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1
Cook the short-grain rice and pack it hot into the wooden hitsu bucket. Lay the chopped kabayaki eel evenly across the surface, then fold gently so the pieces are distributed throughout the rice rather than sitting on top. The eel and rice must be genuinely warm throughout — press a clean finger lightly into the centre of the rice and feel sustained heat.
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2
Using the cross-cut divider, section the rice in the hitsu into four equal portions. This is where the dish lives or dies: without a clean four-way division, the sequential ritual collapses into an undifferentiated bowl. Each quarter must be visibly distinct before the diner begins.
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3
Serve the first portion straight from the hitsu into a bowl. No condiments. The diner eats this portion slowly and completely to establish the reference flavour: the caramelised sweet-savoury kabayaki glaze against warm rice. The rice should smell of cedar from the hitsu.
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4
Transfer the second portion into a clean bowl. Arrange condiments — wasabi, negi, nori, mitsuba — on the side and add to taste. Wasabi should accent the eel's sweetness, not overwhelm it; the moment the eel flavour retreats behind the wasabi, the hand has been too heavy.
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5
Transfer the third portion into a bowl. Bring the dashi to a simmer — it must be clear and lightly seasoned. Pour the hot dashi directly over the rice and eel at the table. The rice will loosen immediately; the surface should show a steady, gentle rise of steam. This is the ochazuke stage: a wholly different textural and temperature character from the same bowl.
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6
The fourth portion is taken as the diner chooses — plain, with condiments, or as ochazuke again. It is served from the hitsu last, after a pause. The bucket itself, lightly scented with cedar, remains at the table throughout.