one of the few cities in japan left relatively intact throughout the war. it s famous for its crafts, for its beautiful ceramics in particular, but also its artistic sensibility. the way it always valued beautiful things, traditions. it s a city that helped masa, then at a crossroads, to discover a whole new world of grace, of aesthetics, of style, that affected him deeply. for most, however, kanazawa is simply a place with great seafood. masa: this is the kitchen of the, uh, kanazawa city. anthony: yeah? masa: this market is. anthony: ooh, look at that. lot of crab. masa: yeah. sea shrimp, sardine, let s go over there. anthony: okay. ooh, look at that. ooh, uni? masa: yeah. anthony: sea urchin one of my absolute favorite things has a limited season in japan, from september to april, and it s tastiest in winter. good. from here?
that passion makes me change. yeah, that s it. good. yeah, beautiful. done. anthony: when do you make the drawings for the ceramic that you want? masa: when you re drinking. anthony: when you re drinking? masa: yeah, right. so many times, huh? izakura: yeah, yeah. anthony: eating and drinking. and drawing. masa: yeah, always. he teaches me a lot of stuff. anthony: so, when you re in new york, and the ceramics come, do you ever go, what the masa: what happened. anthony: i don t remember. masa: i get pissed. anthony: your design, man. masa: exactly. anthony: 90 minutes southeast of kanazawa is a mountainous region known as yamanaka onsen, and it looks unlike any place i ve ever been in japan. masa s good friend and art advisor haruo konishi has a family hideaway here.
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. masa: exactly, yes. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: aji. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: mix. anthony: seared horse mackerel over green onion and ginger drizzled with house-made soy. masa: yeah, i love this kind of stuff. very simple, right? anthony: oh, that s fantastic. masa: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: love it. masa: [ speaking japanese ] see here s one that marinated in soy sauce. very old style. anthony: man, that looks good. masa: yeah. anthony: maguro, bluefin tuna
is umami a flavor or a sensation? masa: umami is essence. strong essence. anthony: so it s a mysterious force. masa: yeah, much bigger than the universe. anthony: bigger than flavor? masa: of course. this vegetable is called fukinoto. under the ground, covered in snow. cold. then, little by little, it opens up like that. this is first sign of spring. we appreciate that. anthony: how do you cook this? masa: grill, fried, or braise it. i m gonna grill it, little bit of oil, then a little bit of salt. this is so happy, the phases. so happy. they re going to be cooked this way. their blood is bitterness, very bitter. you need bitterness to grow. anthony: this is italian. agro dolce, at the end of an italian meal. masa: exactly. anthony: sweet, fat, sweet, fat, at the end of the meal, something bitter to remind you of the sadness.
place is where masa was born and raised and could well have stayed. but then, everything would have been different. masa s dad, yoshio, recently passed. but his mom, ishi is still going strong, the center of the family. masa: [ speaking japanese ] ishi: yeah. catherine: nice to meet you! ishi: [ speaking japanese ] masa: thank you! tony, tony. anthony: pleased to meet you. catherine is masa s daughter. california raised, but a frequent visitor to the family home. she and her grandmother are preparing some familiar comfort foods to celebrate masa s homecoming. masa: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: motsuni is a slow simmered stew of pork tripe, konnyaku, daikon, green onions, and miso. catherine: [ speaking japanese ] masa: very different food,