Masters/Food & Drink/Jiro Ono

Jiro Ono

Founder of the three-Michelin-star Sukiyabashi Jiro in Ginza, subject of the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Food & DrinkshokuninSushiFood & DrinkJapan

Veronica's Take

At 100 years old, Jiro Ono still judges the rice for his sushi by touch, a reflection of the relentless perfectionism that once made his Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, the first sushi bar to earn three Michelin stars. His apprentices famously spend a decade mastering the basics before they're even allowed to cook the egg—a level of dedication that was captured in the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi." Though his restaurant was removed from the Michelin Guide in 2020, Ono's legacy as the embodiment of the shokunin spirit—unwavering dedication to craft—remains undeniable.

At 100 he still judges the rice by touch; his apprentices spent a decade before being trusted to so much as cook the egg.

Seed

shokunin-atlas-v1

Era

b. 1925

Living

true

Discipline

Sushi

Domain

Food & Drink

Country

Japan

Wiki Image Original

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Jiro_behind_the_counter_(19137550458).jpg

Wiki Url

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Ono_(chef)

Stars

Michelin Distinction

Removed from MICHELIN Guide (2020 Tokyo edition, Nov 2019) — no current distinction

Michelin Source Url

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukiyabashi_Jiro

Michelin Verified At

2026-07-18T02:00+10:00 (0204sup, secondary-source consensus)

Accolades

{"award":"Three MICHELIN Stars","year":"2007-2019","as_of":"2019 guide","detail":"Sukiyabashi Jiro, Tokyo; held three stars continuously from 2007, removed from the 2020 Tokyo guide because it no longer accepts reservations from the general public - not a quality demotion","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukiyabashi_Jiro","note":"Michelin statement: 'We recognize Sukiyabashi Jiro does not accept reservations from the general public, which makes it out of our scope.' Prior row claimed three stars 'present'"}