In Edo-period genre paintings, we see "28 udon noodles" and "Shinshu specialties 26," suggesting the origin of "28 soba" might be linked to the word "pun." Itomen named their noodles "Nihachi Udon" and "Nihachi Soba" after popular fast foods among commoners, as seen in rakugo stories like "Toki Udon" and "Toki Soba." Despite this, Itomen's "Nihachi Soba" is named for its original origin (substance theory) rather than its composition, and been cherished for nearly 50 years since its introduction in 1976.