Kawafuku

The Kawafuku restaurant itself was founded in 1923 by Takichi and Hana Kato, on a triangular parcel bounded by Weller, Los Angeles, and 1st streets in Little Tokyo (its later First Street address). It long predates its famous sushi bar and was originally known as an upscale restaurant specializing in sukiyaki.

• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “According to most accounts, Kawafuku, which was situated on a triangular parcel bounded by Weller, Los Angeles and 1st streets, opened in 1923.”
• Kawafuku Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA | Discover Nikkei (Japanese American National Museum) — Discover Nikkei / Japanese American National Museum · link
  “Opened on Weller Street in 1923 by Takichi and Hana Kato; later moved to 204 East First Street. (per search-indexed summary of the album)”

Kawafuku's landmark sushi bar — the part that made it historically significant — opened in the mid-1960s; popular histories most often say 1966, while the LA Times reports the bar was installed on the second floor 'around 1965.'

• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “The sushi bar, which featured lacquered wood and a faux roof, was installed on Kawafuku's second floor around 1965.”
• Discover the History of Sushi | Stories | PBS Food — PBS Food · link
  “In 1966, a man named Noritoshi Kanai and his Jewish business partner, Harry Wolff, opened Kawafuku Restaurant in Little Tokyo.”

Kawafuku was founded in 1923 in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, by Takichi Kato (with his wife Hana), described as a former chef at Japan's Imperial Palace at the turn of the 20th century.

• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “Kawafuku ... opened in 1923 ... Takichi Kato had been a chef at Japan's Imperial Palace at the turn of the 20th century.”
• Kawafuku Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA | Discover Nikkei (Japanese American National Museum) — Discover Nikkei / Japanese American National Museum · link
  “The restaurant was opened on Weller Street in 1923 by Takichi and Hana Kato; Takichi Kato had been a chef at Japan's Imperial Palace.”

The original founders of the Kawafuku restaurant were Takichi and Hana Kato (1923). After World War II — with the restaurant reopening in 1946 — Tokijiro Nakajima (also spelled Nakashima) ran/took over the restaurant and was the on-premises proprietor when the sushi bar was added.

• The History of Sushi Omakase in Los Angeles — Resy · link
  “Owner Nakajima Tokijiro partnered with importer Noritoshi Kanai and sushi chef Shigeo Saito.”
• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “By the time Kawafuku opened again in 1946, Nakashima was at the helm.”

Harry Wolff Jr., a Jewish-American businessman born 1913 in Chicago who consulted for Mutual Trading, convinced Kanai that Americans would eat raw fish and that he should bring sushi to L.A.; he died in 1996 at age 83.

• How two friends sparked L.A.'s sushi obsession — and changed the way America eats — Los Angeles Times (via Yahoo) · link
  “Born in Chicago in 1913 ... 'an imposing Jewish man who'd cut his teeth as a bouncer at nightspots' ... became a consultant for Mutual Trading Co. ... convinced Kanai that Americans would embrace sushi ('Believe me, they'll eat it. If I eat it, they'll eat it') ... died in 1996 at age 83.”

The sushi bar was the idea of Noritoshi Kanai, general manager of Mutual Trading Co., who persuaded Kawafuku's owner Tokijiro Nakashima to install it; Kanai is also credited with coining the English term 'sushi bar.'

• Noritoshi Kanai — Wikipedia — Wikipedia · link
  “Kanai is credited with promoting the idea of opening a sushi counter on the premises of the Kawafuku restaurant.”
• The History Of Sushi In America (search-indexed summary) — MICHELIN Guide · link
  “'It was a real sushi bar' — a phrase Kanai claimed to have coined; Michelin pins the creation of the modern American sushi bar to Kanai at Kawafuku.”
• The Man Who Brought Sushi to America (interview with Noritoshi Kanai) — Tokyo Journal · link
  “At the time, there was no name for 'Sushi Bar' in English, so I made up the term.”
• Mutual Trading Pioneered Edomae Sushi in the United States (account confirmed via search of Mutual Trading's site) — Mutual Trading Co. (lamtc.com) · link
  “Owner Tokijiro Nakashima initially refused ('No, no, no — we will be run out of business'); after about six months of persuasion he relented and Kawafuku opened a 'sushi bar' — a term Kanai himself coined.”

The sushi bar was conceived/backed by Japanese food importer Noritoshi Kanai (of Mutual Trading Co.), who is widely credited with promoting the authentic sushi-bar concept in the US.

• Noritoshi Kanai — Wikipedia — Wikipedia · link
  “promoting the idea of opening a sushi counter on the premises of the Kawafuku restaurant in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles ... This restaurant is said to be the first authentic 'sushi bar' in the United States, with a trained sushi chef from Japan.”
• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “The article mentions Noritoshi Kanai, a food importer who advocated introducing sushi to Los Angeles and persuaded Nakashima to install the sushi bar.”

Kawafuku has no current owner or operating entity: it is a closed historical business. During the sushi-bar era it was owned by Tokijiro Nakashima (and family); its heritage is now stewarded only by an informational archive (kawafukuarchive.com) run by Mari Kono, niece of the Nakashimas.

• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “By the time Kawafuku opened again in 1946, Nakashima was at the helm ... When Nakashima died in 1969, his family continued running it.”
• Kawafuku Archive — kawafukuarchive.com (Mari Kono, niece of the Nakashimas) · link
  “The Kawafuku Archive is curated by Mari Kono ... the niece of Chihoko and Tokijiro Nakashima ... who acquired and operated Kawafuku in the postwar period.”

