While Japanese cuisine tends to tradition-bound. This challenger refuses to be bound by old rules. He respects the basics, but is always looking for new ways to expand. He entered cooking at the age of 18. He joined a group with a 178-year tradition in Edo-style cooking. Because of the theme involved, the Noodle Rule is invoked for this battle. The Iron Chef must retire from the kitchen after 50 minutes as the challenger completes his dishes and presents to the judges first. As that occurs, the Iron Chef returns to complete his final ten minutes of preparation just before presenting to the judges.
