Yamaguchi

Cooking 7.5kg of rice at a time!? A splendid dish of “tonosama zushi.”

Iwakuni Zushi

This is a kind of oshizushi made is a wood box, repeatedly layered with sumeshi mixed with fish and toppings such as kinshitamago, renkon and shiitake mushrooms. 7.5kg of rice is used for one batch, and then it is cut into smaller pieces. Iwakuni sushi is also called “Tonosama zushi (sushi of a feudal master)” although there are many stories about the origin - one says it was made as non-perishable food by an order of then lord of Iwakuni, and the other says that it was a tribute presented to the lord. Since the sushi looks very beautiful with its colorful ingredients, it is often served at celebrations, and each family used to have own container until about 30 years ago. Iwakuni sushi is still a specialty for the locals and also for tourists, and it has been passed down for generations.