Ninben is a dried bonito flakes specialty store with over 300 years of history in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. We spoke with Kentaro Taro, manager of the Nihonbashi main store, and Yuna Kobayashi of the Ninben Co., Ltd. Public Relations and Advertising Group.

Q1. What are Ninben's roots and turning points?

The history of Ninben dates back to 1699 (Genroku 12th year). The founder, Takatsu Ihei, was born in what is now Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture, and went to Edo, where he worked as an apprentice before arranging boards in a Yokkaichi storehouse in Nihonbashi and starting a business selling dried bonito flakes and dried fish.

There are three major turning points in the history of Ninben that continue to this day.

The first is that they were one of the first to adopt the "cash no markup" business method started by Echigoya (now Mitsukoshi). At the time, business was generally conducted on credit (payment on credit) and price negotiations were conducted for each customer, but by selling at fixed price and paying in cash, they were able to stabilize their cash flow and eliminate the risk of non-payment or bad debts.

The second was the issuance of "silver gift certificates," which improved cash flow and created trust. The introduction of gift certificates allowed the company to receive sales in advance, which in turn allowed the company to use the cash to purchase larger quantities. This was a clever system.

As the credibility of gift certificates grew, people gradually shifted to paper gift certificates, which also reduced the cost of producing gift certificates.

The third is participating in establishing the manufacturing method for Honkare Katsuobushi, the highest quality dried bonito flakes, which Ninben Nihonbashi Main Store is most keen on selling.

Until then, the mainstream of katsuobushi was "arabushi" (roughly dried bonito flakes) known as "Tosa Ichikan," which had been covered once with mold to prevent spoilage. In contrast, Honkare katsuobushi is made by scraping the surface of the arabushi, covering it with high-quality mold, and then drying it in the sun, a process that is repeated at least four times.

While the production period for arabushi is about one month, it takes six months to complete honkare katsuobushi, but this time and effort removes the fishy smell and reduces the moisture content to the minimum, resulting in a refined and clear taste with concentrated umami and aroma.

In addition to these three historical turning points, two other important inventions that are essential to our modern diet are "Tsuyu no Moto" (soup base), released in 1964, and "Fresh Pack" (fresh pack), released in 1969.

"Tsuyu no Moto" is a liquid seasoning that allows you to use the delicious flavor of bonito flakes in a variety of dishes. Products that combined dashi and soy sauce have been around for a while, but when reducing the sweetness, it was extremely difficult to overcome the hygiene issues.

After overcoming each technical issue, the product was successfully commercialized in 1964. This marked a dramatic improvement in quality control, allowing people to easily enjoy the taste of authentic dashi at home.

"Fresh Pack" is a small pack that allows you to easily enjoy the flavor of freshly shaved bonito flakes. Because bonito flakes oxidize and lose their flavor when exposed to oxygen, we have developed a new technology that fills the pack with nitrogen gas and packages it in an oxygen-proof multi-layer film.

This groundbreaking technology was patented at the time, but was quickly released for the sake of the development of the entire industry. This led to profits for katsuobushi traders nationwide and stability for those on bonito fishing boats, laying the foundation for the widespread use of katsuobushi on Japanese dining tables.

Q2. What are the features and appeal of the stores at COREDO Muromachi?

Before COREDO Muromachi opened, this area was a bustling area filled with office workers on weekdays and customers with business at the department store on weekends. However, the opening of COREDO Muromachi has dramatically changed the flow of people through the area.

Our previous flagship store was a place that only a few people knew about, but since we moved to our current location in COREDO Muromachi 1, we have been seeing a flood of customers from Japan and abroad who we had no contact with before.

The greatest appeal of Ninben Nihonbashi Main Store is that it is a place where you can experience dashi with all five senses. In the center of the store is a "shaving area" where you can watch dedicated staff skillfully shaving bonito flakes, and the rich aroma of bonito flakes fills the store. Customers who wish can also try shaving it themselves.

The main attraction of the restaurant is the standing bar, "Nihonbashi Dashiba Main Branch." Based on the concept of "one soup and one rice," the restaurant offers a menu using bonito flakes.

Their signature product is "Katsuobushi Dashi" made with freshly shaved dried bonito flakes. It is a beautifully clear dashi that has been described as champagne gold. Once you experience its elegant aroma and clear flavor, your concept of dashi will surely change.

As our flagship store, we hope to not only symbolize the Ninben brand, but also serve as a base for disseminating information that will help people gain a deeper understanding of the appeal of katsuobushi and bring Japan's wonderful "dashi culture" closer to them.

Q3. What is the secret to being loved by customers for so long?

