Our History

Breaking Away From Conventional Thinking, Expanding the Possibilities

At one time in the Los Angeles, the Japanese community it was thought taboo to own more than one store. There was a belief that such an endeavor could not succeed. Shin-Sen-Gumi owner and “Kyokucho” (Chief Boss) Mitsuyasu Shigeta broke that taboo when he opened his highly successful 2nd and 3rd stores at the same time, to the surprise of those around him. Additionally, when he decided to open the first Hakata ramen shop in Los Angeles, the employees of the Shin-Sen-Gumi group were unanimous in their opposition. The conventional thinking at the time was that Tonkotsu (pork bone) soup was something that only people from Kyushu ate, let alone the fact that many Americans did not eat pork for religious reasons. However, Mr. Shigeta followed his own beliefs and succeeded in turning this way of thinking on its head. Indeed, the greater the resistance the deeper the feeling of joy when one can overcome such thinking. If one can expand the possibilities of dreams and desires a new joy can be found and that, in the end, is what helps people grow.

The Birth Of Our Logo

The official logo for the Shin-Sen-Gumi Group was designed in 2007 by well-known calligrapher , Mr. Hiroyuki Yamazaki. Mr. Yamazaki is most recognized for the work he has done in designing the logos and titles for "Ore No Sora" by Hiroshi Motomiya, and the box office hits "The Last Samurai" and "Hero".

The key image portrayed in the logo's design comes from the shape of Tokunoshima, which is the island where Shin-Sen-Gumi Group owner, Mitsuyasu Shigeta, and Chief Boss, Kyokucho, were born. The island image is laid out in red on the upper right portion of the logo, above the Japanese character of Magokoro, which translates as 'sincerity'. The design is intended to express our passion as it pertains to Shin-Sen-Gumi.

For the first 15 years of its existence, the Shin-Sen-Gumi Group did not have a uniform logo. It was not until Mr. Kenji Ina, a friend of owner Mitsuyasu Shigeta, and a fellow native of the island of Tokunoshima, decided he was going to change that. Our group was then able to obtain the logo we use today. At the time, Mr. Ina had been working at an advertising agency in Tokyo, when he decided to contact Mr. Hiroyuki Yamazaki and have him design the Shin-Sen-Gumi Group logo. Once the logo was completed, Mr. Ina presented it to Mr. Shigeta.

The idea to include the island of Tokunoshima into the logo was Mr. Kenji Ine's. It was his way of paying respect to his friend, Mitsuyasu Shigeta, who is also considered to be a dedicated representative of Tokunoshima.

Our historical events in a chronological order

What the Future Holds

Opening a restaurant in the largest Chinese community in Los Angeles was a great challenge for the Shin-Sen-Gumi Group. Not only was there the pressure to succeed with a Japanese restaurant managed by Japanese in a Chinese community, this was the first time that a new management structure was tested. With this restaurant, the manager was given the post of president and, as president, was given the responsibilities of managing that franchise. Fortunately, this venture has proved very successful... Also, we would like to step outside our focus on restaurants with the production and distribution of such products as our independently branded “Yuzu Pepper”, which has recently spread around Los Angeles, further expanding the reaches of the Shin-Sen-Gumi Group.