Masajo sighed exaggeratedly when she saw the Inari sushi lined up on a lacquered box.
After that, the Inari sushi was dropped into her seventy-nine year old stomach at a frighteningly fast pace.
Inari sushi was the cheapest food sold at street stalls in this era (Edo period).
The name “Inari” comes from the fact that fried tofu is a favorite food of foxes, and foxes are associated with Inari.
Inari sushi was never eaten by people who boast of being “chic (粋)” Edo-bred. Because they thought it was too ridiculous to eat something that foxes liked.
The time is the late Edo period. The reign of the 11th Shogun, Tokugawa Ienari. The main character is Zankuro Matsudaira, a samurai (Gokenin) of the lowest rank, despite his prestigious family background. The hereditary stipend of this rank was “thirty hyo three fuchi (三〇俵二人扶持)” in warehouse rice. This is the equivalent of “10 ryou (10両)”, or about $30,000 in today’s prices. Of course, that amount is not enough to live on. Even the shogun’s direct subordinate samurai “Gokenin”, had to work hard at a second job called “Katate-waza (片手業)”. His second job is a “Kaishakunin” . It is not an execution by public punishment. When the upper class executes a criminal without publicity because of public concern, he undertakes the execution. His father died early, but he has a mother. His mother, despite her advanced age, is tremendously sturdy, healthy, articulate, a foodie, and, naturally, has an unusually large appetite. Furthermore, she strictly demonstrates the pride of her family in her manners. She enjoys expensive feasts with impunity. This annoys Zankuro working hard at a side job that is strictly forbidden to the public. However, Zankuro admires his mother’s outstanding mastery of the kotsuzumi drum. And Masajo doesn’t play the kotsuzumi drum unless she has a sumptuous meal.
Was Inari Sushi inexpensive in those days?
Inari Sushi
A food born in the Edo period. It is said to have originated in Nagoya and spread to Edo (now Tokyo) at the end of the Tempo (天保) period. There is a theory that it was born out of a shortage of food due to a famine, as the time of its origin and the time of the famine overlap. In the early days, perhaps due to food shortages, Inari sushi was not made with sushi rice, but with okara. Later, rice mixed with mushrooms and dried gourds strips was added.
” Morisada Mankou” by Kitagawa Morisada
（喜多川守貞 著 「守貞漫稿」）
This book is the oldest surviving document on Inari Sushi. To this day, most of the articles on the history of Inari sushi are written based on this book.
In those days, Inari sushi was big and long, like a sushi roll. It seems that they sold it by cutting it with a knife.
Price of Inari Sushi
In those days, Inari sushi was big and long, like a sushi roll. It seems that they sold it by cutting it with a knife.piece: $4.80. half: $2.40. slice: $1.20.
The market price of street food in the Edo period.
Soba (bowl)
$4.80
Eel-kabayaki (plate)
$60.00
Tempura (skewer)
$1.50
Miso-Dengaku (skewer)
$1.20-1.80
Sushi: tamago-yaki
$4.80
Sushi: shrimp, prawn soboro, white fish, tuna, yellowfin tuna, conger eel
$2.40
According to the official rate of gold and copper in the 18th century, 1 両ryo = 4,000文mon. If we take the liberty of assuming that “soba” was a typical street food in those days, and use the price of a bowl of soba as a standard, we get 1 文 = $0.30 (1 usd ≒ 108 jpy).
Inari Sushi was indeed cheap. It was half the price of other sushi items.
Because it was so inexpensive, it was not subject to the ban on extravagance imposed by the Tempo Reforms, and continued to be sold as fast food. During this reform, Edo Kabuki was punished, and performances in Edo were banned. It had no choice but to tour the country with local performances. It is said that at this time, Inari sushi, along with dried gourd rolls, spread rapidly throughout the provinces as interlude lunches for Kabuki performances.
No. 1: The first theory is that it was created by Buddhist monks in the Muromachi (室町) period (1336-1573) as a vegetarian dish in place of meat. Monks ate vegetarian food. Naturally, they were not allowed to eat animal meat, including fish. In such a situation, tofu was consumed as a substitute for meat to make up for the lack of nutrition. As a result of trial and error in trying to make tofu more like meat, the “fried tofu” was born. According to this theory, fried tofu is the result of Buddhist practice and is a very grateful food.
No. 2: The second theory is that it is one of the seeds of tempura, a Nanban (南蛮)dish introduced by the Portuguese in Nagasaki. Thus, it originated in Nagasaki in the early Edo period. It is also said to have been called tofu-age at that time. Later, when mass production of oil became possible in the mid-Edo period, tempura spread throughout the country. Abura-age (油揚げ：fried tofu) also spread among the common people as a food that can last for a long time.In the book “豆腐百珍 (Tofu Hyakuchin),” published in 1782, there is a description of “fried tofu” as a “common item”.
No. 3: A theory that seems to average out 1 and 2. Originally, anything fried in oil was collectively called abura-age. And fried meat and vegetables have been around since the Muromachi period. In particular, foods made by cutting tofu into thin slices and deep-frying them (i.e., abura-age) have been made since the Edo period.
Normally, it is hard to imagine that foxes would be particularly fond of fried tofu. However, most Japanese people would agree that foxes like fried tofu, as long as the comment is made that it is limited to the foxes of the Inari shrine, not wild foxes. There seem to be two main origins of the story that foxes like fried tofu.
