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Inari Sushi (Fried Tofu Pouch Sushi)

Inari / Sushi Pockets

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Aburaage (Fried Tofu)

Aburaage, used for inari sushi, is thinly sliced tofu deep-fried in oil. It is also called inari-age or kitsune-age. The tofu used for aburaage is made by a different method from ordinary tofu, and because it is thin, it is fried all the way through, unlike thick fried tofu (atsuage).

Inari sushi is sushi in which vinegared rice mixed with ingredients such as carrot and shiitake mushroom is wrapped inside sweet-and-salty simmered fried tofu. It is often called "o-inari-san," and in the Kansai region it is also called "gomoku sushi." There are various theories about the origin of the name inari sushi, but the leading one is that the fried tofu used for inari sushi is said to be a favorite food of foxes, and since foxes are the messengers of the Inari deity, it came to be called inari sushi. The shape and flavor of inari sushi differ slightly from region to region across Japan. In the Kanto area centered on Tokyo it is barrel-shaped, while in the Kansai area such as Osaka it is triangular. The barrel shape is said to represent the rice bales that symbolize a bountiful harvest, while the triangular shape is said to represent fox ears. Though rarely seen at high-end sushi restaurants, it is a popular, everyday sushi that can be casually bought at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and the like.

An Everyday Sushi Beloved Since the Edo Period

The origin of inari sushi goes back to the Edo period. As a popular type of sushi, the encyclopedic work "Morisada Manko," which depicts the customs and objects of the late Edo period, contains a description that "one side of fried tofu is split open to form a pouch, filled with rice mixed with mushrooms and the like, and sold as sushi," which is thought to be the prototype of inari sushi. Also, "Omi Akinai Kyoka Awase," which depicts traveling merchants of the Edo period, shows merchants carrying a shoulder pole and coming into town to sell inari sushi, suggesting that it had become an increasingly popular food. By the end of the Edo period, merchants who set up shops to sell inari sushi had also appeared. Thus, because it is easy to eat, cheap, and delicious, inari sushi has been a presence beloved by ordinary people from the Edo period to the present day.
Omi Akinai Kyoka Awase: Inari Sushi Omi Akinai Kyoka Awase: Inari Sushi

Inari Sushi and Sukeroku Sushi

"Sukeroku sushi," a combination of inari sushi and rolled sushi often seen at supermarkets, was once a boxed meal handed out when watching kabuki. It is said to originate from the popular Edo-period kabuki play "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura."
Because the name of the courtesan who was the lover of the hero, Sukeroku, was "Agemaki," the set of inari sushi wrapped in fried tofu (age) and nori rolls likened to the headband (hachimaki) that Sukeroku wore on his head came to be called Sukeroku sushi.

"Sukeroku sushi," a combination of inari sushi and rolled sushi often seen at supermarkets, was once a boxed meal handed out when watching kabuki. It is said to originate from the popular Edo-period kabuki play "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura."
Because the name of the courtesan who was the lover of the hero, Sukeroku, was "Agemaki," the set of inari sushi wrapped in fried tofu (age) and nori rolls likened to the headband (hachimaki) that Sukeroku wore on his head came to be called Sukeroku sushi.

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