slicing the fish, eventually, eventually, creating pieces of nigiri for guests at the bar. of the dozen young men who work here, not all will make it to become a sushi shokunin. masa: oh, it s been a long time. anthony: to achieve that status of truly becoming a master chef. how many years? seven years to learn, right? masa: yeah. anthony: that s a lot of time. masa: a lot of time. anthony: a lot of work. a lot of pain. what was it like apprenticing here? hard? masa: his father was very tough. anthony: yeah? masa: very tough. at that time, his grandfather was here too. very tough. anthony: young masa was first hired here as an apprentice by shokunin toshiaku sugiyama. this is his son, mamoru sugyiyama, who runs sushiko today. the fourth generation to uphold the standards and family tradition. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: some things should stay the same.
soba noodles. tonight, the soba is paired up with slices of tender duck and green onion grilled over the irori. masa: nice, al dente. anthony: mhm. masa: this soba s the best soba. anthony: perfect. then topped by a warm dashi sauce made of soy, mirin, and a touch of sugar. masa: i m so glad we can share with this moment with my old friend, you know? anthony: mm. masa: [ speaking japanese ] you know what that word is? anthony: no, tell me. masa: once in life, this moment, we appreciate, respect each other, enjoy this moment. anthony: [ speaking japanese ] masa: never again. anthony: never again. masa: yeah, exactly. ho ho ho!
and not just sushi. sushi made at one of the oldest, most iconic, respected, best establishments in the world. the place where it all began, not just for masa takayama, but generations of young, predominantly male sushi apprentices, or deshis, who went on to open their own places all over the world. this is ginza sushi ko in tokyo. the original. 130 years old, and for all that time this, in one form or the other, is how the day started. scaling and gutting the fish. prepping the kitchen. masa: cleaning bathroom, making sake for customers. anthony: right. masa: dishwasher. everything. anthony: for how long? masa: first two years. anthony: only in the third year, the rice. masa: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: and if you get that right, eventually, maybe, just maybe, the master will begin to teach you the next phase, how to stand next to him as a wakita,
so high-level cooking seems to run in the family. anthony: you grew up sitting in the sushi bar. catherine: i did, yeah, sitting on a milk crate with a cheeseburger in front, and i d watch my dad prepping, and i d call out, dad! and he d be like, i m not your dad here! i was like [ gasps ]. anthony: oh, that s funny. what did you do for fun back there? catherine: i was eating. [ laughter ] anthony: well, your father was in the fish business. wholesale masa: fish business, yeah. no, no. retail. he d make sashimi, right? anthony: mm-hmm. ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: masa, his brother, and three sisters all worked for the family business every day after school and on weekends. masa: nine, ten years old, we carried the sashimi dish and the special kind of container.
there, he s slicing, wasabi, make it, put it right here, eat. anthony: right. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: japanese tiger prawn, octopus, and fluke sashimi. masa: japanese cooking, we care very much about the ki, which is fighting spirits. like this, right? anthony: mm-hmm. striped jack brushed with soy and sake. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: this moment, do not miss this. then, grab it, right? you eat. see? anthony: mm. masa: that s why you gotta eat quickly. if 30 second, one minute anthony: it s dying. masa: ki is leaving somewhere. masa: also, the fish, sushis arrive moving. swimming. very fast. done. amazing. this momentum is ended right there. it s very important.