Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist

Fukuoka is one of Japan’s great ramen regions, with tonkotsu a signature dish sought out by many visitors. The original introduction describes a rich, smooth broth simmered from pork marrow and skin, served with slender noodles, vegetables, and chashu. Tonkotsu styles vary throughout Kyushu, and it highlights Kurume’s Taiho Ramen (大砲ラーメン) for its long history and tradition.

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 2

The original account dates Taiho’s opening in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, to 1953 and calls it an originator of tonkotsu ramen, also describing it as Kurume ramen. It additionally claims an in-house soy-sauce workshop and use of a cypress steamer for noodles and ingredients. Those production descriptions are retained as unverified source claims, not independently confirmed facts.

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 3

The menu distinguished regular ramen from mukashi (昔) ramen, intended to recall the richer street-stall flavor. A half-and-half set allowed a comparison. The source describes the regular ramen’s yobimodoshi (呼び戻し) broth tradition as continuing since the founding, refreshed with ingredients each day for a deep, rich flavor. We ordered at a ticket machine with Korean explanations.

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 4

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 5

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 6

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 7

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 8

The half-and-half set was my recommendation from this visit. The source describes it as available only in Tenjin at the time, with half servings each of regular and mukashi ramen to compare past and present tonkotsu styles. The regular bowl had seaweed, egg, chashu, and scallions, with a soy-sauce note in the broth. It describes the mukashi bowl as the richer stall-era flavor, with extra soy sauce, lean but tender hind-leg pork chashu, and fine straight noodles that worked well with the broth. The set cost JPY 1,050 on our visit.

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 9

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 10

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 11

Additional choices included the seasoned eggs I often want with ramen, a mentaiko rice set with pickles, a cold-beer set, and extra noodles.

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 12

Seasonings available included red pickled ginger (紅生姜), grated garlic (おろしニンニク), red chili and garlic (赤唐辛子ニンニク), chili oil, gyoza sauce, and sesame. Small additions could change the texture, aroma, and sweet-sour balance to taste; too much could overwhelm the broth.

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 13

Taiho Ramen Tenjin: Comparing Two Bowls from a Kurume Ramen Specialist — original photograph 14

In Fukuoka’s competitive tonkotsu landscape of Hakata, Nagahama, and Kurume styles, the source characterizes Kurume ramen as especially rich and strongly aromatic. The source lists Taiho’s Kurume flagship and branches in Fukuoka and elsewhere in Kyushu. It describes branches in Fukuoka City, Ukiha, Ogori, Oita, Beppu, and Yoshinogari in Saga, and claims consistent flavor and quality with the flagship. These are the article’s historical branch and quality descriptions, not a current location check.

Taiho Ramen Tenjin · 1 Chome-23-8 Imaizumi, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0021, Japan

★★★★☆ · Ramen restaurant