(February 25, 1923 – April 22, 2017) was a Japanese-born executive of the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

branch of the food importer, Mutual Trading Company. He has been credited with the idea of opening the first authentic

sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

bar in the United States during the 1960s.

Life and work

Kanai was born February 25, 1923, in Ochiai Village, Toyotama County, Tokyo. He graduated from the Tokyo College of Commerce (today's

Hitotsubashi University is a national university located in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda. One of the top 9 Designated National University in Japan, Hitotsubashi is a relatively small institution specialized solely in social science ...

). In 1951, Kanai joined Tokyo Mutual Trading Co., an affiliate to Mutual Trading Co., Inc., a Los Angeles-based company started by Sadagoro Hoshizaki, a merchant in Little Tokyo in 1926. This was a company to bring in Japanese foodstuff as a co-op operation from Japan. In 1964, Kanai permanently relocated to Los Angeles with his family to manage Mutual Trading Co., Inc. Kanai is credited with promoting the idea of opening a sushi counter on the premises of the Kawafuku restaurant in

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles Little Tokyo ( ja, リトル・トーキョー) also known as Little Tokyo Historic District, is an ethnically Japanese American district in downtown Los Angeles and the heart of the largest Japanese-American population in North America. It is t ...

. This restaurant is said to be the first authentic "sushi bar" in the United States, with a trained sushi chef from Japan. Some sources agree that Kawafuku was the first American sushi bar, but merely acknowledge Mutual Trading as being the purveyor of sushi ingredients to the restaurant. Kanai was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (''kyokujitsu shōjushō'') in Autumn 2009, recognized for his contributions in establishing the overseas voting system ( 在外投票, ''zaigai tōhyō'') for Japanese living outside their country, and for promoting Japanese food culture in the United States. Noritoshi Kanai died at aged 94 on April 22, 2017.

Notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanai, Noritoshi Hitotsubashi University alumni Japanese businesspeople 1923 births 2017 deaths Businesspeople from Tokyo Japanese emigrants to the United States