Tamio Kageyama

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Tamio Kageyama (景山民夫, Kageyama Tamio^?, born in Tokyo, Japan, March 20, 1947; died January 26, 1998) was a Japanese novelist.

Drawn to the arts, the college drop-out surprised many critics as the winner of the highly esteemed 1988 Naoki Prize for his novel, Coo: Tooi Umi Kara Kita Coo (1993). Tamio also contributed to the films Sakana kara daiokishin!! (1992), Saraba itoshiki hito yo (1987), and Hoshikuzu kodai no densetsu (1985).

Perhaps another lasting contribution is Tamio's frequent role as a judge in the TV series Iron Chef. Iron Chef pitted chefs in contest, in relatively melodramatic settings. In his appearances on Iron Chef, Tamio was frequently seen elegantly dressed, wearing bow tie, rendering sensitive feedback on the culinary delights served to him. The series ran for 300 episodes in Japan, was also licensed in the United States, and has a significant following.

Tamio perished at the age of 50 in a house fire at his residence. The fire appeared suspicious to some, and was investigated at the time of Tamio's death.