Yonemizu, Saiki City

horse mackerel, shiso

Saiki City, located in southeastern Oita Prefecture, is the largest city in Kyushu. It covers an area of 903.12 km2 and has a coastline extending about 270 km. The topography of the city consists of mountainous areas stretching from the Kyushu Mountains, plains spreading downstream from the Banjo River, a first-class river, and coastal areas with a rias coastline. The bounty of the sea brought by the Bungo Channel supports the region's fishery industry. A wide variety of fish and shellfish are caught in the area, and it is said that more than 350 species of fish are landed.
The horse mackerel has long been a popular seafood in the area. The clean water of the Bungo Channel, where the warm current of the Kuroshio Current flowing from south to north meets the cold current from the Seto Inland Sea, provides abundant food for fish. Horse mackerel grown in the Bungo Channel have a reputation for being fatty and tasty. In 2007, horse mackerel was recognized as a "city fish.
One of the local dishes using horse mackerel is "horse mackerel maruzushi. The horse mackerel is marinated in ume (plum) vinegar and wrapped in red shiso (perilla frutescens). It is characterized by the use of the whole horse mackerel. Because it is made with shiso, it can be preserved well.

Horse mackerel is readily available throughout the year. Horse mackerel maruzushi" was eaten at festive occasions and festivals. It was customary a long time ago to make a lot of "horse mackerel maru-zushi" before a festive occasion. The family members meticulously prepare the dish one by one, removing the inside bones, guts, and eyeballs, and wrapping it in shiso (a type of perilla).
Because of the time and effort required, the number of households making this dish is decreasing. However, some local restaurants still serve the dish, so it has not completely declined.

Fresh horse mackerel is cut open and seasoned with salt and vinegar. Then, the horse mackerel is filled with vinegared rice, and finally wrapped with red shiso. The entire fish is eaten from head to tail. The amount of vinegar used for the horse mackerel and sushi rice varies from household to household. It tastes better if it is left to sit rather than eaten right away so that the flavors blend. Sometimes the horse mackerel is placed in a box, covered with a lid, and weighed down on top for about half a day.

(Outline of the people who have passed down the tradition, preservation groups, use of SNS, modern efforts such as commercialization, etc.)
Since it is very time-consuming to make, there are fewer opportunities to make it at home. The taste and culture are being passed on by serving it at restaurants and guest houses.