[Current Japanese Drama 2015] The Emperor's Cook/Tenno no Ryoriban 天皇の料理番

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Tenno no Ryoriban Shooting Report

May 6th, 2015 (Wednesday)

~translation~

Is It Not Easy To Steal?

Tokuzo-san stole Usami-san’s notebook.

But it was more difficult to get it than he had imagined …

In the drama, he seems to have got it without difficulty, but
in the actual shooting, the notebook would not fall as smoothly as intended, and he struggled.

Staffs from all departments devised this and that,
thinking how they could make the notebook fall naturally … and easily …

Striking the bottom of the drawer again and again, covered with wood chips,
after a great struggle, he obtained Usami-san’s truly really important notebook.

credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

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May 6, 2015

In line with the showing of the drama “Emperor’s Cook” starring Takeru Sato, which started last April 26, the Echizen City Central Library opened a panel exhibit last April 28, featuring the photos of Tokuzo Akiyama (the character being played by Takeru Sato in the drama) and books related to him. Tokuzo Akiyama came from Echizen City in Fukui Prefecture and on this occasion, they would like for people to know more about him by showing his historical background regarding his apprenticeship on cooking Western cuisine. 17 types of books related to Tokuzo Akiyama are being exhibited, including the book which he has written himself, which served as the bible for people in Japan who wanted to cook Western cuisine, as well as the book “Tenno no Ryoriban” (Emperor’s Cook), the book written by Naoki Prize writer Sugimori Hisahide about Akiyama from where the drama was based on.

Saito Shuichi, curator of the city culture department explained, “There is a portion in the drama that is different from historical facts. This is a good opportunity to get to know more things about Tokuzo”

credit:
http://www.fukuishimbun.co.jp/localnews/event_calture/69964.html
http://welcome-echizenshi.com/pages/2015akiyamatokuzou.php

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Producer Iida's Most Dreary Days | Facebook

~translation~

May 6th, 2015 (Wednesday) fine at 17:30

Studio shooting.
From morning, they’ve been struggling to take the scene in the kitchen.
Takeru-kun, Kobayashi-san, Tasuku-san, Tsubokura-san, etc.
(Anyhow, Kiritani-san is not here)
The director is Hirakawa-san.
Yama-Don is  … what is he doing?
Well, it’s OK.

In the studio, they are taking again and again
the process of colorful food being cooked.
Basically, Hirakawa-san often uses camera blocking.
Frequent camera blocking doesn’t mean tediousness.
It means he is exquisite and careful.
But behind the frequent camera blocking …
Waki-sensei, the cooking supervisor, and Sato Tsukihiko-sensei and Kuribayashi-san, the cooking instructors are very busy.
And Takeru-kun is very quick in peeling ○○○○.
It seems to me that it is going nicely.

Apparently …
The serving dishes they have prepared are quite excellent, it seems.
A little while ago, in the front room of the studio, the casts, Ishimaru-kun, and Nakamae-san were excited
about how gorgeous the vessels and dishes were.
I was present there, but I was not asked for my opinion.
Yes, it’s OK.

Whew, good god!

Today, after the filming at the studio finished, there is a meeting for art.
All the producing staffs and art staffs will discuss delicate details.

Tomorrow, we’ll have no shooting.
But we’ll have recording of the narration and fitting session.
They say they’ll discuss the scenario ~?

This weekend, the third episode will be aired.

It’s already the third episode …
Times passes fast once the broadcasting started

Brace ourselves.
Brace ourselves.
Brace ourselves.

Well, then,

Everybody!

One, two!

Brace yourselves!!!

This weekend,
Sunday (Mother’s Day) at nine pm.
TBS 60th anniversary special project
‘Tenno no Ryoriban’ the third episode.

Please watch it!!!

PS: Yesterday,
when Ohgata met an old friend at the cafeteria in Midoriyama Studio after a long absence,
she was asked, ‘Have you lost weight?’ she said.

source: https://www.facebook.com/ryoribantbs/posts/822252504534865
credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

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Get to know more about Tokuzo Akiyama in this recent news article about him. (Tokuzo Akiyama is the character being portrayed by Takeru Sato in his latest drama, “Emperor’s Cook”)

Imperial banquet menus to get public showing
16 March 2015

A Tokyo archive plans to open to the public this fall a former imperial head chef’s collection of about 1,200 menus from banquets at the Imperial Palace from 1874 to 1964, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.

