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1
Combine the Saikyo miso, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously for approximately 3 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely before use. The paste is ready when it holds a slow ribbon off the spoon and smells sweet and fermented, not raw.
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2
Press the firm tofu under a weighted board long enough to expel surface moisture, then cut into rectangles 2 cm thick. Heat the neutral oil in a flat pan over medium heat and pan-fry the tofu on both sides until each face is golden and offers slight resistance when pressed. Remove from the pan.
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3
Thread each tofu rectangle onto a flat bamboo dengaku-gushi skewer. Apply the cooled dengaku miso in an even coat 3–5 mm thick across one face of each piece. This is where the dish lives or dies: the miso must be pre-cooked and fully cooled before application, and applied only after the tofu is nearly fully cooked — raw miso applied to raw food burns black and bitter before the Maillard caramelisation that defines dengaku can occur.
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4
Place the skewered, miso-coated tofu under a broiler for 60–90 seconds. Watch without leaving: the miso surface is done when it has set to a burnished amber with faint darkened edges — this is the Maillard caramelisation of the sweetened miso paste. Beyond 90 seconds the glaze crosses to a black, bitter crust and cannot be recovered.