Browse Techniques

Kaki no ha-zushi (persimmon leaf-wrapped sushi) is one of Japan's most ancient and distinctive regional preserved sushi traditions — a product of Nara Prefecture's landlocked geography and the need to transport perishable fish inland before refrigeration. The technique developed along the Yoshino River trading routes between the Pacific coast fishing communities of Wakayama and the merchants of Nara, where mackerel (saba) and salted salmon were pressed with vinegared rice and wrapped in persimmon leaves for a 12–24 hour pressing period during which the leaf's natural antimicrobial and tannin compounds preserved the fish while imparting a distinctive herbal, slightly astringent aroma. Modern kaki no ha-zushi is pressed in wooden boxes, with individual pieces wrapped in persimmon leaves both for preservation and for the flavour transfer that occurs during the pressing period. The persimmon leaf contains catechins (similar to green tea polyphenols), which are antimicrobial and prevent oxidation; phytoncides that inhibit bacterial growth; and aromatic compounds that migrate into the rice and fish, creating the characteristic faintly green, slightly tannin-edged fragrance that distinguishes this sushi type. Nara's broader cuisine (Nara-ryori or Yamato-ryori) is shaped by the prefecture's Buddhist temple culture — Nara was Japan's first permanent capital (Nara period, 710–794) and home to Todai-ji, whose Shingon and Huayan Buddhist communities developed a sophisticated vegetarian temple cuisine that influenced the entire nation. Nara's other notable regional foods include miwa somen (one of Japan's oldest noodle-making traditions), yoshino-kuzu (finest kuzu starch), and kakigori (shaved ice with flavoured syrups, of which Nara's temples served an early form).

Tosa cuisine (the traditional cooking of Kochi Prefecture, historically known as Tosa Province) is among the most distinctive and bold regional Japanese food traditions, shaped by the Pacific coast's abundant marine resources, the subtropical Shikoku climate producing rich agricultural products, and a historical culture of roughness and independence associated with Tosa's warrior class and the reformist samurai. The defining characteristic of Tosa cuisine is its commitment to intense flavour and generous scale, contrasting sharply with Kyoto's refined restraint: where Kyoto cuisine prizes subtlety, Tosa prizes declaration. Katsuobushi (dried bonito) is inseparable from Tosa's identity — Kochi is one of Japan's primary katsuobushi production regions, and the fresh-tasting, lightly smoked Tosa-style katsuobushi (still soft and moist compared to fully dried Makurazaki honkarebushi) is central to the cuisine's dashi culture. The most spectacular expression of Tosa cuisine is sawachi ryori (large platter cuisine) — a tradition of presenting generous mounds of food on massive round lacquered trays (sawachi) that were historically served at celebratory gatherings of 20–30 people, with towering compositions of sashimi, katsuo tataki (lightly seared bonito), cooked seafood, and rice dishes creating an edible landscape. Katsuo no tataki is the region's signature dish: fresh skipjack tuna seared on straw fire (wara-yaki), then served sliced thick with daikon, myoga, ginger, garlic, and ponzu, or sometimes with just salt and yuzu — a treatment that creates a smoky, caramelised exterior with raw interior that celebrates the pure oceanic flavour of the Pacific bonito. Tosa's secondary culinary identity includes Kochi's extraordinary range of citrus (yuzu, dekopon, buntan pomelo), chilli culture (Tosa's shishito peppers and togarashi), and exceptional produce from the Niyodo River watershed.