Hagerstown’s ‘House’
House of Kobe owner Masahiro Hirai turns 80 as his restaurant celebrates 45 years in Hagerstown.
House of Kobe celebrates its 45th anniversary as owner Masahiro Hirai hits a personal milestone
By April Bartel / Photography by Mark Youngblood
Before sushi was commonplace in grocery stores and strip malls, Masahiro “Massy” Hirai took a leap of faith on an unfamiliar cuisine, and on himself, in an unlikely place. His story begins thousands of miles away in Kobe City, Japan. At 27, frustrated by strict corporate culture there, he hungered for a different future.
”At that time, Japanese business society was very rigid,” he recalls. “Everyone followed the same path. They wore the same black suit. Businessmen worked from 9 a.m. until 9 at night. They worked so hard. I could tell, 15 years later, exactly what my life would be like. I didn’t want that.”
Opportunity arrived in 1974. A friend introduced him to the prominent Ikard family in Washington, D.C., who sponsored his move to America. It was a chance to begin again, but the transition wasn’t glamorous. He went from working for an international trading company in a bustling city to baling hay on a farm in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
He would crawl to bed exhausted. Yet those years proved transformative. Working between the family’s homes in Shepherdstown, Washington, D.C., and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, he developed practical skills, met influential people and, unexpectedly, discovered that his homestyle cooking could bring people joy.
According to his memoir, Made From Scratch: A Recipe for the American Dream, a kitchen mishap during one of the family’s elegant dinner parties became a turning point. When another cook ruined a roast, Hirai improvised a Japanese-inspired dish from the salvaged ingredients. Guests loved it.
“Whatever I cooked, they really enjoyed it,” he says. “It got me thinking, maybe after I got my green card, I could open a Japanese restaurant.”
He earned a master’s degree from George Washington University, spent several years learning every aspect of the restaurant business, then searched for the perfect place to pursue that dream. A planned Frederick location fell through before another opportunity led him to Hagerstown’s old Dagmar Hotel. Opening day was Thanksgiving Day 1981. Hirai served as head chef while his wife greeted guests wearing a traditional kimono.
The early days, however, tested every ounce of perseverance the young family possessed. He vividly remembers waking at four o’clock in the morning and driving to Jessup in search of sushi-grade fish before returning to Hagerstown to prepare it himself. Some evenings only a handful of customers walked through the door. Most often, premium seafood ended up in the trash because customers were not willing to order it.
“It was very hard,” Hirai says. “My wife would offer samples, saying ‘This is very special tuna. Just try it.’ Even free, they didn’t want it.”
In 1981, Japanese food was still considered exotic throughout much of the United States. Friends warned him that Washington County was a “meat and potatoes” place. Others encouraged him to serve Chinese food instead. Hirai never wavered.
Persistence eventually paid off. As more Americans discovered sushi, House of Kobe became synonymous with authentic Japanese cuisine throughout the Tri-State area. When the restaurant moved to its current Dual Highway location in 1985, business continued to grow. The addition of four hibachi/teppanyaki tables in 1991 introduced an entirely new audience to Japanese dining. Folks loved watching skilled chefs transform dinner into theater with flashing spatulas, flying vegetables and precision knife work.
That determination has carried Hirai and his family through nearly half a century of business. This October, Hirai will celebrate his 80th birthday, followed just weeks later by House of Kobe’s 45th anniversary. It’s a remarkable milestone for a family-owned restaurant that helped introduce the region to the then-unfamiliar authentic Japanese cuisine.
Today, House of Kobe’s menu reflects decades of refinement while adhering to Hirai’s standards of freshness and authenticity. He still lights up when discussing the restaurant’s enduring favorites.
The colorful Japanese Seafood Combo Platter showcases the ocean’s bounty. The new spicy tuna nachos layer vibrant sashimi over crisp, house-made tortilla chips for a playful East-meets-West creation. Diners also gravitate toward delicate tempura, comforting bowls of shoyu ramen, tender tonkatsu, fresh tuna poke and the restaurant’s briny green mussels, one of daughter Maki Nau’s personal favorites.
There are plenty of vegetarian options, too, like veggie futomaki and hand-rolls, and their fried rice is always a winner. The inventive Hagerstown Roll is a California Roll topped with cheese and crabcake. The Yuppy Roll uses crispy fried chicken with melted cheddar and teriyaki sauce.
For Hirai, however, everything begins with the sushi bar. Fresh fish arrives every other day, and each plate is prepared individually to order.
“When an order comes in, we cut the fish,” he says. “Some restaurants pre-slice fish. We don’t. It makes a difference.” His favorite is the wild salmon belly, sourced from Scotland.
As a pioneer of sushi in Hagerstown, House of Kobe has earned a devoted following. The restaurant consistently ranks among Hagerstown Magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice winners, and many of their original customers continue to dine here today.
“We have been lucky to have good chefs and good servers, too,” Hirai says proudly, noting that many members of his staff have worked alongside him for 20 years or more. Today, his daughter, Maki, and son, Seiji, help carry on the family business. (Eldest son, Kenji, passed from brain cancer.)
Even after enduring personal tragedy and a devastating restaurant fire that forced House of Kobe to rebuild in 1996, Hirai’s outlook remains remarkably optimistic. When asked what success means after more than four decades in business, his answer has little to do with money.
“I think there are many kinds of success,” Hirai says. “Money is not number one for me. It is to be happy and make customers happy. When customers enjoy themselves, I get to see more of them.”
This fall, as Hirai celebrates his 80th birthday and House of Kobe marks its 45th anniversary, those words feel especially meaningful. The restaurant is a local favorite for sushi and hibachi, but it is also the realization of one immigrant’s American dream—one built through persistence, craftsmanship and genuine hospitality.
Hirai beams, “I am very lucky.”