【Reading】ごこうずし

【English Name】Goko-zushi

Goko-zushi (Wuxing sushi / wuxing zha) refers to a type of zha (sushi) said to originate from the Wuxing region of China. Wuxing is a region located in present-day Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, and has long been called a "land of fish and rice," being rich in fisheries and agriculture.

"Zha" refers to a preserved food made by pickling fish with salt and cooked rice and fermenting it through lactic acid fermentation. In China, the character "zha" appears in the 2nd-century dictionary Shiming, giving it a long history. In the agricultural treatise Qimin Yaoshu, volume eight, written by Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei in the 6th century, there is a chapter "Making Fish Zha" that describes in detail the method of making zha using freshwater fish such as carp. The same book also records several regional methods, such as guo-zha (wrapped sushi) and pu-zha (cattail sushi).

Zha in China became widely popular during the Southern Song dynasty, but it declined rapidly from the Yuan dynasty onward and is said to have nearly disappeared during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Meanwhile, it was transmitted to Japan from the mainland during the Nara period and took root as nare-zushi (fermented sushi), becoming the source of present-day sushi culture. Goko-zushi can be called a historical term that shows one facet of that zha culture in China.