[Ueno's Tonkatsu]

Ueno is easily accessible from Ginza and Yurakucho. With its many shopping and cultural facilities, it's always bustling, both now and in the past—a slightly retro, welcoming area. There's something I've often wondered about in Ueno. It's not a huge issue, but I decided to look into it this time. Why are there so many tonkatsu restaurants in Ueno? And why are they all renowned establishments? Food connoisseurs might think, “You didn't know that?!” But I didn't. I had a vague sense, but it turns out Ueno is indeed the birthplace of tonkatsu.

Western cuisine arrived in Japan between the introduction of firearms in 1543 and the start of national isolation. New ingredients and spices came via the Nanban trade with Portuguese and Spanish merchants. However, due to the scale of imports, differences in eating habits, and the Buddhist prohibition against meat consumption, it didn't have enough influence to fundamentally change Japanese food culture. After over 200 years of isolation, the arrival of Perry's Black Ships triggered the declaration of opening the country, and Western cuisine gradually began to spread, albeit slowly. Even after opening in the late Edo period, it remained a luxury beyond the reach of commoners. Only those of higher social standing could enjoy it in the early Meiji era. Procuring expensive Western ingredients and tableware was extremely difficult. By the late Meiji period, new flavors adapted to Japanese ingredients and cooking methods, suited to local tastes, were proposed within commoners' lives. This marked the birth of Japanese-style Western cuisine, known as “yoshoku.”

The three most coveted Western dishes that emerged were “tonkatsu” (pork cutlet), “rice curry,” and “croquette.” The popular ‘tonkatsu’ originated from “pork cutlet,” derived from the French “côte de veau” and the English “cutlet.” It was created by the long-established Ginza restaurant “Renga-tei.” Originally, as a French restaurant, they served “veal cutlet.” However, responding to requests for “something lighter” and “something to eat with rice instead of bread,” they switched from beef to pork. They also replaced the breadcrumbs with grated cheese and the egg wash, frying it in abundant oil like tempura. This led to the creation of the style where rice was served on a bread plate, eaten with rice placed on the back of a fork, and accompanied by shredded raw cabbage.

Then, while working as a cook at “Ponchiken” in Ueno Okachimachi, Mr. Shinjiro Shimada, who had been in charge of Western cuisine at the Imperial Household Agency's Grand Kitchen, overheard a customer remark, “Beefsteak can be thick, even an inch thick, so why can't cutlets be thick too?” Inspired, he devised a tonkatsu cooking method that cooked thick meat (2.5–3 cm) all the way through to the center and began serving it. This marked the birth of thick-cut “tonkatsu.” Later, due to wartime rationing during World War II, the tonkatsu flame was temporarily extinguished, but its delicious taste was never forgotten! A tonkatsu boom returned, and now over 40-50 shops in the Ueno area serve it, including “Horaiya,” beloved by film director Yasujiro Ozu, and “Isen Honten,” the birthplace of the katsu sandwich and the setting for the “Morishige Comedy Tonkatsu Generation.”

With the start of the year, exam season, and the Winter Olympics approaching—times when we need to get pumped up—let's make this a year where “eating tonkatsu leads to victory.”

Ginza Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/ginza.html
Tonkatsu Tonpei
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pRC7SniQSFNU9CSb9

References
https://artplaza.geidai.ac.jp/sights/15649/
http://www2a.biglobe.ne.jp/~hmikami/tonkatu/history.htm
https://www.plenus.co.jp/kome-academy/roots/western.html
https://www.alt-alc.com/post/日本における西洋料理の導入