The collection has been donated to the Ajinomoto Foundation for Dietary Culture Library, an archive operated by food maker Ajinomoto Co., by a granddaughter of Tokuzo Akiyama, who was the imperial head chef for decades through 1972, they said.

Akiyama (1888-1974) was employed by the then Ministry of the Imperial Household as a cook in 1913 after studying in France and later became the chief chef, serving Emperor Taisho (1879-1926) and his son Emperor Showa (1901-1989).

In Paris, Akiyama worked under Auguste Escoffier, a renowned French chef.

The foundation already allows people to look at the cards for research purposes, and will make them available to the general public this fall, the sources said.

The cards show what kinds of lunches and dinners the country’s emperors had with foreign guests or key figures, such as Hirobumi Ito (1841-1909) who became Japan’s first prime minister in 1885.

Tokuko Akiyama, the daughter of Akiyama’s late son Tadasu, offered the cards to the foundation, hoping the collection will help promote the research of cooking, the sources said.

Ayako Ehara, a professor emeritus at Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University and an expert in the history of cooking documents, said the menus are a valuable source of information to see how Western cuisine was accepted in Japan.

credit: http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2015/03/341566.html

Undated photo shows the late former imperial head chef Tokuzo Akiyama. (Kyodo)

 

Photo taken Feb. 26, 2015, shows chronologically organized albums containing some of the 1,200 menus from banquets at the Imperial Palace from 1874 to 1964 collected by the late former imperial head chef Tokuzo Akiyama. The public will be granted access to the menus in the fall of 2015, sources familiar with the matter said on March 16, 2015. (Kyodo)

 

Undated file photo shows a banquet to welcome Britain’s Princess Alexandra (far L, second row) given by the late Japanese Emperor Hirohito (next to the princess) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 1961. (Kyodo)

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“Emperor’s Cook” fan art by Ray
Tokuzo (played by Takeru Sato) wore his big brother’s best suit.

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"Emperor’s Cook” fan art by Ray
Tokuzo (played by Takeru Sato) was jumping for joy on his way to apply for a job at the “Peers Club” where Western cuisine is served.

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The cover of the nonfiction novel by Hisahide Sugimori, “Tenno no Ryoriban” (Emperor’s Cook) from where Takeru Sato’s latest drama is based on.

The book which was published in 1979 about the life of imperial chef, Tokuzo Akiyama (1888 - 1974) has also been dramatized in the past.

Because the work also includes fiction, the name of the hero in the book has become  “Akiyama Atsushizo”.

credit: http://cocoa08.com/geinou/4414/

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“Emperor’s Cook” fan art by Ray
Distracted Tokuzo’s head is being turned towards the person interviewing him. ^^

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“Emperor’s Cook” fan art by Ray
Tatsuyoshi grabs Tokuzo by his back collar….just like picking up a kitten by the scruff of its neck. ^^

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“Emperor’s Cook” ratings update May 8, 2015

The viewership rating of “Tenno No Ryoriban” (Emperor’s Cook) went down significantly by 3.7% from 15.1% for Episode 1 (2 hour special aired last April 26) to 11.4% for Episode 2 (aired last May 3)

credit: http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/10090679/

[pechumori]

Tenno no Ryoriban Shooting Report

May 8th, 2015 (Friday)

~translation~

Inseparable Relationship

The apprentice trio, Tokuzo, Shintaro, and Tatsukichi, encountered at the Kazoku-Kaikan.

The three, Sato Takeru-san, Kiritani Kenta-san, and Enomoto Tasuku-san are
good friends not only in the drama but also even off-camera.
Takeru-san loves Kenta-san so much as to say, ‘I want Kenta-san to be with me forever!’ (even when they have no shooting) … (lol)
Anyway, the shooting site is aaaalways full of laughter.

While they were waiting for the shooting in the forbidden lodging to start,
‘Which line do you think we’ll start the next cut with ~?’
they quizzed each other …

When the scene where Shintaro-san ate a staff meal greedily was shot several times,
after the third time, he said,
‘Come on, how much do I have to eat~ (I’m full)? Well … it’s OK because this is so yummy with delicious sauce ~,’
Rubbing his full stomach … smacking his lips over a staff meal … the shooting went on in happy harmony ^^

Sometimes these three will communicate in a friendly atmosphere, sometimes … feel conflicted only because they are in the same boat.

