【Reading】ふなぞこがた

【English Name】Boat-bottom shape

Funazoko-gata (boat-bottom shape) refers to the rounded, curved form seen on the bottom of a ship's hull. In the sushi world, it is mainly used to describe the underside of the shari (vinegared rice) in nigiri sushi. By finishing the bottom of the shari with a gentle curve like a boat's hull when forming it, a chef changes the mouthfeel and the way the rice loosens apart when it enters the mouth.

A ship's bottom is designed with a smooth curved surface to deflect water flow. There is also a structure in steam-locomotive tenders called "funazoko-gata," in which the underframe is omitted; its all-welded, rounded bottom shape is the origin of the name. While this concept of the "boat-bottom" shape has been widely used in shipbuilding and industry, as a sushi term it has become established as craftsman's parlance describing the finish of nigiri.

Incidentally, some wooden molds for pressed sushi and serving vessels also have curved surfaces resembling a boat's bottom, and these too are sometimes called funazoko-gata.