68 Years Committed to the Sushi Industry
”Komatsu Yasuke” a prominent ”sushi” restaurant, that people refer to as, ”Jiro of the East, Yasuke of the West”. Unfortunately closed in November of 2015, Nakata had the opportunity of visiting this prestigious ”sushi” master before closing. Sushi master Kazuo Morita was 83 at the time. He entered the world of ”sushi” at 15 and had devoted his life to ”sushi” and only ”sushi” since then. ”Komatsu Yasuke” was the predecessor to Ginza Kyubei and has always been regarded as the ”Number 1 Sushi Master” of Japan, being one of the most famous ”sushi” restaurants in the country. People from everywhere around the country visited to have a taste of Morita’s ”sushi”.
Enjoying ”sushi” with the eyes and the palate
We were first served squid ”sashimi” that was almost transparent. We asked how the moisture was removed. We were told ”Squid is very sensitive to moisture, so I quickly remove any moisture with a cloth.” The crab ”gunkan” named ”yuki momiji” is so popular among regulars that it has become a seasonal phrase in winter. It was named by a patron more than 20 years ago. The rice which enhances the seafood is from Gujo Hachiman in Gifu Prefecture. Each grain has a distinct shine, and according to Morita ”It comes from a region that has great water. The region also has a gap in the high and low temperatures, so the rice is tight.”
Always moving forward
As he enjoyed the delicious ”sushi”, Nakata commented. ”It is no wonder people from all over visit this restaurant to have a taste of this scrumptious feast.” Morita told us, ””Sushi” is always referred to as traditional and is something that is handed down, but you need to build up on it and keep on moving forward.” Morita himself often eats out on his days off, and 70% of the time has sushi. ”I try eating sushi all around Japan and I am inspired by young ”sushi” craftsmen. That links to my own progress.”