Don’t miss Tokuzo-san’s development, climbing the ladder to a cook rapidly!

credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

[pechumori]

“Emperor’s Cook” fan art by Ray
The three apprentices, Tokuzo, Shintaro and Tatsukichi walking in the streets at night, after Tokuzo paid for the futon pawned by Shintaro earlier.

 

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“Emperor’s Cook” fan art by Ray
Tokuzo feeling guilty and not knowing what to do with the stolen notebook.

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Screen caps from Takeru Sato’s show “Taketere” vol. 36 aired last May 9 at 9 pm. (set 1)
Takeru san with his new hairdo. (^v^)
He talked about his Tenno No Ryoriban twitter experience plus his role in the drama and the press conference.
credit: weibo satoh takeru

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Tenno no Ryoriban Interview:
 Kiritani Kenta as Matsui Shintaro

translation:

Impression after Reading the Script

I found it interesting. All environment is definitely different between modern drama and the drama in Meiji~Taisho Era. I thought it is interesting to express those who lived common lives. People in those days lived closely to each other and it was quit e hard to move unless they had strong feelings and thought, you know. It took long to get anywhere, and when they felt lonely, they must have felt lonelier than we feel now, I think. We have cell phones now, but they had no means of communication.
In that sense, I hope to play people in those days as well as I can.
My role, Matsui Shintaro, is a little different from the roles I’ve ever played, and a really free character, regardless of anything else, just like a cloud floating in the sky, so I felt interesting in playing this role.

How about Atmosphere at the Shooting Site?

Very good!

The scenes with (Sato) Takeru are the most in number, but I’ve known Takeru for a long time and we’re old and tried friends. So I hope to show the relationship between Shintaro and Tokuzo naturally.
Even if we’ve been good friends for a long time, it is long time since we acted together last time. Tokuzo, Takeru is playing, is also a little different from the roles he has played, so it must be a challenge for him, I suppose.
But when I see him actually acting, he is really Tokuzo … and makes me want to support him. It shows a link between Shintaro’s feelings and mine there, I guess.
I’m co-starring with (Enomoto) Tasuku. Tatsukichi, he’s playing, is doing his best in everything hard and seriously, but as far as talent is concerned, he is inferior to Tokuzo, and it makes him get jealous of Tokuzo … even though he didn’t want to deep inside, I suppose. It is not impossible for me to understand how he felt when he got carried away with a small event.
Tatsukichi is a different kind of person from Tokuzo, but he will find his own way to find his course, I think.

How about Cooking Practice?

I did just a little. But Shintaro has been a dishwasher … probably he will continue to be a dishwasher forever. (lol)
Only once, I used a kitchen knife when Tokuzo and Araki had a quarrel. But even in that scene, it is more suitable for Shintaro to be inexperienced, so I thought again that it would be better to show that he has not used a kitchen knife so often, and I stopped practicing using it. (lol)

Actually, he doesn’t want to be a cook?

Shintaro draws pictures, so I quit practicing cooking, but I’ve been practicing drawing.
In the shooting, I’m adding lines to the drawing by the instructor, but the way of adding lines must be natural. In fact, I like drawing, so I practiced at home, too.
After a lot of practice, I learned to know, ‘I can’t draw a line like this ~’. When I expressed my eyes while drawing and how to look at his drawing in my own way, the instructor said to me, ‘It was natural’, so I think I’ve got some results.

The Point to Take Care in Playing Shintaro

To relax. Anyway, he is a totally relaxed guy. (lol)
And he has some flexibility regardless of anything else. That’s why he is a strong person, I guess.
But he is non-offensive, or I should say, he makes others laugh despite themselves, instead of making others think, ‘How annoying!’ … I hope to express such an atmosphere.
On the other hand, I don’t have a sense to avoid all the offensiveness. If I exist as fluffy Shintaro, just unconsciously, relaxed, I’ll able to become Shintaro, I think.

