Sushi Kougetsu, opened in November 2025, is run by taisho Hata Daisuke, who is Amano-san of Tenzushi’s son-in-law and former right hand man.
Highlights included:
Koubakogani and Watarigani served ankake with shari – good flavor contrast between the two types of crab and fun texture from the koubako eggs.
Dried mehikari – had a nice bitterness from the guts that I really enjoyed.
Aori ika topped with uni and yuzukosho – a riff on the Tenzushi specialty, with the main difference being the addition of yuzukosho. Really enjoyed this one but seems like he hasn’t settled between this and the tenzushi version yet.
Shiro amadai – from Fujimoto-san in Ehime, great texture and depth of flavor as is usually the case with his shiromi.
Anago – enjoyed the plum sauce version, and as anyone who’s been to Tenzushi knows, Amano-san only serves anago with plum to the females, so this was my first time having this rendition.
Despite some standouts, there some very obvious missteps in execution.
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They’ve yet to settle on a shari recipe, so there could be some issues with consistency.
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His molding technique is still a bit unrefined, and he fails to pack the rice properly every now and then.
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A few issues in temperature control, the maguro in the torotaku was a bit too cold, for example.
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Ice cream was rock hard and very icy, disaster of a dessert overall.
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Staff is on the less experienced side, which means they lack in attentiveness such as noticing my left-handedness. This is far from a big deal but it’s a touch I expect at the highest level of Japanese dining.
There were some flashes of brilliance throughout the course, but I generally got the impression that most of the regulars are there to “invest” in his growth, rather than for his current level. Apparently Amano-san encouraged him to go independent as soon as possible after around the fifth year, so he could learn the things you only pick up on being a taisho as soon as possible. Aside from that, Daisuke-san also mentioned that he wasn’t taught any recipes from Tenzushi, so even the pieces that seem similar are his own riff.
Having been to both though, there’s a clear different in the level of finesse though hopefully that too will come with experience.
At 25k yen, it’s not exactly cheap, but the ingredient quality is good so it doesn’t feel too expensive either. As a tourist, there are a lot of other sushiya in Fukuoka currently operating at a higher level, and so I’d rather stick to those rather than Kougetsu with my limited time. For locals with less opportunity cost though, I can see why they’d be keen on establishing a relationship early on especially for those who have supported him since Tenzushi. I would revisit a couple years down the line if reservations haven’t gotten too crazy, and would recommend a visit for people who want to try Kyushu-mae sushi without splurging for Tenzushi.
by godiloveswords