Mazesoba category No.2
2024 | 10th Anniversary
- A new topping “Demon” Spicy Sauce started in Japan
- Becoming a chain of more than 60 stores in Japan and abroad