【Reading】めうち

【English Name】Meuchi / Punch Needle

It is a structurally extremely simple tool with a thin, sharp needle attached to the tip of an easy-to-grip handle. Originally known as a sembon-doshi (awl/bodkin), it has a history of being widely popular as a stationery item for the purpose of punching holes in paper, cloth, and the like.

However, in the cooking field—and especially in the kitchens of sushi and Japanese cuisine—it has become an indispensable essential when handling fish that are very slimy and tend to thrash about while being filleted, such as eel (unagi) and conger eel (anago). By firmly fixing the head to the cutting board, safe and swift work can be achieved. The technique of inserting it right beside the eye to hold down the fish's body when opening an eel is regarded as the basic skill, and that working motion is said to be the origin of the name "me-uchi" (eye-striking).

In appearance it closely resembles an awl, but it does not have the cutting function of a blade. The tip is shaped into a cone, and rather than severing the material, it has a structure that penetrates by wedging into the gaps in the tissue. That very point can be said to be the fundamental difference from an awl.

Today it is widely distributed, easily purchasable even at home-improvement stores, and is prized in non-culinary scenes such as farm work, handicrafts, and DIY. For sushi artisans it is a basic kitchen tool that the hand inevitably reaches for when preparing anago, positioned as an item indispensable to the workplace.