Tsutomu Ito

The Climb

Today, Tsutomu Ito is chef and wagyu shokunin of Niku no Takumi Miyoshi. The role signals craft as much as rank: beef handled through repetition, timing, and judgment until technique reads as a discipline of its own. At Miyoshi, that discipline shows in a cuisine that stays close to the ingredient while letting it open across the length of the meal.

Today

His own words keep the work close to the product: "I want as many people as possible to experience this incredible flavor. I want to cook this meat myself." Read plainly, the line points to direct control over seasoning, handling, and presentation, with the aim of giving the meat’s character the fullest possible expression. Ito has also described the aim as "to create meat dishes that no one has ever seen before." Within the form of wagyu kaiseki, that pushes the work toward surprise without leaving the category behind, so familiar beef can arrive in unexpected shapes and course by course hold the room’s attention.

Signature

Tsutomu's signature dishes include Beef Tongue Sashimi and Sirloin Sashimi. The names alone point to the method: cuts usually associated with heat and transformation are instead presented with clarity and precision, asking the diner to read texture, purity, and the meat’s depth in a different register.

In Their Words “I want as many people as possible to experience this incredible flavor. I want to cook this meat myself.”

Recognition

For Ito’s work, the award recognizes a restaurant centered on wagyu kaiseki and beef dishes, with seasonal vegetables and seafood incorporated throughout the meal. In that framing, the distinction reflects not only the prominence of the beef, but the balance that defines the experience at Miyoshi: a menu wagyu yet shaped by the produce and seafood that move through it with the rhythm of the season. Beef Tongue Sashimi and Sirloin Sashimi are part of the signature list that defines the place. Together, they stand as concise expressions of Ito’s approach—meat handled with precision, served with purpose, and offered in a style that makes the familiar feel newly considered.