【Reading】しばうら

【English Name】Shibaura

Shibaura is an area spreading across the eastern part of Minato Ward, Tokyo, and is currently designated as an administrative district running from 1-chome to 4-chome. The formation of the place name derives from "Shiba no ura," that is, an appellation indicating a corner of Tokyo Bay spreading offshore of the Shiba area.

In the Edo period, this area was known as the "Shiba zakoba" (Shiba small-fish market), where fishing was actively carried out. The fish landed here were called "shibazakana," widely circulated in the town of Edo and said to have also been offered as tribute to the shogun. It was one of the representative fishing grounds of so-called "Edomae," and is a land deeply connected to the very origins of sushi culture.

Among these, shiba-ebi (shiba shrimp) is a specialty representative of Shibaura, still widely beloved today as a sushi topping and tempura ingredient. Nori cultivation was also active, and as one origin of the place name, there exists an interpretation that the name "Shibaura" was born from the sight of the bamboo and branches (hibi) used for cultivation standing in rows along the coast.

From the Meiji period onward, landfill construction for harbor development advanced, and the former fishing grounds disappeared. In 1906 improvement work on the mouth of the Sumida River was begun, and the present topography of Shibaura was formed by this landfill. Although it has long been since the curtain fell on its history as a fishing land, its name continues to be engraved in the world of sushi as an important place that supported the ingredients of Edomae sushi.