Kanejiro Kanemoto

Coming Up

At Uomasa in Tokyo, the work of unagi is carried by Executive Chef Kanejiro Kanemoto, whose cooking is defined by repetition, restraint, and attention to the small controls that matter in eel service. The kitchen is built around process rather than display, with the sauce treated as the central register of the house. Kanemoto puts that plainly: “The life of an eel restaurant depends on the sauce.” In trade terms, it is a statement about continuity, flavor memory, and the standards that hold an eel restaurant together over time.

Where They Are Now

At Uomasa, premium traditional unagi is handled with the discipline of a fixed method. Kanemoto grills the eel over Kishu Binchotan charcoal in the Kanto style, keeping the work close to tradition and control. The technique depends on patient heat management and consistent timing, with the eel treated as the signature ingredient around which the kitchen is organized. His other line makes the house logic even clearer: “The tare is the most important thing there is in life – except death.” That position turns on a simple hierarchy: the tare is not a garnish to the fish, but the core of its identity, carried forward through repetition. At Uomasa, that idea is made visible in the Kanto-style grilling over Kishu Binchotan charcoal and in the exacting standard applied to each order. The result is a kitchen that stays fixed on unagi, with Kanemoto’s practice defined by focus rather than embellishment.

In Their Words “The tare is the most important thing there is in life – except death.” “The life of an eel restaurant depends on the sauce.”

Career - Executive Chef — Uomasa, Tokyo, Japan

Honors

No award is cited for Kanemoto.

FAQ What is Kanejiro Kanemoto's current role? As of 2026, Kanejiro Kanemoto is Executive Chef. What is Kanejiro Kanemoto known for? Unagi (eel).