Skip to main content
NEWS EVENT SPECIAL SERIES

Curry Mason Masahiro Tsunokawa shares his life-changing thoughts on curry.

2023.8.16

#OTHER

A circle of friends connected by goo-touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On July 12, Masahiro Tsunokawa, owner of the Koenji restaurant “Wimjikal”, was introduced by Irvin of the curry-loving unit “Tandoori’s”. Mr. Tsunokawa is also the owner of “Curry Mason,” a brand that sells curry-related goods, and we asked him about his encounter with curry and his passion for it, which led him to open his own restaurant.

Fateful Ethiopia, which I met thanks to my senpai

Takano (MC): According to Mr. Irvin, he is “a worse curry fanatic than myself” (laughs).

Tsunokawa: Maybe I am a maniac, but I am a little different. I don’t go out to eat at many curry shops, but rather, I am obsessed with one curry shop, and I continue to follow it to this day.

Celeina (MC): Let’s unpack that as well. First of all, let me give you a brief profile. You originally worked at BEAMS and became independent at the age of 32.

When you turned 40, you suddenly fell in love with “Ethiopia,” a curry restaurant in Jimbocho, and went there almost every day. The word “curry mason” came to his mind like a revelation, and as if guided by it, he started producing apparel and curry shop goods. You opened “Wimjikal” in Koenji, taking over a store that was run by an acquaintance of yours in the Corona disaster.

Takano: What do you mean? (laughs) Let’s start with Ethiopia.

Tsunokawa: My senior colleague’s atelier was in Jimbocho, and he took me to Ethiopia for lunch because he said, “There’s a curry shop I like. Until then, I thought curry was just like ramen. I was so shocked that I went there almost 365 days a year for the first year.

Takano: You went that many times?

Tsunokawa: At the most, I went twice a day. So in total, I may have eaten there about 1,500 times. But I still don’t know why I got hooked on it. I eat and eat and eat, but I still don’t know what it is.

Takano: You mean it’s an attraction that you can’t verbalize?

Tsunokawa: It’s like I keep having that feeling of “I want to eat it again” right after eating it.

Takano: Ethiopia” is very spicy. It’s a little bit spicy.

Celeina: I’m really curious about it! I’ve never had it.

Tsunokawa: It is a curry restaurant where professional curry chefs go. So there is no way for an amateur like me to go there and understand it.

Takano: You can choose the level of spiciness. How about you, Kadokawa-san?

Tsunokawa: Recently, I set the spiciness level to about 30 times. People who really like it go back to 0, but there is a 100-times spiciness option in the back.

Takano: Is that so? I didn’t know there was such a thing as an under-the-counter menu.

Celeina: I’m really curious about it, but I’m not very good with spicy food, and my limit for commercial curry is medium-hot. How spicy should I go?

Tsunokawa: If it’s medium-hot, I think I can go with 0 to 5.

I have a revelation that I am a curry mason.

Takano: Are you saying that you heard a heavenly voice when you were eating curry in Ethiopia?

Tsunokawa: I always liked urban legendary things. When I was at a flea market in Oimachi, the word “curry mason” suddenly came down to me. I said to a graphic designer I know, “The name “Cary Mason” just popped into my head, so make me a nice logo.

Takano: That’s amazing. I didn’t know that was possible.

Celeina: And a Cary Mason T-shirt.

Tsunokawa: It’s a parody of New York University, but it has a spoon in it.

Celeina: That’s the curry element.

Tsunokawa: I like designs that are not immediately recognizable as curry.

Takano: If you look closely, you can tell.

Celeina: Stylish.

Tsunokawa: No, no. It’s embarrassing to see curry (laughs).

Takano: I understand a little (laughs).

Celeina: So that word came down to you, and now you are doing a brand called “Curry Mason.

Tsunokawa: I was doing it out of self-satisfaction, but it spread by word of mouth, and I was invited to curry events.

Takano: So you have other activities in addition to apparel?

Tsunokawa: Yes, I do. I also make goods for curry shops. We are also making official goods for “Ethiopia.

Celeina: Wow, that’s amazing!

Tsunokawa: I also make T-shirts for curry shops that want to make T-shirts.

Celeina: With musicians, there are people who say, “If you ask that designer, you’re sure to get it done. This is the curry industry’s version of that.

