This was the scientist that not only hypothesized that umami was a "basic taste" with receptors directly on the tongue, alongside the west's 4 well studied ones (sweet, salty, salty, bitter), but went on to prove it.

(His work actually puts the other four "basic tastes" to shame because where those four are mostly "well studied" in the social sciences [psychology tests of where on the tongue most responded to each of the 4], he actually narrowed down the specific taste receptors for glutamate, and how they operate.)