Ninben's management philosophy is "based on tradition and trust, we always take on the challenge of change, believe in infinite possibilities, increase employee happiness through work that satisfies customers, and aspire to the development and prosperity of the company."

Above all, we place particular importance on our attitude of "taking on the challenge of change." We believe that the many turning points that formed the foundation of today's Ninben are the result of our continued efforts to provide new value in line with customer LIFE and the demands of the times.

This spirit is evident not only in product development, but also in store operations. For example, Ninben Nihonbashi Main Store has held events that at first glance seem unrelated to bonito flakes, such as the "Tomato Festival" and "Pasta Festival." If we were to consider sales alone, it might be better to display standard products. However, we want to provide new discoveries and fun that enrich our customers' eating habits, such as "combining dashi and tomatoes is delicious" or "boiling pasta with the secret flavor of dashi is exquisite."

Even these seemingly outlandish attempts have a supportive culture within the company, with the motto, "Let's try it if it will make our customers happy." People outside the company often say, "I thought Ninben was more strict," but that's not the case at all (laughs).

While firmly holding on to the trunk of tradition, they are constantly growing new branches and leaves. This spirit of challenge, unusual for a long-established store, may be the secret to their continued popularity with customers across the ages.

Q4. Please tell us a little-known fact about yourself.

In fact, during the Edo period, there was a store located in the current location of Nihonbashi Dashiba Hanare in COREDO Muromachi 2.
There is also an anecdote that says that it survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and the numerous fires that struck Edo. If you visit while thinking about the passage of time over 300 years, you may find a different experience.

In fact, the "ninben mark" has hardly changed since the Edo period.
In 1705, the company name was decided to be "Iseya Ihei," meaning "Ihei from Ise," and the "I (ninben)" character was taken from the character "I" and combined with the "¬ (kane)" character from a carving ruler (kanejaku), which symbolizes business reliability, to form the noren mark (trademark) "I¬ (kane-ninben)." Eventually, the townspeople of Edo began to call the company "ninben," which is the name of our company today.

In fact, each president has changed their name in their family register through a system of succession.
The current president of Ninben is the thirteenth generation head of the family, and for generations he has used the name "Takazu Ihei." Not only did he take on the family name, like a Kabuki actor who inherits a name, but he also changed all of his names on his family register. Apparently, the procedures, such as changing the name on his credit cards, were quite difficult.

In fact, the number one selling item for foreigners is the bonito flakes shaving machine.
The No. 1 item sold to foreign customers in 2024 was the "bonito flakes shaving machine." It seems that many customers purchase it along with Honkare Katsuobushi and try shaving katsuobushi in their home countries. Incidentally, if the blade of the katsuobushi shaving machine extends too far, it will get caught on the katsuobushi and turn into powder instead of beautiful shavings, so the blade extension must be adjusted in 0.1 mm increments.

In fact, it takes about 30g of bonito flakes to make 1 liter of authentic dashi.
The method recommended by Ninben for making dashi stock uses 3% bonito flakes to water. If you try to grate it by hand at home, it's a laborious task that takes more than 10 minutes to grate just 10g. If you try to tackle it straight away, you'll likely get discouraged, so why not start off by casually pouring it over boiled greens or cold tofu?

Nihonbashi Kiya is a long-established company founded in the mid-Edo period that has established a solid reputation as a "knife manufacturer." We spoke with Hiroya Kato, Director and Head of Corporate Planning at Kiya Co., Ltd.

Q1. What are the roots and turning points of Nihonbashi Kiya?

The history of Kiya began in 1792 (Kansei 4) in the mid-Edo period. The founder, Kato Isuke, was allowed to open a branch of the original Kiya store, which at the time sold a variety of small items, and set up shop in Nihonbashi, marking the beginning of Kiya Cutlery.

When a new business was established, it was customary to sell products that the original store did not carry, so it is said that Isuke chose to specialize in cutlery. The fact that Isuke was from Ise Kuwana, a famous cutlery production area, may have also influenced his choice.

Throughout its long history, Nihonbashi has been directly hit by the turbulent times, such as the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Pacific War, due to its position as a commercial center.

While many stores have been forced to close, we have been able to overcome many difficulties thanks to some fortunate coincidences at each stage.

An important product that could be considered a turning point for Kiya was the "Edelweiss Knife," released in 1956. At the time, the common belief about stainless steel knives was that they were "rust-resistant but not sharp." It was Kiya's previous president who overturned this common belief.

