【Reading】むらさき

【English Name】Murasaki / soy sauce

Murasaki is a fucho (industry jargon) for soy sauce used at sushi restaurants. The name is said to have arisen because the color of soy sauce takes on a dark purplish-brown hue.

The root of the color name "murasaki" lies in murasaki (gromwell), a perennial plant of the Boraginaceae family. The root of this plant takes on a dark purple color when dried, and since ancient times it has been used as a dye and herbal medicine under the name "shikon" (gromwell root). It is a plant with deep ties to Japanese culture, even being sung of in the Man'yoshu in the Nara period.

At sushi counters there is a distinctive jargon culture that avoids direct expressions, with the custom of calling soy sauce "murasaki," tea "agari," vinegared rice "shari," and the bill "oaiso." These originally developed as working terms among artisans, and there is an opinion that their heavy use by customers differs from their original usage.

Incidentally, the soy sauce used at sushi restaurants is often "nikiri shoyu" based on dark soy sauce (koikuchi), which in some cases is blended to bring out the flavor of the toppings.