Tsunokawa: I am the type of person who plays around in the curry industry.

My love for curry grew so strong that I opened a curry shop on the spur of the moment.

Celeina: And then there is the “Wimusical” store in Koenji. I am also interested in this shop.

Tsunokawa: One of my friends who used to run an antique store there has moved to Switzerland with his family. He said, “I have a vacancy. So I started on the spur of the moment. Since then, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the store, and I’m not sure if it’s open or not.

Takano: What kind of things do you sell?

Tsunokawa: We have products from Cary Mason, my outdoor brand, retort curry from 36 Chambers of Spice, and all kinds of spice kits from Space Spice. Then there is cutlery, tableware, and things like that.

Takano: Where in Koenji?

Tsunokawa: There is a temple called Koenji, diagonally across the street. It is about five minutes from the station.

Takano: Not only for curry lovers.

Tsunokawa: By all means. At first glance, most people don’t come here. People who come here without knowing anything about the restaurant will be confused. They wonder, “What kind of shop is this? I also run a vintage clothing store called “Kozaburo Saito Shoten” as a shop-in-shop, but it is a really confusing store.

Takano: There are a lot of things that are interesting to me.

Celeina: Now I would like to play a song. What song would you like to play on the radio at this time of the day?

Tsunokawa: It is “Oliver’s Army” by Elvis Costello. I have been listening to it since I was in junior high school. I like to listen to it when I need a little boost.

Takano: It sounds like Ethiopia.

Tsunokawa: Yes, it is (laughs). (laughs) When you get into it, you’re hooked.

Celeina: Let’s all get excited.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4Zz1ctRTK04dytKiFuavBX?si=86b5e9beb6d14ab6

Takano: Thank you for bringing so much today.

Tsunokawa: We’re going to start with a T-shirt, like a first time set of Cary Mason’s. This is Red Hot Chili Powder, a parody of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Celeina: I see (laughs).

Tsunokawa: And the retort curry I make. There is also a spice pouch that can hold one retort curry.

Celeina: So you take your retort-pouch curry with you when you go out (laughs).

Tsunokawa: I heard that you are a sauna lover, so I was wondering if you would be interested in our sauna T-shirt, which was the first sauna T-shirt ever sold by Curry Mason.

Takano: Thank you very much. Everyone in the illustration is sweating. It’s cute, like a punk band T-shirt.

Tsunokawa: There are also stickers, key chains, pocket mirrors, and many other things.

Takano: Is it possible to buy these items at the store?

Tsunokawa: Of course you can.

Celeina: What are the opening hours of Wimsykal?

Tsunokawa: We are open from 1pm to 7pm, but we are closed irregularly.

Celeina: Is it closed today?

Tsunokawa: We will be open today because Kozaburo Saito is here. I will also be there at night.

Celeina: And you will be attending an event at Yokohama Red Brick this weekend.

Tsunokawa: I will be at “CURRY & MUSIC JAPAN 2023” selling T-shirts and my retort curry, so please stop by and say hello.

Celeina: You are introducing your friends to us through the “FIST BUMP” circle of friends connected by the “Goo Touch.

Tsunokawa: He is a curry jockey, CJ, who is also a member of the Curry Mason faction, and a hair stylist who also does rented curry.

Takano: So your name is Curry Jockey?

Tsunokawa: That’s right, CJ.

Takano: Isn’t that a little too much curry for you this week? (laughs)

Tsunokawa: He’s making curry while working as a hair stylist in various places all over the country.

Celeina: A hair stylist and a curry shop. Sounds interesting.

Takano: In a word?

Tsunokawa: New age in the curry industry, a heretic.

Celeina: Thank you very much. Tomorrow I will connect you to Curry Jockey, who is a sink hairdresser and a curry shop owner. Thank you very much, Kadokawa-san.

Tsunokawa: Thank you very much.

GRAND MARQUEE

J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann

RECOMMEND

NiEW’S PLAYLIST

NiEW recommends alternative music🆕

NiEW Best Music is a playlist featuring artists leading the music scene and offering alternative styles in our rapidly evolving society. Hailing from Tokyo, the NiEW editorial team proudly curates outstanding music that transcends size, genre, and nationality.

EVENTS