Japan’s Longest-Serving Iron Chef Kenichi Chen Dies at Age 67

Chen was known as the ‘Iron Man of Chinese Cuisine’ in Japan

Chen Kenichi in the kitchen of the Szechwan Restaurant Akasaka in Tokyo. He Wei/The Epoch Times

Japan’s famous Chinese cuisine chef Chen Kenichi died at a Tokyo hospital on March 11 due to interstitial pneumonia. He was 67.

Chen is best known for his role as the “Iron Chef Chinese” on the television series Iron Chef, a popular Japanese cooking show produced by Fuji TV. He was the longest-serving Iron Chef and the only original Iron Chef in Japan.

He was born in 1956 in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Chinese father of Japanese nationality.

His father, Chen Kenmin, is a prominent chef who introduced and popularized Sichuan (also spelled Szechwan) cuisine—a well-known type of Chinese cuisine—in Japan. He is regarded as the father of Sichuan cuisine in Japan.

Chen’s frequent appearances on Iron Chef and a great number of wins earned him the title of “Iron Man of Chinese Cuisine.” He was the only Iron Chef to have held his position throughout the life of the show.

He fought more battles than any of the other Iron Chefs with 92 battles. He won 67, lost 22, and tied three, with a recorded run of 14 consecutive victories, the longest of any Iron Chef.

He also chaired the Japan Association of Chinese Cuisine since 2011 and was chairman of the Szechwan Restaurant Group.

The group’s headquarter, the Szechwan Restaurant Akasaka, told The Epoch Times on March 18 that the group’s business operation remained normal despite Chen’s passing. And that his farewell party will likely be in mid-May; the exact date will be announced on the group’s official website.

The Szechwan Restaurant Hotel (Shisen Hanten) chain boasts 14 branches in six cities across Japan, including Fukuoka, Matsuyama, Nagoya, Takamatsu, Tokyo, and Yokohama.

Chen Kenichi’s father, Chen Kenmin, emigrated from Sichuan, China, to Yokohama, Japan, in 1952. He married a Japanese woman named Yoko. In 1958, Chen opened his first Szechwan Restaurant in Nishi-Shinbashi (formerly Tamura Town), Tokyo. He was believed to be the first to bring Sichuan cuisine to Japan. In 1970, another Szechuan Restaurant was opened in Akasaka, which later became the group’s head office. Following the Akasaka location, he opened many restaurant branches throughout Japan and became known as a legendary chef.

In 1990, Chen Kenichi succeeded his father as the president of the Szechwan Restaurant Akasaka, and in 1993, he started to appear on Fuji TV’s “Iron Chef” and NHK’s cooking shows. In 2015, he became the chairman of Szechwan Restaurant Group, and his eldest son, Chen Kentaro, later inherited his father’s business and became the third generation of chefs.

Chen Kenichi once revealed the two secrets taught by his father that made him successful: first, having excellent cooking skills, and second, “love” is the principle of cooking, to cook delicious dishes for guests as if they were his own family, incorporating family-like affection in cooking.

Although he grew up in Japan, Chen was passionate about traditional Chinese culture. He believed that Chinese traditions should be passed on and the traditional lifestyle and etiquette should be maintained.

Chen attended a Shen Yun Performing Arts show in Tokyo in February of 2009. He gave repeated high praise to the performance and said passionately that the show has “all the history of China in it!”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company, and since its inception in 2006 has become a global phenomenon. Using the universal language of music and dance, it seeks to “revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization” and show audiences the beauty of “China before communism.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts curtain call at the Palais des Congrès, Paris, on Feb. 14, 2023. Jian Ping/NTD

Japanese Sadness on Chen’s Passing

Japanese actor Shosuke Tanihara paid tribute to Chen on March 15 on Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi 8” morning show, describing him as a “powerful Iron Chef Chinese” with “a sense of humor, a passion for cooking and a love for others.” He added that “he has achieved a lot as a Chinese cuisine chef in Japan.”

Yoshiko Tamura, a resident of Kyoto, told the Epoch Times on March 17 that everyone loved Chen’s cooking shows, especially in the old days when there were no smartphones; everyone tuned in to the Iron Chef series shows featuring Chen.

“I learned how to make Mapo Tofu [from watching Chen’s show]. My family loved it and said it was delicious. We also like choosing Chinese dishes occasionally when we go out for dinner [because of Chen],” she said.

Sichuan Mapo Doufu is a favorite among those who appreciate the tingling spice of Sichuan peppercorns. Edward Dai/The Epoch Times

Zhang Qiang (pseudonym), who owns a Chinese restaurant in Osaka, told The Epoch Times on March 17 that he also enjoyed watching the Iron Chef TV programs. And that “many Japanese people developed a taste for Chinese food—especially Sichuan food—mainly because of Chen.”

“[Seeing Chen’s dishes], many Japanese even went to Sichuan, China, to try out the authentic Sichuan cuisine but found Japan’s to be better as they found those in China too spicy,” he said.

“I’m sorry to hear about Chen’s passing. I thought he was still young.”

Hirano Fumi, a Japanese voice actor, also posted on Twitter in memory of Chen. She said, “We went to college together, so he was always ‘Chen-kun’ to me, no matter how old I was.”