Yoshikazu and the Cost of Jiro’s Legacy

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In David Gelb’s documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Gelb follows the renowned sushi chef, Jiro Ono, and his prestigious restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. Jiro Ono has been in the sushi business for over 75 years and still is as involved in it now as he was years ago, even at his age. His reason, Jiro says, that he is not retiring is because he loves what he does and does not feel like retiring. Jiro Ono in all his time being a sushi chef, he has always delivered beyond what was expected of him. At first, it was because of survival and then it was because he needed to make his craft better. In the opening of the film, Jiro talks of his “visions of sushi” that would wake him out of his dreams because of the ideas circling around in his head about how to improve. However, as much as some would hope that it were not the case, when the inevitable happens and Jiro Ono either retires or passes away, who would take over the business? In Japanese culture, it is expected that the oldest son takes over for the father and live up to the legacy created by the father. For Yoshikazu Ono, his father, Jiro, has created such a legacy that there is doubt that he can live up to the expectations. Nevertheless, Yoshikazu can live up to the legacy of his father, but the question becomes, at what cost to himself? Yoshikazu would have to spend the rest of his life, dedicating himself to a craft that is not something he loves. In addition Yoshikazu will always have the shadow of his fathers’ greatness above his head for the rest of his life in a silent but constant competition, and he would have to be consistent and perfect in his sushi because the of the high cost of failure.
First, Jiro Ono’s legacy began when he started out on his own at age nine and was for...

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...inion.
All things considered, the ultimate cost of Yoshikazu living under the his fathers’ legacy would be the loss of himself under all the pressure he would face from himself, the customers, and the shadow of his father that will always bear down on him. Regrettably for Yoshikazu, he was the first son, so he can not make the same changes that his younger brother did because he is held to a higher standard by both his father and the society because he is the successor to Jiro Ono’s legacy. Not only much he preserve the legacy by working hard and continuing his work, but he must also build a legacy for himself. The expectations will be high, as will the cost of failure and the pressures, but if Yoshikazu can be take a page from his fathers’ book and remain dedicated and consistent, the cost to Yoshikazu, may be great, but the rewards would be worth the sacrifices.

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