Chen Kenichi obit

‘Iron Chef’ Kenichi Chen Dies at Age 67

 

He was not on the list.

Chef Kenichi Chen, famous for his appearances on the popular TV series “Ryouri no Tetsujin” (Iron Chef), died in a Tokyo hospital on Saturday due to interstitial pneumonia. He was 67.

Chen was known as “Chyuka no Tetsujin,” or the iron man of Chinese cuisine.

Born in Tokyo in 1956, Chen’s real name was Kenichi Azuma. His father was a chef from China who introduced Sichuan cuisine throughout Japan.

Chen was chairman of the Szechwan Restaurant group and also chaired The Japan Association of Chinese Cuisine from 2011.

Chen was the son of Chen Kenmin (陈建民), who is regarded as the father of Sichuan cuisine (四川料理) in Japan. Chen's special dish, "prawns in chili Sauce" (Ebi Chili) (干烧明虾), is an adaptation of a dish that his father had introduced to Japan. As a result, Chen is often compared to his father on the series, with some saying that Iron Chef helped the son exceed the skills of his father.

Nicknamed The Szechuan Sage, he wore a yellow outfit and rises into Kitchen Stadium holding a large Chinese chef's knife in his hand. He was the only Iron Chef to have held his position throughout the life of the show. He was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Chinese father of Japanese nationality, Chen Kenmin and his legal name was Ken'ichi Azuma.

Chen originally accepted his position on Iron Chef out of the need for a challenge, although the format of the show intrigued him. Even though he is the longest-serving Iron Chef and the only original Iron Chef, having been an Iron Chef for the series' six-year run, Chen had on several occasions considered leaving his position; among his reasons was the desire to tend to his restaurants, which had become booked every night since the show's start, as well as a bout of depression following the death of his mother. Ultimately, it was fellow Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai who convinced Chen to stay, with their agreement that should one leave the show, so would the other.

Because of his long tenure, Chen has fought more battles than any of the other Iron Chefs, at 92 battles. He won 67, lost 22, and tied 3. He also has a run of 14 consecutive victories, the longest of any Iron Chef. His most memorable dish was chili prawns.

Despite his excellent record on the show, Chen often appeared endearingly surprised and relieved at victory. Arguably, his win over Japanese-Italian-French "fusion"-style chef Juinichi Itoh in the yogurt battle exemplifies this. He was also remarkable for his frequent tasting of food, frequently dipping his ladle into steaming concoctions for sampling, only to place the same ladle back in the food. The commentators to the show referred to this practice in humor as Chen's "eating".