【Reading】こうち

【English Name】Kochi

Kochi Prefecture is located in the southern part of Shikoku and possesses rich fishing grounds where the Kuroshio Current flows, facing the Pacific Ocean. It has achieved its own development in sushi culture as well, and the regional sushi of Tosa draws nationwide attention.

A representative example is inaka-zushi (country sushi), nigiri sushi in which mountain ingredients—such as myoga, ryukyu (the stem of the hasu-imo taro), konjac, bamboo shoots, and shiitake—are fashioned into sushi toppings. It is said to have arisen from the wisdom of creating a feast using familiar materials in mountainous areas where marine products were hard to obtain. It became widely known after being selected for the "100 Hometown Rice Balls of Japan" in 1986.

Another famous dish is saba no sugata-zushi (whole mackerel sushi), in which a back-split mackerel is filled with vinegared rice mixed with ginger and sesame, then shaped. Compared with Kyoto's mackerel sushi, it is characterized by a sharp, robust seasoning with stronger salt and vinegar, and it has been served at weddings, funerals, and banquets as a standard of sawachi cuisine.

Underpinning Kochi's sushi culture is the presence of yunosu (yuzu vinegar). In a land where yuzu cultivation thrives thanks to the warm climate, using the squeezed juice of yuzu in the vinegared rice is the Tosa way, and its refreshing aroma and acidity produce a distinctive flavor.

Among the bounty of the sea, the Shimizu saba (spotted mackerel) of Tosashimizu City is known, landed by single-line pole-and-line fishing using the tatenawa method. Alongside seared bonito (katsuo no tataki), it has become one of the sushi toppings representative of Kochi. In 2018, the "Association to Promote Tosa Sushi" was established, advancing activities to spread and preserve regional sushi.