There is an underground cafeteria exclusively for association members at Ryogoku Kokugikan. It's like a company cafeteria for general people.
The curry served there is a popular menu item that has been familiar to everyone involved in the Japan Sumo Association, from stable masters and new recruits to association members, and everyone has eaten it at least once.
"Kokugikan Curry" faithfully reproduces the curry from the underground cafeteria, which has been passed down by chefs and made with an unchanged recipe since long ago.
This time, we interviewed Takasaki-oyakata (former Kinkaiyama) about the development story of Kokugikan Curry.
What is the secret behind the famous underground cafeteria curry, loved then and now?
The underground cafeteria's curry, not chanko, is the sumo wrestlers' taste of home
"When you enter the sumo training school, new recruits attend classes for six months. During that time, everyone eats lunch in the underground cafeteria. There are classes on weekdays, and delicious curry is always served."
The stable master said he really looked forward to lunchtime while diligently studying and practicing every day.
The sumo training school is a facility where the Japan Sumo Association trains and educates new sumo wrestlers. Since it is located on the grounds of Ryogoku Kokugikan, everyone eats lunch at the underground cafeteria there.
After retiring as an active sumo wrestler and becoming a stable master, Takasaki-oyakata began using the underground cafeteria at Kokugikan again for work-related matters.
During the 15-day basho, he would sometimes aim to go on curry days, which were offered every other week.
"When I ate the curry again after a long time, it brought back so many memories. I realized again how delicious it was. The underground cafeteria's curry is our taste of home. Because new recruits eat it for six months without fail."
About 10 years after he started eating the underground cafeteria's curry again, the same curry he ate as a new recruit,
"I hope that someday I can make this flavor available for everyone to enjoy."
He began to think.
The commercialization of Kokugikan Curry was decided based on the stable master's idea.
One day, when he started thinking he wanted this flavor to be available outside of Kokugikan, the stable master saw "APA Hotel President Curry," a retort curry from a famous hotel.
He was impressed by this good idea, and at the same time, his desire to commercialize that curry grew stronger.
"There's also delicious curry in the basement of Kokugikan!"
At the time, the Sumo Association was not producing any merchandise.
Sumo-related goods were made by Kokugikan Service Co., Ltd., and everything sold at the Kokugikan shops was supplied by Kokugikan Service Co., Ltd.
Coincidentally, there had also been discussions within the Sumo Association about developing their own merchandise, so the commercialization of the curry was decided based on the stable master's idea.
"Everyone says, 'Let's do it!' or 'That's a great idea!' in words. But actually taking action and selling it is quite difficult, so I'm really glad it came to fruition."
Although we enthusiastically tackled it, everyone was an amateur.
It took a full year from the decision to "let's develop our own product!" and "let's make Kokugikan Curry!" until it was released.
"At that time, we were all amateurs. We bought various retort curries and compared them to decide what kind of curry to make. But then we realized, 'Wait a minute? We're just reproducing the curry that already exists, so we don't need to eat other curries, do we?' That's how amateur we all were."
It was the first time for the stable master and all the association members to plan a product.
Product development progressed through trial and error, and the number of manufacturers was narrowed down to a few. Some manufacturers suggested that they should come up with a concept, but the stable master consistently maintained his stance, saying, "We just need to reproduce the curry from the underground cafeteria that we've been eating since long ago. That's all."
Ultimately, they settled on a manufacturer who prioritized speed and reproducibility.
Kokugikan Curry, a precious and memorable flavor for the stable master.
For sumo fans, it must be a great joy to be able to eat the curry that the stable master and active sumo wrestlers have been familiar with since their youth.
Kokugikan Curry is made from the stable master's perspective.
For association members, it's the familiar company cafeteria curry from the underground cafeteria, and for the stable master, it's the taste of his youth, the curry he ate for six months as a new recruit.
"The cafeteria curry itself has history. The taste hasn't changed at all since way back. I remembered it immediately when I ate it. It's the curry I ate as a new recruit. It's delicious."
The only ingredients are pork and onions. That is also the chef's commitment, made with the eaters in mind, "so that everyone can eat it."
The origin was the desire to create something that could only be obtained here.
"Originally, we weren't trying to do business. Our main business is sumo, right? Even now, the base is for people to watch our main business, sumo."
Kokugikan Curry was created with the feeling of fan service, for customers who went out of their way to visit Kokugikan.
Although it is now a popular product found in supermarkets and other stores, at the time, it was something with added value that could only be obtained at Kokugikan.
The original idea was that it was a product for customers who came to Kokugikan to watch sumo.
This is clearly reflected in the price. The price was set based on the company cafeteria price.
"The price is always 400 yen. We were particular about that too. Not too expensive, not too cheap." (at the time of development)
Our main business is sumo, after all.
The stable master says that they want to continue thinking about products that will please customers and help them feel closer to sumo.
"If you're unsure, just click it (laughs). If you're that unsure! We made it with confidence, so please give it a try."
=== Product ===
Kokugikan Curry
=== Product ===