【Reading】しのだずし

【English Name】Shinoda-zushi

One of the alternate names for inari sushi. Sushi made by simmering aburaage sweet-and-savory and filling it with vinegared rice is sometimes called "shinoda-zushi."

The origin of the name lies in the legend of the fox handed down in the Shinoda Forest of Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture. The tale of "Shinoda-zuma," which holds that the mother of the onmyoji Abe no Seimei was a white fox dwelling in the Shinoda Forest, took form in the Muromachi period and was widely beloved in kabuki and joruri as well. From the folk belief that the fox's favorite food is aburaage, the custom arose of calling dishes in general that use aburaage "shinoda." This way of calling has taken hold especially in the Kinki region, such as Kyoto and Osaka.

In the late-Edo customs source "Morisada Manko," sushi sold by peddlers in Edo around the end of the Tenpo era (around 1844), made by filling aburaage with rice, is recorded as "inari-zushi" or "shinoda-zushi," both said to be names derived from the fox. The name also remains in the trade name of "Shinoda Sushi," a long-established inari sushi specialty shop operating in Tokyo since old times.

The name "shinoda" is used not only for sushi but for a wide range of dishes that use aburaage, such as udon (shinoda udon) and shinoda-maki.