Rokusei Owner-Chef, Hiroyuki Horiba: In Search of the Elegant Gastronomy of the Court

Kyo-Ryori Rokusei is a restaurant in the Okazaki area of Kyoto City. (Kyo-ryori: a general term for Kyoto cuisine) Founded in 1899, now the third generation owner Hiroyuki Horiba is keeping the tradition of the first generation’s taste. The restaurant is most famous for its Teoke Bento, filled with colorfully arranged seasonal delicacies of Kyoto cuisine (and served in the wooden teoke pails made by the Living National Treasure and second-generation oke artisan, Kiyotsugu Nakagawa!!). But it also has another specialty that is not as well known, the Heian Dynasty Cuisine. Mr. Horiba created this elegant fare by researching classical literature, and now the pursuit has become his lifework. Enjoy this interview with Mr. Horiba on the way he encountered the Heian gastronomy and how he developed his own version, along with elaborate photos of the course meal!

Hiroyuki Horiba ／Third generation owner-chef of Kyo-Ryori Rokusei

Hiroyuki Horiba was born in 1947. He trained at a Japanese restaurant in Tsukiji, Tokyo after he graduated from university. He started working in his family business when he was 24 and honed his skills under his predecessor. In 1994, the year of the 1200th Anniversary of Kyoto (when it became the capital of Japan: Heian-Kyo), he started serving the Heian Dynasty Cuisine. (Sosaku Heian Ocho Ryori)

“----- What inspired your creation of the Heian Dynasty Cuisine?”

One time, a customer asked me, “ What exactly is Kyo-Ryori (Kyoto cuisine)?” I searched for the answer, but I couldn’t find any definite explanation. There seemed to be many theories about the origin of Kyo-ryori. Some say it’s the result of a fusion of the Shojin-ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) that came in with Zen Buddhism, the Kaiseki-ryori of Chanoyu (tea ceremony cuisine), and the Honzen-ryori (Samurai-class cuisine). I guessed that the origin of Kyo-ryori might be in the Heian Dynasty Period (794-1185). I looked into historical sources and documents, but all I could find were some old pictures that didn’t help me get a clear image of what they were actually like. I felt like I should be able to have an answer to my customer’s simple question, so I resolved to find my own answer to the question.