was a Japanese chef who served as

Emperor Taishō was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second ruler of the Empire of Japan from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926. The Emperor's personal name was . According to Japanese custom, while reigni ...

's and later

Emperor Shōwa Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

's imperial chef. He is regarded as an influential figure in spreading

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...

in Japan. His life was adapted into a novel and several television series. He is regarded as the "Japanese

Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoi ...

Life and career

Born as Takamori Tokuzō in

Echizen, Fukui is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 83,078 in 20.341 households and the population density of 360 persons per km². The total area of the city was . The modern city of Echizen was establis ...

, he was a mischievous teenager. His parents married him off to the wealthy Akiyama family in

Sabae is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 69,338 in 24,167 households and the population density of 820 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Sabae is located in central Fuku ...

, where he was introduced to Western cuisine by the army chef, to whom he delivered goods. He moved to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

to develop his skills, where he worked at the Peerage Hall and Tsukiji Seiyoken. He then decided to study further in Europe, travelling first to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1909 and then to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, he worked at the Majestic Hotel and Café de Paris. In France, he had to face prejudice for being Japanese, largely due to the outcome of the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

, and had to engage in physical fights in the kitchen. He also worked at

Hôtel Ritz Paris The Ritz Paris is a hotel in central Paris, overlooking the Place Vendôme in the city's 1st arrondissement. A member of the Leading Hotels of the World marketing group, the Ritz Paris is ranked among the most luxurious hotels in the world. T ...

under renowned French chef

Auguste Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoi ...

. In 1913, he was offered the position of Master Chef of the Imperial Court of Japan, thus he returned to his homeland to serve the newly crowned

. He was only 25 years old when he became the emperor's master chef. His superior was Hayato Fukuba (福羽逸人, 1856–1921), Director of the Imperial Cuisine, a respected

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

expert. In 1920, he travelled to various countries in Europe and to America to study their cuisines, also accompanying the Crown Prince (Hirohito). He was the third owner of the Touyouken restaurant in Tokyo. Akiyama served both

and

, and retired in 1972 at the age of 83. He died two years later.

Books

* AKIYAMA Tokuzō
''Furansu ryōri zensho''
Akiyama hensanjo shuppanbu, 1923 * Nihon shichūshi kyōdōkai (Ed.),
Hyōjun Furansu ryōri zensho
', Nihon shichūshi kyōdōkai, 1941

In popular culture

His life was adapted into a novel titled by Hisahide Sugimori in 1979. Several television series and a TV film were made about Akiyama's life: * , 1980, TV series, TBS * , 1993, TV film, TBS * , 2015, TV series, TBS The latter won several accolades, including the Grand Prix and Best Actor awards (

Takeru Satoh is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his leading role as Ryotaro Nogami in the ''Kamen Rider Den-O'' franchise, and as Himura Kenshin in the live-action ''Rurouni Kenshin'' film and its sequels. Satoh was born on 21 March 1989 in Iwatsuki ...

) at the

International Drama Festival in Tokyo The International Drama Festival in Tokyo (国際ドラマフェスティバル in TOKYO), is an annual award show for excellence in television drama production based in Tokyo, Japan. It is organized by the International Drama Festival in Tokyo E ...

References

External links

* {{authority control 1888 births 1974 deaths Japanese chefs People from Echizen, Fukui