Our Commitment

Such remarks still echo through the night in Nakasu. Despite the late hour, queues are now a common sight. Inside the restaurant, watching the backs of regulars who finish their evening with gyoza and ramen, the second-generation owner, Masatake Yamakata, tends the hotpot. Having honed his skills entirely through self-study, he has steadfastly preserved the same flavour for over a quarter of a century.

The roots of O-Gyoza date back to its founding in Fukuoka in 1964.
However, its origins go back even further, to 1957. It all began when the founder’s father visited the food stall of a Taiwanese chef named Mr Wang in Hiroshima. After visiting time and again and becoming captivated by Mr Wang’s flavours, his father asked to be taught the trade and went on to popularise the stall-style gyoza and ramen in Hiroshima. That flavour was eventually passed down to relatives, and the restaurant is still loved today as a long-established establishment in Hiroshima.
Believing that ‘this flavour might go down well in Fukuoka’, my father abandoned his plans to move to Tokyo and headed for Nakasu. However, in Hakata, where tonkotsu ramen was the mainstream at the time, Hiroshima-style shoyu ramen was slow to catch on, and he faced a tough struggle. However, as the years passed and visitors from other prefectures began to increase in Hakata, the appeal of the ramen and gyoza gradually spread, and the restaurant established itself as a go-to spot for a late-night meal. By reducing the number of Chinese à la carte dishes and specialising in ramen and gyoza, the current style was born.

The current owner, Masatake, says that he originally went to university in Tokyo and had no intention of taking over the family business. However, when he was 25, his father asked him to return, and he resolved to take his place in the shop. With absolutely no culinary experience, he joined the ranks of the old-school craftsmen and spent his days staring intently at the pot, learning entirely on his own.
‘Whenever I suggested something, I’d be brushed off with, “If you want to do it, you do it.” But I kept at it every day out of sheer stubbornness, and when one day someone asked, “Shall I give you a hand?”, I was truly delighted.’

The evolution of the flavour continues. Inspired by a remark from a regular customer, he began using the rich, savoury broth extracted from the vegetables in the dumplings to make the ramen soup, and ten years ago, he switched from using noodles from a noodle factory to making them in-house. Even now, the teachings of the previous generation combined with daily ingenuity continue to create a truly unique flavour.

Wan Gyoza, Second-Generation Owner, Masatake Yamakata