Tonkotsu soup always reminds us of whitish broth ramen originated in Kyushu area. But another group of ramen shops offering completely different Tonkotsu-soup ramen has been enhancing its presence in these days. They are commonly called "Ie-kei", named after its pioneer shop, "Yoshimura-ya", since the Chinese character of "ya" in "Yoshimura-ya" can be read "ie"(meaning "house" or "family" in Japanese. "kei" means affiliated.). Since the following ramen shops of Yoshimura-ya that are serving the same type of ramen have named their shops with "ya" character as well, the group has been formed spontaneously although each ramen shop has nothing to do with each other. Although with rather short history, "Ie-kei" ramen shops have amounted to over hundreds in numbers, spreaded all over Yokohama area where Yoshimura-ya was started from and invaded even into Tokyo. "Ie-kei" ramen is regarded as a new genre due to its quite unique and identical style. Then Yoshimura-ya is now counted as an "inventor" of new ramen genre as well as legendary ramen shops introduced in World Ramen.net.

With some exceptions, the ramen served

at "Ie-kei" ramen shops resembles with each other. Their soups are always pork-bone base, greasy with chicken oil, and seasoned with soy sauce and their noodles are thick and with soft texture. Also their ramens are usually garnished with a slice of chashu, boiled spinach, and 3 sheets of Nori (toasted lever). They are similar to each other even in that their chashus taste bad!
At "Ie-kei" ramen shops, you can order saltiness of soup, firmness of noodles, and quantity of oil to be added. Furthermore, on the table, grated garlic & ginger, and Toubanjan (Chinese red-chili pepper paste) are prepared so that you can adjust the taste by yourself.

Most of "Ie-kei" ramen shops places vending machines of meal tickets at the entrance. The example of Yoshimura-ya shows that the menu variation is limited to the size of helpings and the amount of chashu. So, all you need to do for ordering is to buy a ticket of your choice and place it on the counter when seated. Nothing difficult. But there is a thing you need to keep in mind before visiting Yoshimuraya.Yoshimuraya places the ticket of large helping at the most eye-catching place in the machine so that customers would choose it without intention. If you are not that hungry, you need to watch out not to get trapped.

Mr. Yoshimura, the owner & chef of Yoshimura-ya, is very well-known among Ramen lovers, because he used to be exposing himself in the mass medium quite often. He intentionally scolded his disciples, shouting at them in front of customers eating ramen. It looked to be a performance to identify himself as a serious ramen cook who never compromised his ramen's quality.
However, he has stopped his exposure in the mass medium right after he was arrested on illegal pornography trade charges.Regardless of the owners shameful crime, Yoshimuraya seems to be still enjoying the popularity. But the reputation of the taste is not always favorable, because it is not stable due to owner's absence from the kitchen. Hope Mr. Yoshimura will concentrate on serving good ramen not on his side-business.(BON 2001.8.5)

(Author's Note)
Initially, I was wondering whether I should include Yoshimuraya in legendary ramen shops' list or not, because the shop with the criminal owner is not qualified to be called a legendary ramen shop. Additionally, I personally do not like "Ie-kei" ramen. It is out of my taste. But on the second thought, I supposed that the fact Yoshimuraya is the pioneer of "Ie-kei" ramen shops is not negligible when considering the "Ie-kei" ramen shops' presence in Toady's ramen scene. My conclusion is to have Yoshimuraya included in legendary ramen shops but I should disclose the fact of Mr Yoshimura's shameful crime. So It is up to you whether you should visit it or not.

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