Local specialties

Bouze no Sugata Sushi

  • 36Tokushima

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  • 36Tokushima

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Bouze no Sugata Sushi
Image attribution: AI-generated image · GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

A sugata-zushi (whole-fish sushi) for Tokushima's autumn festivals in which bouze (ibodai, Japanese butterfish), split open along the back, is wrapped around sushi rice.

Dish profile

About this dish

Main ingredients
bouze (ibodai, Japanese butterfish)
History and origin
In Tokushima, sugata-zushi, sushi made while keeping the shape of the fish, is a ceremonial food during the autumn festival season, and bouze, once considered a high-end fish, was mainly used. Bouze is a white-fleshed fish caught from summer to autumn; in recent years the catch has declined, and it is increasingly made with mackerel or Pacific saury.
When it is eaten
It is served at autumn festivals along with sekihan (red bean rice), kakimaze-zushi (mixed sushi), clear soup, and amazake. In recent years it has also appeared in supermarkets during the autumn festival season.
How it is eaten
Bouze split open along the back and cured with salt and vinegar is wrapped around sushi rice shaped to match its size, then pressed under a weight to make pressed sushi. It is also eaten as "bouze nigiri," with slices of the fish formed together with sushi rice.

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  • VegetarianClues to confirm: meat or seafood

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  • PorkPork: no direct clue found (absence is not confirmed)
  • Alcohol (mirin / sake)Alcohol (mirin / sake): no direct clue found (absence is not confirmed)

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