【Reading】すけろくずし

【English Name】Sukeroku

A dish in which two kinds—inari-zushi and rolled sushi—are placed together in a folding box is sukeroku-zushi. The name derives from the play "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura," one of the Kabuki Juhachiban (eighteen famous Kabuki plays), and is said to be named after "Agemaki," the Yoshiwara courtesan who is the lover of the protagonist Sukeroku. The background is an Edoite play on words, reading the character "age" as deep-fried tofu (abura-age) = inari-zushi, and the character "maki" as rolled sushi.

Another legend also remains: when Suketakaya Takasuke IV performed Sukeroku in Atsuta, Nagoya, the gifts of deep-fried tofu and rolled sushi delivered from his patrons came to be called "Sukeroku," said to be the origin. This name is said to have eventually spread to the world through his supporters.

Because it has a composition that uses no raw seafood, it is more casual than nigiri-zushi and easy to keep affordable. It is a familiar presence constantly lined up at convenience stores and supermarkets, and a dish deeply woven into Japanese food life as a standard for outing lunches and gifts.