Kisaku Suzuki - The person who revolutionized the sushi industry in anger

In anger, this man created the revolution of modern sushi industry with robots.

Kisaku Suzuki , the world's first sushi robot maker, used to run a company that makes candy packing machines. And he was extremely angry. What made you angry?

He was angry at the policy . There is a question: Why does the Japanese government implement a policy to restrict rice production, while it is an effective way for farmers to keep their fields profitable? For Suzuki, rice is the sacred heart of the country's economy. He began to think about how to make this staple food more popular, so that Japan has no reason to limit the season.

Sushi making line.

Then he thought why not use the knowledge of candy packing machines in his workshop to develop a robot? This unique, unique idea comes from a simple premise. If you can cut down on sushi processing costs by mechanizing parts of the process and reducing the needs of highly-paid chefs, then you can bring this excellent food from your homeland. for the public and help increase demand for rice.

Four decades later, Suzumo Machinery 'robots were used by about 70,000 customers worldwide, from sushi making lines to factories, and accounting for about 70% of the market for appliances. at the restaurant (according to Suzumo's estimate). In Japan, Sushi Kaiten, also known as Sushi conveyor belt , thanks in part to Suzuki's invention, has become a private industry with a value of $ 6 billion.

Ikuya Oneda said: "Cheap sushi will not appear without our machines."

Ikuya Oneda - Suzuki's successor, Suzumo's president in 2004, said: 'It can be said with certainty that inexpensive sushi would not be possible without our machines. .

When Suzuki started making his robots, he encountered objections. In 1976, sushi was still mostly for special occasions. It is sold primarily in small restaurants, craft chefs will distribute cakes without a fixed price list and people can pay as they wish.

After 2 years sushi chefs also said that this machine could be used.

Not surprisingly, these chefs vehemently protested when they learned of Suzumo's plan. In their view, it takes 10 years to train a sushi maker. No machine can do this job. Oneda, 73, became president of the company, said: 'It's not a commodity, it's terrible, I don't know what it is.'

After three years, Suzumo had run out of capital and had not yet reached his goal. Oneda said: 'We think the company is dead this time. And we also thought about giving up. "

A restaurant chef Kura Corp is using sushi-making robots.

Finally, two years later sushi chefs also said the machine could be used. In 1981, the company completed its first robot, squeezing the handful of sushi rice called Nigiri. Today, the company has provided 28 different sushi making machines.

Robin Rowland, president and chief executive of Yo! - A British Sushi supermarket chain with nearly 100 restaurants across the globe said: 'What they can do is help Kaiten restaurants democratize, make delicious Japanese food at affordable prices and easy access. . 'We serve 7 million guests every year. In the UK, there are about 500 to 600 dishes in our line. Really a lot of food. And you need to automate a lot of them. "

But even years later, the debate about the machines is still fierce. For pure people, if you use robots, it's not the same.

Yoshikazu Ono, son and heir of the chef Jiro Ono in the documentary 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi' said: 'Sushi is not just a ball of rice. The process is the most important thing. To make a piece of sushi rice you have to practice non-stop - like how you have to choose, prepare and cook rice, how much water is used, etc. You cannot get these from robot '.

At the Kura Group's headquarters, south of Osaka, Kunihiko Tanaka - the president and founder of Japan's second-largest sushi chain, and also a long-time customer of Suzumo, was furious when he heard the arguments. there.

'The era when making your hand-made Sushi is over.' He also mentioned the sushi sushi chef in general: 'They still do it, and say it's the real sushi. Things to change should be changed. "

A piece of sushi made by robots.

According to a survey published by Maruha Nichiro Seafood Corporation in March, about three-quarters of Japanese people say that sushi they eat comes from a conveyor belt. And almost half of them choose a restaurant based on price.

Michael Booth, a gastronomist whose latest book is ' The meaning of Rice ' was released in October, saying: ' I want people to have the opportunity to taste the dish. Jiro's amazing sushi, because it's a very different experience '. 'But again, cheap sushi, which is mass-produced, can also be a good thing. People may be curious and want to interact with the great sushi they like. "

In a sense, Suzumo blew a new breath into the Japanese tradition, which is the manual sushi business and also increased the proportion of the rice industry.

Eiji Minemura, an official with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, said: 'As tastes become Europeanized, the demand for rice has decreased. We have a policy to reduce production to adjust the excess supply.

The actions of Oneda and colleagues show that they never agree with this view. After developing the first sushi machine, they pioneered the use of rice instead of bread making a hamburger with the Japanese symbol. And they even built a California sushi roll robot, because they aimed at America's need for food as a healthy and timely choice.

In a narrow definition, the fact that Suzumo was unsuccessful. Japan has been controlling rice production since its first policy in 1971. And the demand for rice has decreased. However, the company's share price has more than tripled since a low in February last year.

After all, Oneda - when he continues to inherit Suzuki's legacy - still thinks of rice.

'Have you had a proper breakfast?' He asked a Japanese reporter. 'What do you eat? I bet it's bread, isn't it? '