The Hall of Judges

If you've watched Iron Chef for any amount of time, you'll see that the two judges on the ends are picked from a small group of staple judges. The Hall of Judges is dedicated to the men and women who have the arduous task of rating excellent looking food items and eating lots of foie gras and truffles. The women typically occupy the fourth seat (right side) whereas the men occupy the first seat (left side), which is closest to Kaga, who sits at the head of the table. The fourth seat, in the early episodes was occupied, almost exclusively, by Kishi Asako.  In the later shows, Kishi appeared less and others filled her spot.  In general, the guest judges are picked more for their celebrity status (and ability to attract viewers, no doubt) than their food know how.

First up, the more interesting characters/judges on the show:

• Kishi Asako, food critic and semi-regular judge

• Kano Tenmei, photographer and semi-regular judge

• Kurimoto Shinichiro, politician and semi-regular judge

• Korn, artist and guest commentator/judge

• Chai Lam (or Choi Nam in Cantonese), Golden Harvest VP, Foodie and occasional judge

And the Rest...*

Ishii Yoshiko, Chanson singer (image property of FujiTV)	Ishii Yoshiko takes the honored Kishi seat whenever Kishi takes a break from the rigors of eating all that super food and being a judge. Iishi is not as qualified as Kishi in the food department, but seems to relish her food just as much. In general, Iishi is gentler on the chefs than Kishi can be.  Iishi is classified as a chanson singer, which, as far as I can tell, is sort of like a lounge singer, but not really.
Hosoki Kazuko, from a magazine ad	Hosoki Kazuko is the third string Kishi replacement.  Since 1998 or so, it seems that Ishii Yoshiko isn't available to stand in for Kishi. So, Hosoki often will be seated in that magical fourth seat. She is less brutal than Kishi and doesn't seem to have the same culinary schooling that Kishi has. Hosoki has been described as a spiritual advisor, fortune teller and astrologer.  The picture of her on the right is from an ad offering her astrological skills and services.  She does have the gumption to stand up against Kano Tenmei, who is known for his blunt comments.  that scores points in m book.
Azuma Chizuru, talent agency photo	Azuma Chizuru, an actress, is a frequent guest to the show. She typically wears kimonos and is one of the more knowledgeable guests who's often on the show. She hasn't been on much in the last half of 1997 and early 1998.
Saito Keiko, actress	Ah yes, Saito Keiko, the actress and model. She's been on the show as long as I've been watching it (1996). She's a fairly regular guest judge/commentator. She was the voice of Meg Ryan in the movie Innerspace when it was dubbed it for the Japanese market.  Some of the Japanese dramas she has been in include: * The Tango Mysteries * Searching for Someone (Kitto Dareka ni Au Tameni), in episode 7: Hitorizutsu no Yoru" * A Masked Woman
Fujitani Miwako, actress/singer	Fujitani has been on at least two shows as a guest and is an actress.  I found her listed in the credits of two movies: * Until the End of the World (released in Germany originally as "Bis ans Ende der Welt") as the maid * Sore Kara She appears to be better known for singing the Sailor Moon song "Watashi-tachi ni Naritakute" (MP3).  The song title translates to "I Want to Be with You."
Nagashima Kazushige sportscaster	Junior, as he's more fondly known, started out as a baseball player for the Yomiyuri Giants.  Many claimed that he got the job because his father was manager of the Giants at the time (around 1996).  They were probably right as he did not do overly well and was later fired from the team.  Since then, he's been involved in sports commentary and even did a short bit of reporting during the Olympics.  His most memorable (at least for me) appearance on the show was in Battle Cod Soft Roe.  Junior proudly proclaimed how he had eaten a bento (box lunch) before the show so that he would eat because he enjoyed the food, not because he was hungry.  A good plan until the battle ended in a tie and Junior ended up with a bento and four meals in his stomach, all within the space of a few hours.
Kageyama Tamio, novelist (image property of FujiTV)	Sadly, Kageyama Tamio perished in a house fire in Japan on January 26, 1998. He was a thin man who always wore bow ties and truly enjoyed his food. His descriptions of the dishes were poetic and colorful. Of course, that's fitting for a writer.  The last battle he judged at was Battle Black Tiger Prawn.
Ishihara Yoshizumi, actor (image property of FujiTV)	Ishihara Yoshizumi, actor, reminds me of Eddie Munster. Must be that pronounced widow's peak of his. He's a fairly recent addition to the usual assortment of guest judges, but he's been on the show quite a bit since he's started commenting/judging.
Okada Masumi, actor (image property of FujiTV)	Okada Masumi, actor, is very honest in his opinions. If he doesn't like it, he'll say so. I've seen him on another Japanese game show, Shitsumon (translation: Question). A scenario is presented and a question about the scenario asked. Four people (including the guy from the Kagome "Sosu-desu" commercial) present their theories. Four couples then vote on who has the correct answer and point are awarded. Okada has appeared on the show as half of one of the four couples who guess the correct answer.  He also was in the movie, The Hunted (1995) and spoke perfect English.
Kato Kazuhiko, musician (image property of FuijTV)	Kato Kazuhiko, musician, is a complete and total character. The outfit he wore for the Battle Lobster (left) is tame in comparison to what he's worn before (a plaid blue and yellow suit with a plaid tie (a different plaid than the suit) and some brightly colored shirt). For Battle Lobster, he had on a hat which I think he claimed was part of his pajama set.  It looked like some sort of weird fez.  He's actually quite knowledgeable about wine and is a wine sommelier. He first appeared on Battle Wine and had lots of information to share. I enjoy it when he's on the show because he actually knows quite a bit about food and also because he's so wacky.

* For all you Gilligan's Island fans out there.

Last updated 9/3/01