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KINNOMELamb Shabu KINNOME

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About KINNOME

A hundred-year story that began with a single pot — the origins of Lamb Shabu KINNOME

A thin slice of Ginjo Lamb lifted with chopsticks, wrapped in steam above the paitan pot; highland vegetables and shiitake sit behind
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STORY 01

Why the hot pot has always brought people together

A hot pot is a curious dish. It only means something once someone sits down with you; light the flame, let the steam rise, and conversation follows. Even feelings that never find words can soften a little in front of the same pot. What Lamb Shabu KINNOME wants to offer is more than the act of eating. The warmth between people, and the glow that lingers once the meal is over — for us, that too is part of the flavour.

  • Around one pot
    Two diners lifting thinly sliced lamb out of the twin-broth pot with chopsticks; in the foreground a mound of rolled lamb, with meat served on a gold plate and nine kinds of condiments lined up
  • The whole table
    A full view of the course: marbled meat fanned out on black slate, arranged with mushrooms, vegetables, condiments and beaten egg

STORY 02

Where lamb shabu began | A fireworks factory in Asahikawa, 1923

The story begins in 1923, at a fireworks factory in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. At the end of a day spent working alongside danger, what people needed was not a lavish banquet but a moment to reassure one another: “We made it through today as well.” What was served there was a hot pot — thinly sliced lamb swished briefly through simmering broth. That alone was enough for chilled bodies and tightened minds to unwind, little by little. Lamb shabu has been handed down ever since as a dish that quietly receives thanks for a hard day’s work.

  • One slice through the broth
    A slice of Ginjo Lamb held with chopsticks and swished over the paitan pot; highland vegetables and shiitake sit behind

STORY 03

The value we have always cherished: continuing

Fireworks light up the night sky for an instant. A hot pot, by contrast, is a dish that continues through everyday life. Something you could eat every day. Something that never burdens the body. Something you would happily gather around again tomorrow. We have always valued continuity over spectacle. Not to be swayed by trends, but to be chosen naturally, again and again, as an option for an ordinary meal. We believe it is that accumulation which becomes the trust people place in a brand.

  • Rolled lamb, fanned
    Thinly sliced lamb rolled up and stacked into a cone on a black slate slab, with a KINNOME branded plate in the foreground
  • Nine condiments
    Nine kinds of condiments set out on a black square tray: Sichuan pepper, chili, white sesame, garlic, jujube and goji berries portioned into small white bowls

STORY 04

Stripping away, to reveal what lamb really tastes like

Lamb is not a dish of addition. The more you add, the more off-flavours tend to linger. That is precisely why we chose to strip things away. Excess fat, unwanted gaminess, heaviness — we carefully remove what is not needed and keep only the umami. It is much like making fireworks: add anything superfluous and they will not rise beautifully. Only by keeping the essence does a clear, transparent flavour emerge.

  • Ginjo Lamb® in a lacquer box
    A tabletop against black: thinly sliced lamb filling a gold-rimmed lacquer box with a wooden tag on top, backed by salad, egg noodles, three dipping sauces and three condiments

STORY 05

The birth of Ginjo Lamb® | The one product that gives our philosophy a form

The form this philosophy took is “Ginjo Lamb®”, found only at KINNOME. Just as ginjo sake polishes the rice to strip away off-flavours, Ginjo Lamb® applies our own exacting standards at every stage: selection, handling, cutting and storage. We choose only lamb under one year old, sliced to less than one millimetre thick. The quantity we can serve is limited, but in return we can deliver the lamb’s own clear umami with nothing in the way. It is our answer to a simple aim: not “meat for a special occasion”, but quality you could enjoy every single day.