The opening sushi chef at Kawafuku was Shigeo Saito, recruited from Japan by Kanai/Mutual Trading; he is described as America's first sushi chef, with his wife serving as the sole waitress.

• The History Of Sushi In America (search-indexed summary) — MICHELIN Guide · link
  “He hired master sushi chef Shigeo Saito to work the knife and Saito's wife to serve.”
• The Man Who Brought Sushi to America (interview with Noritoshi Kanai) — Tokyo Journal · link
  “Mutual Trading helped bring in the ingredients, supplies and a sushi chef from Ginza — Chef Saito, America's first sushi chef.”
• Mutual Trading Pioneered Edomae Sushi in the United States (account confirmed via search of Mutual Trading's site) — Mutual Trading Co. (lamtc.com) · link
  “Kanai recruited sushi chef Shigeo Saito from Tsukiji to helm the counter.”

The sushi bar's chef was Shigeo Saito, brought from Japan; his wife served as the bar's waitress. He is often called the first traditional sushi chef in the US.

• How LA Became the Hub for Sushi (Kawafuku 1966, first sushi bar) — History.com · link
  “the top floor was a sushi bar, with a sushi master named Shigeo Saito brought from Japan ... Saito's wife was the only waitress at the bar.”
• The History of Sushi Omakase in Los Angeles — Resy · link
  “Owner Nakajima Tokijiro partnered with importer Noritoshi Kanai and sushi chef Shigeo Saito.”

Kawafuku's success directly spurred other Little Tokyo restaurants — Eigiku Cafe and Tokyo Kaikan — to open their own sushi bars, both supplied by Mutual Trading; Tokyo Kaikan is where the California roll is widely credited to have been invented (by chef Ichiro Mashita).

• How two friends sparked L.A.'s sushi obsession — and changed the way America eats — Los Angeles Times (via Yahoo) · link
  “After Kawafuku's success around 1965, 'Eigiku Cafe and Tokyo Kaikan' subsequently 'added their own' sushi bars.”
• The Little-Known Immigrant History of the California Roll — Slate / Food52 · link
  “The California roll was created at Tokyo Kaikan in Little Tokyo; chef Ichiro Mashita is widely credited with its invention.”

After about four years at Kawafuku, chef Shigeo Saito returned to Japan with his savings and opened his own sushi bar in Ginza, Tokyo, becoming an instant celebrity.

• The Man Who Brought Sushi to America (interview with Noritoshi Kanai) — Tokyo Journal · link
  “After four years, Chef Saito ... had made a small fortune so he took it back to Tokyo and opened a sushi bar in the middle of Ginza. Needless to say, he was an instant celebrity.”
• What is the true history of the California roll? (and related sushi-history coverage) — Multiple food-press (e.g., Slate / Food52 / History.com) via Yahoo aggregation · link
  “The original chef made over $30,000 in the first four years, considered a small fortune, and took it back to Japan.”

Kawafuku's sushi bar introduced Edomae-style nigiri sushi to a U.S. audience; before that, its broader reputation rested on dishes such as sukiyaki, then practically synonymous with Japanese food in America.

• The History Of Sushi In America (search-indexed summary) — MICHELIN Guide · link
  “The menu was primarily local seafood such as sea urchin, abalone, mackerel, and tuna, made fresh as ordered by customers sitting at a counter — 'a real sushi bar.'”
• Mutual Trading Pioneered Edomae Sushi in the United States (account confirmed via search of Mutual Trading's site) — Mutual Trading Co. (lamtc.com) · link
  “Much of that broader appeal centered on a dish that ... was practically synonymous with Japanese food in America: sukiyaki; Kawafuku then introduced Edomae sushi at the counter.”

In Little Tokyo, Kawafuku stood on a triangular parcel bounded by Weller, Los Angeles, and 1st streets in downtown Los Angeles; the site was later cleared for the New Otani Hotel.

• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “Kawafuku, which was situated on a triangular parcel bounded by Weller, Los Angeles and 1st streets, opened in 1923.”
• Kawafuku Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA | Discover Nikkei (Japanese American National Museum) — Discover Nikkei / Japanese American National Museum · link
  “The restaurant was opened on Weller Street in 1923.”

Kawafuku moved from Little Tokyo to Gardena, California, in 1976 after its original building was cleared for the New Otani Hotel project, and the restaurant closed around 1989.

• This Little Tokyo restaurant is long gone. But it changed L.A.'s food scene forever (LA Times, syndicated) — Los Angeles Times (via AOL) · link
  “In 1976, Kawafuku moved to Gardena ... to make way for the New Otani Hotel development. It eventually closed around 1989.”
• L.A.'s sushi history began at this Little Tokyo restaurant — Los Angeles Times (via Yonkers Observer) · link
  “In 1976, Kawafuku moved to Gardena after being forced to leave its Little Tokyo home to make way for the New Otani Hotel.”

Kawafuku was the venue where L.A. (and, by many accounts, America) first experienced an authentic sushi bar, catering initially to visiting Japanese business executives who then introduced their American counterparts — seeding L.A.'s broader sushi culture.

• The History Of Sushi In America (search-indexed summary) — MICHELIN Guide · link
  “Although Kawafuku initially catered to Japanese and American businessmen on expense accounts, it quickly became a sensation; Michelin pins the creation of the modern American sushi bar to Kanai at Kawafuku.”
• Mutual Trading Pioneered Edomae Sushi in the United States (account confirmed via search of Mutual Trading's site) — Mutual Trading Co. (lamtc.com) · link
  “Kawafuku's sushi bar catered to Japanese executives' tastes while giving them a memorable place to entertain their American counterparts.”