Rokusaburo Michiba facts for kids

Rokusaburo Michiba (道場 六三郎, Michiba Rokusaburō, born January 3, 1931) is a famous Japanese chef. He is best known for being the first Japanese Iron Chef on the popular TV cooking show Iron Chef. He was a star on the show from its first episode in 1993 until he retired in 1996.

A Star on Iron Chef

The first course of a special meal at one of Michiba's restaurants, Ginza Rokusan-tei.

Even though Michiba was an expert in Japanese cuisine, he was famous for mixing in ideas from other countries. This made his cooking exciting and unique. In his very first cooking battle on the show, the secret ingredient was foie gras (a special goose liver pâté). He competed against a French chef and won!

Michiba was also known for his special "Inochi no Dashi," which means "Broth of Vigor." This was a flavorful soup base made from katsuobushi (dried fish flakes) and konbu (a type of edible seaweed). He used this special broth in almost every one of his cooking battles.

Writing Menus as a Hobby

Besides cooking, Michiba loved calligraphy, which is the art of beautiful handwriting. He often used the first few minutes of a battle to write out his menu. This helped him plan his dishes and tell his assistants what ingredients to prepare. Sometimes, he would get so focused on cooking that he would forget to write the menu, which caused him to lose a few battles.

Retiring from the Show

In the middle of 1995, Michiba had to take a break from the show because of an illness. After he recovered, he felt tired from the stress of being on TV and running his three restaurants. The show also added a fourth judge, which made the cooking battles even longer.

Because of this, Michiba decided to retire. The show's host, Takeshi Kaga, announced that Michiba promised to find the next Japanese Iron Chef. For two months, the show only had a French and a Chinese Iron Chef. Then, Koumei Nakamura was chosen to take Michiba's place.

Michiba also supported the chef who came after Nakamura, Masaharu Morimoto. The show often called their relationship a "master and student" one. In one episode, Michiba even flew to New York to visit Morimoto's restaurant. Before a big battle, Michiba gave Morimoto a gift of fish flakes with a note that said, "Respect the old, but seek out the new."

Later Appearances

Michiba returned to the world of Iron Chef for a special revival of the show in 2012. He was interviewed, sat on the tasting panel as a judge, and even competed against the new Iron Chef, Jun Kurogi. In 2017, he also took part in a special Iron Chefs dinner event at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Life Outside of Television

Michiba has owned several successful restaurants in Japan. One of his most famous is Kaishoku Michiba in the Ginza area of Tokyo. He has continued to be involved with his restaurants well into his 90s.

Michiba in Manga

A manga series (Japanese comic book) called Kandō Ō Retsuden told the story of Michiba's life in its second volume. The story was written by Yasuo Negishi and drawn by Yoshihiro Takahashi.