Teppou Maki

This rolled sushi wraps seasoned bonito flakes at its core, said to take its name from how the cut cross-section resembles the barrel of a gun. What sets Futtsu's version apart is that it uses plain rice rather than vinegared sushi rice, giving it the simple flavor of a bonito-flake rice ball rolled long and thin. It is a quick, easy roll unique to a region known for growing nori.

Toasted nori is spread over a bamboo mat and topped with a thin layer of rice. Bonito flakes seasoned with soy sauce are laid as the core, and the roll is wound up thin. Skipping vinegared rice makes it quick to prepare, and the trick is said to be rolling it to a thickness that is easy to eat one-handed. It is sometimes packed whole, unsliced, into a lunch box and eaten between hauls of the net — a roll whose whole point is convenience.

On the shores of Futtsu, where nori farming has long thrived, a portable food that could be eaten quickly between fishing tasks is said to have been needed. Skipping the work of preparing vinegared rice and finishing the roll with plain rice and bonito flakes alone is said to be why it spread as a fisherman's lunch. Pairing locally grown nori with bonito flakes, this roll tied directly to fishing life is still spoken of with affection today.