Shohei Takamatsu's Obituary
Shohei Takamatsu, affectionately known as “Mr. T” by his customers, employees, friends and associates, passed away peacefully on April 26, 2026. Shohei was born on May 6, 1931, in Osaka, Japan, to Tomosuke and En Takamatsu, the oldest of three. Shohei’s father passed away when he was nine and one year later, in 1941, World War II started. Shohei split his days between attending school and working in an airplane parts factory until the end of the war. As with most Japanese people of that time, his family suffered through food and supply shortages throughout and well after the war.
When Shohei was 16, he left high school to support his mother and younger siblings and began working for his uncle in the cotton business, where he excelled. This led to an opportunity for him to move to Hillsboro, Texas as a cotton buyer on a two year contract. 1958 was a big year for him. He met and married Shigeko Ikegami, the love of his life, and the couple moved to Hillsboro. With limited English language skills, Shohei and Shigeko crossed the Pacific on a cargo ship to San Francisco and then traveled by train to Hillsboro. On the ship, they had their first Thanksgiving dinner and their first taste of turkey. In Hillsboro, Shohei sharpened his knowledge about the US market and the cotton industry. In 1961, the couple moved to Dallas where Shohei became an independent cotton broker with C. Itoh.
Shohei’s entrepreneurial spirit led to a desire to open a Japanese restaurant in Dallas. With the backing of C. Itoh, Shohei and Shigeko opened Royal Tokyo Restaurant on Greenville Avenue in 1973. Overcoming many challenges and hardships of starting a business from scratch – when most Dallasites had never heard of or even tried sushi - Royal Tokyo quickly became an iconic establishment in the Dallas dining community. For 28 years, until its closing due to a fire, Royal Tokyo served generations of Dallas families, as well as countless athletes, musicians, actors, celebrities and dignitaries and spawned the now ubiquitous Japanese restaurant scene in Dallas. Royal Tokyo was known for its authentic and outstanding Japanese cuisine as well as it’s promotion of Japanese culture. The restaurant hosted school field trips that highlighted Japanese food, music, and traditions and catered to many hotels in Dallas.
Shohei knew that he was so blessed by all the help that he received through every stage of his life and strove to be generous to others with his time and energy. Before opening the restaurant, he invited Japanese interns regularly to the house for home cooked meals and with the restaurant, sponsored many employees, helping them to make their start in the US. He was a benefactor to several organizations including the Japanese School of Dallas, the Japan American Society of Dallas, and the Dallas Japanese Association, where he served as President. Shohei was an avid golfer until his later years and loved watching the Dallas Cowboys and sumo wrestling. After retiring, he took up gardening, growing his own vegetables. On February 11 of this year, he placed his faith in Jesus Christ. We were fortunate to be given two more months with him. We will miss his “I can do anything” attitude, entrepreneurial spirit, and his love and support for our family.
Shohei is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Shigeko; children, Emiko “Amy” Meyers (Rodney) of Houston, Chizuko “Susie” Hastings (Warren) of Dallas, and Yoichi “Steve” Takamatsu (Melissa) of Austin; grandchildren, Christopher Meyers, Hanako Takamatsu, Yumiko Hastings, Midori Takamatsu and Alyssa Meyers; and sister Harue Takeuchi of Tokyo, Japan. Proceeding Shohei in death are his parents and his brother Masao Takamatsu of Kofu, Japan.
Visitation will be Friday, May 8 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Restland Funeral Home in Dallas, Texas. A Memorial service will be held on Saturday May 9, 10:30 am at Northrich Church, 1101 Custer Rd, Richardson, TX 75080
Flowers can be sent in memory of Shohei Takamatsu through Rembrandt Florist @972-761-8989 or donations can be made to International Christian Church in memory of Shohei Takamatsu:
https://icctexas.churchcenter.com/giving/to/donation-in-memory-of-shohei-takamatsu
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