anthony: the geisha profession, or geiko as it s known in kanazawa, gained widespread popularity in the late 18th century. wearing elaborate kimono costumes and makeup, geikos are paid to entertain by singing, dancing, drinking basically making older men, generally, feel good and welcome for an hour, maybe two. yaeko is the owner of the fujinoya teahouse, one of only 15 or so left in kanazawa. these teahouses, which at one time numbered in the hundreds, provide a stage for the geiko, of which there are only about 50 left working in the city. yaeko is a retired geiko and an old friend of masa whom he credits with teaching him many
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. masa: this is the umami, too. that kind of sensibility, i didn t know that. he taught me this kind of delicacy. he s my maestro. teacher, so. tony, try this. strong, very, right? anthony: but you re right, umami. it s deep. masa: this is umami. anthony: among izukura-san s many skills, apparently, is a shocking proficiency at making
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 prepared in classic zuke style. that s so beautiful. masa: yeah. anthony: what happened if you did a bad job? masa: he didn t slap, but you know, the thing is a lot of punishment. anthony: yeah, you don t go home feeling good. masa: yelling. yelling. anthony: yelling. masa: yelling.
things about culture, life and, presumably, about women. [ applause ] masa: nice, beautiful, huh? anthony: beautiful. this is a hard thing to do. masa: oh yeah, yeah. anthony: a lot of masa: they need to learn a lot of stuff. thanks. anthony: play music, tell stories masa: dance. yaeko: [ speaking japanese ] masa: [ speaking japanese ] yaeko: that s ok. anthony: a lot of work. masa: a lot of work. cheers. anthony: so what brought you here first? masa: when i was young, i didn t know this kind of world color-wise, artist, beautiful i ve never seen that kind of stuff. big kind, kind of shock. i was a country boy, here is very sophisticated. people are sophisticated. i learned from her culture, what the secret is, spiritual-wise. they teach me, you know? that s why the kanzawa city, this is my second country.
we did it 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. a beautiful 120-year-old traditional kominka style home built around an irori a sunken hearth in the middle of the living room. it s wild getting up here, the snow, the rocks in the road. masa: yeah, right? anthony: man, it s masa: yeah. anthony: ooh, pretty. not only does the irori heat the entire house, it becomes the gathering place on nights like these. masa: arigato, cheers. anthony: konba