i. Biography
Tempura is a narrow craft with little cover for error: batter, oil, heat, and ingredient meet for a few seconds, and the result either carries clarity or loses it. Chef Hisao Ogawa works within that discipline across Akita Tempura Mikawa in Akita City, Japan, and Tempura Arata Mikawa in Tokyo, which has received a Michelin selection. His register is not display; it is timing, temperature, and texture held close to the ingredient.
Coming Up
Mikawa-style tempura is learned at the counter, through repetition and correction more than explanation. Early in his career, Hisao Ogawa trained under Tetsuya Saotome at Mikawa Zezankyo, absorbing a discipline in which frying is only the visible part of the work. The craft asks the cook to read small changes: oil sound around an ingredient, the grip of batter, the softening of starch, the deepening of sweetness, and the exact point at which a piece must leave the pan. Restraint is part of the technique. At Mikawa Zezankyo, the coating was not meant to hide the ingredient, the oil was not meant to dominate it, and the meal’s pace was part of the construction. That apprenticeship remains the technical base for Ogawa’s work as Owner Chef of Tempura Arata Mikawa, where the same principles are carried into his own counter.
Where They Are Now
Tempura, in this register, depends on precision rather than display. Heat, starch, oil, and batter have to arrive at the table in balance, with the piece still at its peak. The surface should be delicate enough to show the work without making the batter the subject. Tempura Arata Mikawa in Tokyo, opened by Ogawa in August 2024, carries forward the Mikawa training while allowing room for his own handling of pace and sequence. The course is not treated as a set of isolated fried pieces. It is built through tempo: some ingredients are handled briefly and directly; others are allowed to change over the length of the meal. The sweet potato served at the end of the course shows that slower side of the craft. It is gently fried from the start of the meal, giving the starch time to change so the natural sweetness comes forward by service. In a form often judged by immediacy, the dish makes patience part of the technique.
Signature
Hisao's signature dishes include sweet potato served at the end of the course.
In Their Words “There are many Mikawa-style restaurants out there, but even if the approach is the same, the texture of the batter and the quality of the oil reveal each chef’s personality.”
Honors
A Michelin selection for Tempura Arata Mikawa places the restaurant within a recognized field, but the craft record is built from apprenticeship, long practice, and Ogawa’s current work across Akita City and Tokyo.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Hisao
Where did Hisao Ogawa work before?
Earlier in their career, Hisao Ogawa worked at Mikawa Zezankyo.
What is Hisao Ogawa known for?
Tempura.