The first is a relatively living origin. Ecological origin. Foxes are carnivorous omnivores, eating rats, rabbits, other small animals, birds, insects, as well as nuts and berries. The fox, which eats small animals, is a natural enemy of the mouse. Although cats seem to be the natural enemy of rats, there were more foxes than wild cats in Japan at that time. Foxes were used to exterminate rats that were devouring crops, especially rice. Rats were used as traps to capture the foxes, which were rat hunters. At that time, foxes were caught better with rats that were fried in oil than with raw rats. The animals prefer oil. As Buddhism spread to the lowly people in the rural areas, the teaching against killing animals led to a change from fried rats to fried tofu.
The second origin is based on the belief in Inari. The premise is the relationship between the Inari shrine and the fox. The basic premise is that the “family” of the Inari shrine is the fox. And, as in the first origin, there is also the premise that wild foxes are natural enemies of rats, which are harmful to crops. In the beginning, people offered rats to the foxes at the Inari shrine to pray for a good harvest or as a thank you after a good harvest. However, if left unattended, the carcasses of rats would soon decompose and become a hindrance to worship. So, to make them last longer, they began to fry the mice in oil and offer them to the gods. Then, in accordance with the Buddhist teaching against killing, the rats were replaced with fried tofu.
Both start with the relationship betweenfoxes and mice, and both share the same point that the mice turned into fried tofu. And both seem to be correct, I think.
What is the connection between foxes and Inari?
“Inari 稲荷”
Inari” means “Inari Shrine”, and “Inari Shrine” means a shrine dedicated to the god Inari. The main shrine of Inari Shrine is Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社), located in Fukakusa, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City.
http://inari.jp
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/稲荷神社
Inari is the god of grain and agriculture. In the Edo period (1603-1868), the number of Inari shrines exploded after it was recognized as a god of commerce. One of the first phrases of a rakugo (落語) story is, “Many things in Edo… (omission)… Iseya, Inari, dog shit.”Inari shrines were a ubiquitous sight in the city of Edo. Incidentally, “Iseya” was a merchant from Ise. When Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康) entered Edo, people from Ise (伊勢＝三重県) moved to the city and started various businesses, all of which carried the sign “Iseya (伊勢屋).”
“Inari-trii (稲荷鳥居)“
Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for its “thousand torii” (actually more than 10,000). Since the Edo period (1603-1868), it has been popular for people to dedicate torii gates as a token of appreciation for their success in business or other endeavors. In other words, a shrine with a large number of torii is a shrine where your wishes are most likely to come true.
Why are there foxes in the Inari shrine?
The belief that foxes are the divine messengers or dependents of the Inari deity existed around the Heian (平安) period. However, they are not ordinary foxes, but white foxes (transparent foxes), which are usually invisible to humans. Some say that the fox was positioned as the messenger of Inari, the god of grain, because it is the natural enemy of rats that devour grain. There is also a theory that the color of the fox’s fur and the shape of its tail resemble ears of rice.
Didn’t the Edo people, who prided themselves on being “粋 Iki (chic)”, eat Inari Sushi?
粋 (Iki: chic)
A sense of beauty born in the Edo period. It refers to the refinement of one’s appearance and behavior. It is also used to describe a woman’s sexiness. Good-looking. A cool person. Someone who is cool. It does not simply mean being a celebrity. Just being rich is not enough to be considered “chic. Incidentally, the representative of chic occupation in those days was “fire extinguisher”.
江戸っ子 (Edokko)
Unlike the term “edo-mono,” which simply refers to a person who lives in Edo, the term is usually used to beautify a person, implying that he or she is indifferent to things, especially money, and is brash.
「守貞漫稿」
「蓋両国等田舎人ノミト専ラトスル鮨店二、従来有。之興也」(Inari sushi was often sold at sushi restaurants in Ryogoku (両国) and other areas that catered only to country folk. …)
But, Sushi was inexpensive food for the common people at that time. In other words, fast food. It was eaten in the same way as hamburgers, pizza, and hot dogs.
Nutrition
Food Composition Database (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
I couldn’t find any hits for “Inari Sushi. Or rather, it is a search for food or rather material ingredients, so it is too detailed to tell what it is.
rice without ingredient. One piece (73g) is 118kcal.
As for the nutritional information, Inari sushi has 162 calories per 100g equivalent, and the recommended gram allowance per 80kcal is 49.38g.
It is high in carbohydrates (16.06g), fat (4.18g), and protein (3.32g). In vitamins and minerals, it is high in molybdenum and vitamin K. The amount of carbohydrates is 15.72g.
In recent years, there have been a number of PR articles, backed by food manufacturers, recommending Inari Sushi as a weight loss food or as an athlete’s food. However, Inari Sushi is high in carbohydrates and salt. Adding vegetables, mushrooms, etc. will improve the nutritional balance, but unless you reduce the amount of fried tofu, there is a certain risk. However, if you reduce the amount of fried tofu in Inari sushi, it is not really Inari sushi anymore.
P.S., Roasted whole sparrow
Inari Sushi is a personal favorite of mine. In my opinion, when talking about Fushimi Inari Shrine, you can’t omit the roasted whole sparrow. When I was preparing for my university entrance exam, I paid a visit to Fushimi Inari Shrine. That was the first time I ate it. It looked grotesque, but it was savory and very tasty. It went very well with beer. Naturally, I ordered a set of Inari Sushi as well. The Kansai style is often said to have a light flavor, but I think the Fushimi Inari Inari Sushi has a strong flavor. It had a sweet taste, and although it was small, it was satisfying. It was very delicious.
