【Reading】ふとまき

【English Name】Futomaki

Futomaki is a thick type of rolled sushi, using one or more sheets of nori (laver) and rolling in multiple kinds of ingredients. The diameter reaches roughly 5 cm or more, and it is generally eaten cut into rounds 2–3 cm wide.

Standard fillings include rolled omelet, dried gourd strips (kanpyo), koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu), shiitake mushroom, denbu (seasoned fish flakes), oboro, grilled conger eel, cucumber, and mitsuba, with a wide variety of variations existing by region and household.

Eho-maki—eaten in one go on Setsubun while facing the lucky direction (eho)—is one representative way of eating futomaki, and is said to contain seven kinds of fillings in reference to the Seven Lucky Gods. It is said to have originated as a custom in Osaka, and an advertising flyer distributed by the Osaka Sushi Merchants' Association in 1932 is known as an old surviving record. From around 1998, it spread to various regions through nationwide sales by convenience store chains.

In Chiba Prefecture there is a local dish called "futomaki matsuri-zushi," devised so that pictures of flowers or characters appear in the cross-section, which was certified in 2007 as one of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "100 Selected Local Dishes." It has a history of being served at ceremonial occasions and festivals.