What Expresses Shintaro

I wonder it is because he was born in a red-light district, and brought up surrounded by the prostitutes there, he has gentle manners.
I talked with Producer Ishimaru, ‘(Shintaro’s) costume is important’. He said colored clothes might suit Shintaro, so I’m wearing kinagashi (informal kimono).
He has such an artistic temperament that he can wear that kind of clothes stylishly. I’m not sure if he will be successful in the future, but his costume shows his elusive character, I think.

High-Lights to Be Shown

Please look forward to seeing how Tokuzo will come to work as an apprentice in the kitchen of Kazoku-Kaikan, and how he will rise in the world … but at the same time, great difficulties will be waiting for him. So the high-light is how he will get them over, supported by those around him.
My role as Shintaro is … basically always elusive … (lol), I’ll leave Shintaro’s future unsaid. What kind of human will Shintaro become? How will he be related to Tokuzo? … Please wait and see in ‘Tenno no Ryoriban’!

credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

[pechumori]

Co-Producer Iida's Most Dreary Days | Facebook

May 9th, 2015 (Saturday) 17:45 Fine

Studio shooting.
Directed by Hirakawa-san
They usually take scenes by momentum,
but today, they’ve been taking scenes which require concentration on acting carefully.

Tokuzo and Toshiko is there …

So I’ve kept myself away from the studio on purpose.

Whew ~ Good God!

Today, they’ll continue to shoot with concentration until late at night.
Concentration.
Concentration.
Concentration.

Tomorrow, they’ll go on location shooting far from here from early in the morning.
And at 9 pm, the third episode will be aired!
At that time, Takeru-kun and the staff are at the location!

Now, last spurt!!!
Everybody!
One, two!
Keep going!

PS: Yam-don, who always say, ‘Don’, as he calls cut,
brought us all kinds of ‘Umai-bo’ as compliments.

*note by steph*
Umai-bo is a snack: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umaibō

source: http://www.tbs.co.jp/tenno_no_ryoriban/co-diary/
credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

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Sato Takeru Staff Report

2015-05-09, 23:24

‘Tenno no Ryoriban’ Shooting Report

Hello, everybody. Have you enjoyed the TBS Drama ‘Tenno no Ryoriban’ aired now!?
This time we’ll show you the shooting scene in ‘Tenno no Ryoriban’ again☆

At a location site, Takeru is playing with a cat. *click!!

The Seine and Takeru☆

They celebrated Takeru’s birthday at the shooting site!!

Takeru at the Press Conference: Did you see the video!?

The shooting is at last reaching a final phase and Takeru is playing Akiyama Tokuzo-san with all his heart and soul everyday!!
Please continue to support him!!

That’s all for today’s staff report!!

credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

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@ryoriban_tbs: Three hours to the third episode! In this episode there are more cooking scenes than ever. Sato Takeru-san’s face #佐藤健 being taught how to cook by the instructor is more serious than usual … http://t.co/TurPOziHQl

credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

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Tenno no Ryoriban Shooting Report

May 10th, 2015 (Sunday)

Desire to Stay

The third episode has finished!
It seems that the conclusion Tokuzo chose was to face both his dream of becoming a cook and Toshiko but …
The clouds seem to begin to gather over him in the future.

Tokuzo had left his newly-married wife, Toshiko-san, behind in Fukui,
but they met each other.
She intended to have told him about divorce, but unexpected thing happened.
Toshiko’s pregnancy was revealed …

It took as many as six and a half hours to do a series of shooting in this inn!
As many casts told us in their interviews,
that they were taking each and every cut carefully, taking long time,
this scene exactly showed their elaborateness.

Toshiko was at last able to hand yukata, which she had been sewing since the first episode, to Tokuzo, and they sat face to face.

Their attitude was somewhat awkward.
To see their awkwardness, the staffs said,
‘Tokuzo’s awkwardness was … unexpectedly cute’, and Takeru-san laughed out of embarrassment.

In addition, in Toshiko-san’s shooting, ‘holding back her tears’ was emphasized.
‘Fight back tears, rather than shed them,’
she talked with the Director before the actual shooting.
Her tears, which were shed after fighting back, thinking of Tokuzo,

made us feel all the more painful.

credit: stephany-310.tumblr.com

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OFFICIAL STILLS OF EP. 3 OF "TENNO NO RYORIBAN"
from the official gallery
credit: takeruzone via takerubabe321 tumblr