was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 food historian from the city of Futtsu, Chiba

Futtsu, Chiba

is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city had an estimated population of 47,705 and the population density of 232 persons per km²...

. He was a courtesy member of the Cultural Academic Society. He wrote under the pen name

Pen name

A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...

 Masaaki.

He was a graduate of the psychology section of the literature department of Waseda University

Waseda University

, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...

. While attending university, he served as an apprentice to Kitaoji Rosanjin

Rosanjin

was a calligrapher, ceramicist and restaurateur in Japan during the first half of the 20th century. Born in the village of Kamigano he founded the Bishoku Club in 1921. It became a private restaurant. The Great Tokyo earthquake of 1923 destroyed most of his ceramics collection, and he began...

 to study the fine arts of cooking. Afterwards, he worked in the editorial office at the magazine Housewife’s Friend. He continues to study and write about the cultural history of Japanese food.

He was one of the regular judges on the Fuji TV Corporation hit program Iron Chef

Iron Chef

is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...

, where he bore the title “Rosanjin Scholar”. Asako Kishi

Asako Kishi

Asako Kishi is a Japanese journalist who specializes in cooking.-Career:Kishi graduated from Kagawa Nutrition University in 1942. She joined the Shufunotomo company in 1955, and started her writing career while raising her four children...

 was also a regular judge on the program, and was a coworker of Masaaki’s while he worked at Housewife’s Friend.

He appeared in the "Seed of Trivia” segment of “Hey! Spring of Trivia

Hey! Spring of Trivia

Hey! Spring of Trivia is the name given by Spike TV to the show a Japanese variety show on Fuji TV.-Concept:"Trivia" consists of a series of video segments that introduce and confirm the validity of unusual trivia. Past trivia has included exploding erasers, spiders affected by caffeine, and...

” (broadcast on November 11, 2005) where he addressed the issue of “broth from which brand of cup of Ramen best complemented cold rice”. The other judges were food critic Mita Morio, cooking researcher Eiko Egaki, and the owner of Passion restaurant Andre Passion.

Hirano died in November 2008 of a heart attack.