Tsukijisushisei Kyoto

Tsukijisushisei Kyoto

Founded in 1889,Tsukijisushisei Kyoto brings its tradition of Edomae nigirizushi (Tokyo style hand pressed sushi) to Kyoto. The downtown location is just south of Nishiki market, next to Daimaru Department Store.

What is Sushi & Sashimi?

Sushi 寿司-slices of fresh fish, seafood, vegetables, etc. arranged on beds of rice mixed with vinegar to which sugar, salt, and other seasonings are added.
Sashimi 刺身-slices of raw fish or other seafood.

Tuna	マグロ
Bonito	カツオ
Yellowtail	ハマチ
Gizzard Shad	コハダ
Pompano	アジ
Mackerel	サバ
Sea Bream	タイ
Flatfish	ヒラメ
Octopus	タコ
Shrimp	エビ
Squid	イカ
Salmon Roe	イクラ
Fatty Tuna	トロ

Sushi Wrapped in Seaweed のり巻き

Sushi (wrapped in seaweed)	Japanese	Description
Norimaki	のり巻き	Sushi wrapped in seaweed
Tekka-maki	鉄火巻き	Tuna
Takuan-maki	たくあん巻き	Pickled White Radish
Shiso-maki	しそ巻き	Beefsteak Plant
Kampyo-maki	かんぴょう巻き	Seasoned Dried Gourd Shavings
Ume-maki	うめ巻き	Japanese Pickled Plum
Kappa-maki	かっぱ巻き	Cucumber

Things to know…

Edomae Nigirizushi  (Edo Style-Hand Pressed Sushi)

Sushi is sushi, right?. The common image of sushi is fresh raw fish with cooked rice to which vinegar is added. This is only one type of sushi among many in Japan and is called Edomae zushi (Edo style sushi) in Japanese. It seems to have started in the early 19th century from Edo (old Tokyo). Edo had direct access to Tokyo bay, supplying it with boundless stocks of fresh tuna, bonito, eel, among others. Edomae literally means Tokyo front, referring to Tokyo bay-the place where fresh fish were caught on a daily basis. Now-a-days it refers to the common sushi style known as Edomae zushi.

Edomae nigirizushi simply refers to Edo style sushi with the “nigiri” (hand pressed sushi rice) referring to the hand pressed method of making sushi. The sushi is pressed into a small rectangular shape between the palms of the hands, usually adding a bit of wasabi, finishing it off with a topping (fish, egg) put on top of the rice.

From the middle to end of the Edo period (1603-1868), the shogunate (military government) began to relax its restrictions, allowing more and more commoners to open up their own businesses. Although isolated from the outside world for over 250 years, Tokyo actually became one of the largest cities in the world. Teeming with people and ripe with business opportunities, food was a natural money maker. With so many mouths to feed and Japanese people’s tendency to lead busy lifestyles, fast foods like sushi were a perfect fit.

Sushi merchants in Tokyo struggled with how to preserve the fresh fish, appearing to initially limit the sale of sushi to the Tokyo bay area. Fish tended to go bad within a day without proper preservation techniques. As time passed though, sushi merchants developed techniques to preserve the fish longer. Simmering sea eel, shrimp, and shellfish in broth or immersing fish in soy sauce for a few hours to retain its raw texture. They found the sodium in soy sauce prevented rapid spoilage and eventually rice and vinegar were also added to the fish, preventing rice spoilage and enhancing the taste of the fresh fish and other neta (main ingredients). Interestingly enough wasabi, now a contemporary mainstay in sushi, was initially only used with Edomae zushi primarily for its antibacterial properties.

Sources:

Sushi Encyclopedia.com

Wikipedia: Sushi