【Reading】かくずし

【English Name】Kakuzushi (Box Sushi)

Kakuzushi is sushi made by packing vinegared rice and toppings into a wooden box-shaped mold and pressing them firmly. Owing to its square shape it is also called hakozushi (box sushi) or oshizushi (pressed sushi). While Edomae nigiri sushi is mainstream in eastern Japan, a pressed-sushi culture took root in western Japan, and the hakozushi of Osaka in particular is known as the representative example. Toppings are spread on the bottom of the wooden frame, vinegared rice is packed in, pressure is applied with a lid, and it is cut into portions. Common toppings include vinegar-cured fish, shrimp, and grilled conger eel (anago), and it travels well. Toyama's masuzushi (trout sushi) and Nara's kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf sushi) are also classified as pressed sushi in a broad sense.