Fishing has been done since ancient times, when the people were blessed by the bounty of the sea. The bones of red sea bream, bluefin tuna, and squid have been unearthed from shell mounds from the Jomon period in various regions. In rare cases, traces remain from the hunting of marine mammals such as whales and seals.

Fishing first became a fully fledged industry in the Edo period. After Tokugawa Ieyasu designated Edo as the administrative center of Japan, the demand for fish skyrocketed. As the person responsible for supply, Ieyasu brought the fishermen of Kansai, who had superior fishing techniques, to Edo. Eventually, the fishermen expanded to Boso, which was an excellent fishing ground. They established large-scale sardine fisheries in Choshi and Kujukuri.

Ms Sugisaki is involved in the preservation of futomakizushi (lit. “thick rolled sushi”), which is characterized by the beautiful and colorful designs revealed in its cross-section. Birds, cherry blossoms, pandas, and butterflies are expressed through a variety of ingredients, making this sushi a favorite of children and visitors from abroad. “This local dish originated in Sammu, Isumi, Kisarazu, and other cities and was an essential part of community gatherings or family celebrations. Originally, it was the men’s job to make it, but after WWII, the women inherited the recipes through oral tradition.” In 1955, Ms Sugisaki’s mentor, Eiko Ryusaki, began visiting the households of her town to conduct a survey of the history of futomakizushi, its ingredients, designs, and methods for reproduction. She published a recipe book which contained her findings and held cooking classes and lectures in an effort to convey the appeal of this dish. “Now, people compete to make the best designs in the prefecture. They have a great degree of freedom in their choice of ingredients, so it’s important to make use of locally sourced ingredients.”
*The “崎” in Sugisaki is the tatsusaki form of the character: “﨑”

Yoshihide Kaibe, managing director of the Chiba Chef’s Association, suggests that a dish representative of the area’s local cuisine is Takazu torimeshi. This dish of rice mixed with chicken has been handed down in the Takazu area of Yachiyo City and is eaten at events such as Koyasuko and Hazumi. “It is a simple dish made by stir frying chicken in soy sauce and mixing the meat and its juices into rice. This simplicity allows one to fully enjoy the ingredients’ own flavors. I think it’s a very reasonable dish which doesn’t take much time to prepare.” Mr. Kaibe plates the dish by arranging daikon leaves atop the torimeshi, much like a dish called hibazoni. He uses soy sauce from Noda to finish the dish’s flavoring.

Located at the downstream end of the Tonegawa River, the coast near Choshi has a large continental shelf with a depth of 200m, where the confluence of the Kuroshio and Oyashio Currents as well as the outflow of the Tonegawa combine to form one of the best fishing grounds in Japan. The Kansai fishermen who came here in search of fish during the Edo period established Tokawa Fishing Harbor and contributed to the development of the fishing industry. Choshi Fishing Port is a fishing base large enough to harbor fishing boats from across Japan, bringing in annual catches of 200-300 thousand tons of fish. As many as 200 types of fish are caught here, including mass-caught fish such as mackerel, Japanese sardine, Pacific saury, skipjack tuna, and flounder, as well as migratory fish.
Japanese sardines caught during the rainy season from June to July are commonly known as nyubai sardines. They have the highest fat content at this time of year, and when eaten as sashimi they are melt-in-the-mouth delicious. They are prepared in various ways—salted and grilled, boiled in soy sauce, preserved—which shows what an indispensable food they are for the region.
Choshi is also a famous producer of soy sauce on par with Noda. Tanaka Genba, a dried sardine trader, began making soy sauce in 1616, which he transported to Edo by flatboat.

The Kujukuri area is comprised of Kujukuri Township, Togane City, and Sammu City. The area’s most famous location is the 60km coastline of Kujukuri Beach, which stretches along the Pacific Ocean from Iioka in Asahi City to Taito Beach in Isumi City. Since the Meiji era, the coastal area of Ichinomiya has seen the establishment of many swimming beaches and villas, resulting in it being known as the “Eastern Oiso”. The area was favored by literary figures of the Meiji era such as Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Sachio Ito, and Kotaro Takamura.

The area engages in agriculture all year round, and during the Edo period it was responsible for supplying fresh food products such as dairy, fruit, and seafood to the shogunate. Nowadays, local products are certified with the Minamiboso brand mark. 20 products have been certified, including spiny lobster, splendid alfonsino, hijiki, edible nanohana, broad beans, and celery, as well as famous brands known nationwide, such as Nagasamai rice and Boshu loquats.

The Mineoka Dairy Research Center in Minamiboso City contains the “Japan Dairy Farming Origins Monument”, which tells the area’s history. The story begins with the Satomi clan, which controlled the entire region during the Warring States period, establishing a ranch on Mount Mineoka. The Edo shogunate inherited the ranch, and the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, imported three head of white cattle from India in order to manufacture butter. Afterward, during the Kansei era (1789-1801), they succeeded in breeding those three cows into a herd of more than 70 head of cattle. The dairy farmers of Mineoka have long eaten chikko tofu as a source of nutrition. In this region, cow’s milk is called chikko. The first milk given by a cow to its calf is heated and vinegar is added, forming something akin to cottage cheese. First milk cannot be sold on the market, so this method was invented to avoid wasting it. Currently, it is called chikkokatametano, and recipes which use store-bought milk are taught in cooking classes.