Temari sushi is a classic Kyoto sushi which directly translates to “ornamental ball sushi”. Temari (lower image) are balls which are wrapped with thread that are woven into patterns, and were originally toys made for children dating back 1000 years, but they are now used for interior decoration. Kyoto’s temari sushi are created by roughly shaping a ball out of sushi rice, and then placing an ingredient on top. They are then wrapped with a damp cloth (plastic wrap is used more often these days) and molded into a sphere with the hands so the ingredients adhere to the sushi rice. Unlike the well known Edo style sushi, all the ingredients used are either simmered or cured.

[Via rurubu and Otani University]

Persimmon leaf sushi, or kaki no ha sushi (kakinohazushi) is a local type of sushi from the Nara reigion (see map below). The persimmon leafs have antibacterial properties and they are salted to increase the effect. All ingredients (mackerel, salmon, trout) are cured and placed inside a square wooden mold with the sushi rice on the bottom and pressed. The resulting block of sushi is then cut into individual bite sizes (rectangular blocks) and then wrapped with the salt cured persimmon leafs. After this is completed, they are once again placed neatly inside the mold and topped with a weight and left alone in a cool area for a few days. The persimmon leafs are not for consumption and discarded before eating.

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In the old days when refrigerators were not around, many sushi chefs immersed their raw sashimi in soy sauce for a few hours, so the sodium prevented the sushi from spoiling too quickly. This is called the zuke method and it is an old fashioned Edo style sushi preparation.

When a slice of raw fish is soaked in soy sauce it looses its water content and concentrates in flavor. The fish should also not be immersed too long for it will get too salty. Only a thin surface of the fish should be soaked with the soy sauce, and there should be a fresh area remaining inside. 

Many sushi restaurants don’t make zuke anymore since it is not necessary, however some people like the altered texture of the fish and its concentrated taste. Shima sushi, or island sushi is a variation of the zuke preparation which is still enjoyed today.

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Pine bark (matsukawa) is a term used in Japanese cuisine to describe red snapper prepared with the skin on, and it can be served as a sashimi (as seen in photo) as well. The skin of the red snapper is too tough to consume when raw, so it is quickly cooked with boiling water. A fillet of red snapper is first covered with cloth with the skin facing up, and hot water is evenly poured. The fillet is then immediately shocked in ice water to prevent the flesh from cooking. The skin of the red snapper becomes dark, and the patterns resemble a Japanese pine bark, thus getting it’s name. The taste of the red snapper becomes slightly concentrated from the quick heating and icing, and acquires an extra texture from the cooked skin. The skin of the red snapper is considered more delicate and sweeter than salmon skin which is thicker and needs to be grilled in order to be consumed.

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Sushi started out as a fast food business in the streets of Edo (old name for Tokyo) a little less than 200 years ago. These Edo style sushi were prepared and sold on stands when there were no refrigerators available and for this reason many adaptations were made to the sushi so they will not spoil too quickly. The most important characteristic of sushi is the sushi rice which uses vinegar, and the use of wasabi as a condiment. But these modifications were not made unless they had more than one benefit. Sushi rice used to be stronger in the old days for it required more vinegar to prevent spoilage, but it matched the taste of raw fish for the vinegar helped make it taste fresher. Wasabi’s culinary purpose is to bring out the flavors of the ingredients (raw fish), but it has strong anti bacterial properties which helped prevent food poisoning. Many ingredients were cured, or immersed in soy sauce to the increase the shelf life, and it is not until after the refrigerator was invented, when many varieties of raw sushi ingredients became available any time of the year regardless of the location.

[Via Nattokurabu]