Rokusaburo Michiba facts for kids
| Born | 3 January 1931 Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan |
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| Cooking style | Japanese cuisine |
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Current restaurant(s)
Ginza Rokusan-tei, and Kaishoku-Michiba in Ginza
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Television show(s)
Iron Chef
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| Official website | |
| http://www.michiba.com/ | |
Rokusaburo Michiba (道場 六三郎, Michiba Rokusaburō, born 3 January 1931) is a famous Japanese cuisine chef. He is best known for being the very first Japanese Iron Chef. This was a popular cooking show called Iron Chef. He joined the show when it started in 1993. He stayed until his 65th birthday on January 3, 1996.
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Chef Michiba's Time on Iron Chef
Chef Michiba was a Japanese chef. But he was famous for mixing new ideas into his dishes. He often used ingredients not usually found in Japanese cooking. For example, in his first battle, he used foie gras. This is a French ingredient. He won that battle against a French chef.
Michiba also had a special ingredient mix called "Inochi no Dashi." This means "Broth of Vigor." It was made from katsuobushi (dried tuna flakes) and edible kelp (konbu). He used this special broth in almost every cooking battle.
Awards and Records
Chef Michiba was the oldest of the Iron Chefs. Even so, he holds an amazing record. He made the most dishes in one battle. He prepared eight different dishes!
Michiba's Hobbies
Michiba loved calligraphy, which is the art of beautiful writing. He often started his cooking battles by writing the menu. Sometimes, he would lose battles because he forgot to write the menu. Or he would write it at the very last minute.
In one episode, his assistant challenged another Iron Chef. Michiba explained that writing the menu helped him plan. It also helped his assistants know what ingredients to get ready. Other chefs on the show also wrote their menus during battles.
Retirement from Iron Chef
In 1995, Chef Michiba became ill and had to go to the hospital. After that, he started to feel tired. Being on the show was stressful. He also ran three busy restaurants at the same time.
The show's chairman, Takeshi Kaga, said Michiba wanted to choose his own replacement. For two months, only two Iron Chefs remained. Then, Koumei Nakamura was asked to take Michiba's place. Nakamura first said no, but later agreed.
Nakamura's first battle was on March 1, 1996. The chairman chose foie gras as the main ingredient. He wanted to remember Michiba's first victory, which also used foie gras.
Michiba was very supportive of Nakamura's successor, Masaharu Morimoto. Morimoto also liked to use non-Japanese ingredients. The show often called Michiba and Morimoto "master and student." Michiba even visited Morimoto's restaurant in New York City. Before a big battle, Michiba gave Morimoto a box of Katsuobushi flakes. It had a message written by hand: "respect the old but seek out the new."
Later Appearances
Chef Michiba appeared in the 2012 Iron Chef revival. It was called "Ryouri no Tetsujin Dream Match! World Iron Chef Live Battle Special." He was interviewed and served on the tasting panel. He even competed against a new Iron Chef, Jun Kurogi.
In 2017, Michiba took part in a special event. It was called the Iron Chefs All Star Dinner. This event happened in Australia at the Sydney Opera House.
Chef Michiba's Restaurants
Outside of Iron Chef, Michiba was a very successful restaurant owner. He ran several restaurants across Japan. One of his most famous restaurants is Kaishoku Machiba. It is located in the fancy Ginza area of Tokyo. Even in 2022, at 91 years old, Michiba was still running his restaurants!
Manga Story
A manga series called Kandō Ō Retsuden featured a story about Michiba. It was in volume 2 and was titled "Michiba Rokusaburō Monogatari." Yasuo Negishi wrote the story, and Yoshihiro Takahashi drew the pictures.