  • The medicinal broth
    A silver twin-broth pot seen straight from above: paitan broth on the left, mala broth with floating chilies on the right, with jujubes and goji berries settled at the bottom
  • Chilled sake in a masu
    Chilled sake poured to the brim into a glass set in a plain wood masu branded KINNOME Lamb Shabu; droplets glisten against a black background

SAUCE

Our house-crafted sauce, cherished since day one

The other lead role in the taste of Lamb Shabu KINNOME is our house-crafted sauce. We have kept refining it with one thing in mind — how it meets the meat — so that Ginjo Lamb® tastes even better. Sweep the lamb through the pot, let the sauce coat it, bring it to your mouth. For a first-time guest and for someone who has been coming for years alike, we want that mouthful to be the one they come back for.

  • The house-crafted sauce and its condiments
    Nine kinds of condiments set out on a black square tray: Sichuan pepper, chili, white sesame, garlic, jujube and goji berries portioned into small white bowls

STORY 06

Toward the next hundred years | So that we can keep gathering around the pot

Times have changed, and so has the shape of how we eat. Yet the way people show appreciation to one another has not. To gather around a pot, eat the same food and share the same hours — that act is where we began. With a century of philosophy in hand, Lamb Shabu KINNOME sets out toward the next hundred years. The story that began with a single pot is one we will keep telling, carefully and honestly. To spread the deliciousness of lamb shabu across the world — that is our mission. From Ginza to the world. We want to become the brand that comes to mind, anywhere on earth, the moment someone says “lamb shabu”: KINNOME.

SUPERVISOR

We asked Dr. Kazunaga Yazawa about lamb

Dr. Kazunaga Yazawa (PhD in Agriculture), Head of the Health Food Science Division at the Comprehensive Research Organization, Waseda University Institute for Nano & Life Innovation, is a guest who visits Lamb Shabu KINNOME every month. Here is what he told us about lamb as an ingredient, together with his profile.

What Dr. Yazawa told us about lamb

COMPANY

Company profile

Company
GOLDEN EYE SPARK Co., Ltd.
Representative
鶴 洋輔
Founded
June 2000
Head Office
東京都港区六本木4-12-11 竹岡ビル2F（2F Takeoka Bldg., 4-12-11 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo）
Philosophy
1. To offer the highest form of hospitality — our customers’ satisfaction
2. To pursue deliciousness together with health and beauty
3. To create a new food culture for Japan

Cut chart

Lamb cuts

For shabu-shabu, the shoulder is our cut of choice.

  • A lamb cuts diagram drawn on a grey wall at the Shibuya store; white lines divide the outline of a sheep into SHOULDER, RACK, SIRLOIN, LEG and other cuts
  • Several cuts of lamb lined up in a row on black slate, seen from above at an angle, with a KINNOME branded plate and a platter of rolled lamb in the foreground
  • Rolled lamb heaped into a mound on black slate, with a KINNOME branded plate set in the middle

Lamb changes character from one cut to the next. The cut Lamb Shabu KINNOME uses for shabu-shabu is, as a rule, the shoulder — the tender, deeply flavoured cut we have long served as Ginjo Lamb®. On the wall of our Shibuya store there is a cut chart showing where each cut sits on the animal.

Shoulder
The cut we use for shabu-shabu. The tender, deeply flavoured shoulder KINNOME has long served as Ginjo Lamb®.
Chuck roll
The classic cut for Jingisukan. Lean meat and fat in good balance, growing richer as it grills.
Rack
Sweet fat and a deep lean flavour; grilling brings out its aroma.
Fillet
One of the most tender and rarest cuts of lamb. Refined, with little gaminess.
Rump
The cut at the top of the leg. Tender lean meat with a refined flavour and a firm, meaty bite.
Heart
The heart of the lamb. A springy bite and a clean, clear flavour.
Leg
The cut from the hind leg. Mostly lean and tender, it suits thick-cut steaks and roasts.
Belly
The cut from the ribs. One way to eat it is seasoned with spices and grilled until crisp.
Shank
The cut from the shin. Its character is a firm, springy bite.
Offal
The organ cuts. Rare parts such as tongue and liver are enjoyed grilled on skewers or stewed.