He purchased a revolutionary stainless steel from an Austrian steel company that combined sharpness with rust resistance, and after much trial and error, he completed the "Edelweiss Knife." Word of its outstanding performance spread by word of mouth, and it continues to be loved as a long-selling product that represents Kiya, even now, as it celebrates its 70th anniversary next year.

Kiya not only manufactures its own products, but also acts as a discerning wholesaler that can gauge the trends of the times and customer demand, selling tools made by excellent craftsmen and manufacturers from all over Japan under the "Kiya" name.

The tools brought in by unknown craftsmen have now become highly acclaimed overseas, and over its long history, Kiya has grown alongside many craftsmen. This is another essential aspect of the history of Kiya.

Q2. What are the features and appeal of the stores at COREDO Muromachi?

Nihonbashi Kiya has been doing business for many years at the current location of COREDO Muromachi 3. We moved to our current location in 2010 when COREDO Muromachi 1 opened, but initially, many customers only had strong memories of "Kiya being on that corner," and many were unaware that we had moved. Now, this store has become a fixture, and many people visit.

The previous store was packed with products and had a stately, old-fashioned appearance. The current store has inherited that historical charm, but is now a bright, easy-to-see space where customers can take their time choosing products.

One of the store's great features is the gallery space "izutuki" located at the entrance. This space was created with the desire to convey the appeal of Japan's wonderful handicrafts, not just cutlery, and displays and sells works by artisans and young artists from all over Japan.

The genres are extremely diverse, including Japanese paper, lacquerware, ceramics, glass, etc. The artists themselves are sometimes present, making it a valuable opportunity for direct communication between the creators and customers.

Another distinctive feature is the counter located in the center of the store, where customers can watch as we sharpen and perform simple maintenance on purchased knives to further enhance their sharpness.

Being able to see the craftsmen's handiwork up close seems to be a big attraction, especially for customers from overseas.

Q3. What is the secret to being loved by customers for so long?

We have been doing business in more or less the same location in Nihonbashi for over two hundred years, and we believe that this in itself is our greatest strength and the foundation of the trust we have earned from our customers.

"If I go to Kiya in Nihonbashi, they'll take care of it." Our mission is to continue providing that sense of security that makes people think this way.

Repairing tools that customers have used for many years is also an important part of our work, as it shows that we are worthy of their trust. Customers bring in not only knives, but also a variety of items for which we need scissors resharpened, the handle of a saucepan replaced, the teeth of a grater re-sharpened, and more.

We do our best to repair tools that are full of memories for our customers, such as "something passed down from grandmother" or "something that has been used since before the war," and breathe new life into them. Of course, there are cases where we cannot repair them, but simple, well-made tools can last a surprisingly long time if they are properly cared for. Through this kind of aftercare that goes beyond just selling, we build long-term relationships with our customers.

Another reason may be that we have expanded the range of products we handle to meet the changing times and customer needs. Starting as a cutlery specialty store, we responded to the request, "Doesn't Kiya sell cooking utensils?" by adding kitchen tools, and in response to the request, "Do you have beauty products?" we added nail clippers and tweezers, and have gradually expanded our product lineup.

I think it's important to listen to what customers have to say and respond flexibly, rather than resting on our laurels as a long-established store.

Q4. Please tell us a little-known fact about yourself.

In fact, the store was originally located near Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi main store.
Before the opening of COREDO Muromachi, the store was located in what would become COREDO Muromachi 3, and before that, in the space between the main and new buildings of Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store.

In fact, there are few cases where the eldest son inherited Nihonbashi Kiya family business.
The current president is the ninth generation, but if you look at old family trees, there are many cases where the business was inherited by the second, third, or fourth son, or even an adopted child. There were probably various reasons for this, but it is an interesting fact that it was not always inherited by the eldest son.

In fact, there are even knives that cost over 200,000 yen.
The highlight of the store is the approximately 300 knives lined up in rows. From affordable knives priced at a few thousand yen, some knives are priced at over 200,000 yen. Each and every knife is hand-forged by a craftsman, making them rare works of art that can only be found at Kiya. There are also many cases where overseas customers who understand their value specifically purchase these knives.

In fact, they are also working to support the artisan world, which is struggling with a lack of successors.
Many of the tools handled by Nihonbashi Kiya are in danger of becoming obsolete due to the aging of craftsmen and a lack of successors. Kiya's employees are therefore dispatched to production areas to learn techniques. We believe that supporting craftspeople is an important role we play, ensuring the flame of Japan's wonderful handicrafts remains alive.


[online sales]
Nihonbashi Kiya products are also available on Mitsui Shopping Park's online store, "&mall"! Customers from far away can enjoy convenient shopping.
Check out the products here!
*Prices are current as of October 24, 2025.