Bouze Sugatazushi

This is a whole fish sushi made using a butterfish, called bouze in Tokushima, in its entirety. The opened fish is cured with sudachi vinegar and the like, then filled with sushi rice to finish. It is a local dish made in each household as a treat for autumn festivals.

The butterfish is an oval, flat fish reaching about thirty centimeters, with names that differ by region, called uoze in Osaka and bouze in Tokushima. Its season runs from summer into autumn. In Tokushima, whole fish opened along the back and set atop sushi rice have long been cherished, and it is sometimes served as nigiri with the skin side lightly seared. The refreshing tartness unique to Tokushima, blessed with abundant sudachi, underpins the character of this sushi.

Highlights

Its bold appearance using a whole fish is a defining feature, brightening celebratory occasions. The refreshing tartness of sudachi harmonizes with the fat of the fish, resulting in an elegant flavor. The way the seasoning differs slightly by region and household is also part of the charm.

Enjoying the Seasons

Autumn, when bouze is in season, is the time to eat it, coinciding just with the season of autumn festivals across the area. Savored as a festival treat, it lets you feel the depth of Tokushima food culture.

Access and Basic Information

It can be enjoyed at local cuisine restaurants and sushi shops in Tokushima City, and at farm stands in autumn. It is sometimes served at eateries around JR Tokushima Station, so visiting during the peak season is recommended.

A Quick Tip

Since the tartness of sudachi comes through, it is plenty on its own. Savored in peak autumn along with the atmosphere of a local festival, it is exceptional.

Practical Travel Notes

Sugatazushi is not necessarily offered year round, and chances to try it increase from summer into autumn when bouze is widely available. If you want to be sure to eat it, it is reassuring to ask local cuisine restaurants or sushi shops in advance about availability and timing. Because the dish uses a whole fish, one plate is positioned as a somewhat pricey, special treat, so a small group may want to order it alongside other local dishes. Farm stands and product shops sometimes carry packaged sushi for takeaway. Although it is cured with the tartness of sudachi, it uses raw fish, so it is best to eat it as soon as possible after buying.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Season: According to Pride Fish, run by the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, the season for Tokushima's bouze (Japanese butterfish) is August to October. From summer through the time of the autumn festivals they migrate, almost like clockwork, to the coast of Tokushima Prefecture, where they are caught.
• Main fishing grounds and methods: The Harima Nada Sea and the Kii Channel are the main fishing grounds, and the fish are taken with small-scale bottom trawl nets in the Kii Channel and with offshore bottom trawl nets and set nets in the Pacific.
• Main areas where the dish is handed down: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "Our Local Cuisine" lists the areas as "the southern part and the whole prefecture," introducing it as a festive dish for the season of the autumn festivals.
• Where to buy it: In recent years, sugata-zushi (whole-fish sushi) appears in supermarkets around the time of the autumn festivals, making it easy to buy (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
• Points to note: Catches of bouze have been declining, and mackerel or Pacific saury are increasingly used as substitutes. There is also "bouze nigiri," in which fillets are marinated in salt and vinegar and pressed onto sushi rice.

* The opening hours and prices of individual restaurants vary from shop to shop.

(Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "Our Local Cuisine: Bouze no Sugata-zushi, Tokushima Prefecture," National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations "Pride Fish: Tokushima's Bouze")

Sources of information

This article is compiled from Tokushima Prefecture's tourism information and information published by the individual establishments. Prices, menus and seasons can change, so please check each establishment's official information for details.

Sightseeing checklist

• Budget guide: From around 1,000 yen for a single fish or a set meal
• Where to eat it: Local cuisine restaurants and sushi restaurants throughout Tokushima Prefecture
• Best time of day: Both lunch and dinner; especially during the season of the autumn festivals
• Avoiding the crowds: Demand rises in autumn. Check in advance
• Enjoy it together with: A squeeze of sudachi citrus, Awa Odori, Tokushima's autumn festivals, and Naruto sea bream