Masayuki Komatsu

The Path

The work begins with systems thinking. Before the knife and the sushi counter, Masayuki Komatsu worked as a hydraulic engineer, a background that reads less like a detour than a training in pressure, sequence, and exacting control. That discipline later carried into New York City, where Masayuki Komatsu became head sushi chef at Morimoto in New York City, a post that sharpened the timing, visibility, and command required in a high-scrutiny room. The same precision now defines his role as executive sushi chef of Hiyakawa.

The Work Today

At Hiyakawa, the craft is built on restraint and balance rather than excess. Masayuki Komatsu works in a register that gives texture, temperature, and proportion room to register on their own, with fish, rice, and service all held to the same standard of control. The result is sushi shaped by clarity: cool, warm, quiet, exact.

Signature

The signature dishes point to range within a disciplined frame. Masayuki Komatsu’s lamb chops smoked in rosemary bring smoke and herb into the conversation; yuzumiso Scottish salmon works brightness against depth; chub mackerel nigiri keeps to the directness that anchors the menu. Taken together, they show a kitchen that can move from aromatic to reserved without losing control of the plate.

In Their Words “My best view of the restaurant is outside to see inside.” “Our food is simple but very tasty.” The two lines land on perspective and economy. They point to a chef who reads the room as closely as the plate, and who trusts clean flavor, handled plainly, to carry the meal.

Acclaim

Masayuki Komatsu’s standing comes from repeatable technique and a refusal to overstate the work. The appeal is in control, in the confidence to stop where the food is already doing enough.