Tokyo – Ken Kawasumi depicts Mt Fuji – not on canvas but in sushi, by elaborately arranging sliced salmon, mackerel and other ingredients.
When his sushi rolls are cut, motifs of helicopters and others can be seen on their cross sections, greatly entertaining diners.
Kawasumi, 58, a teacher at a school for sushi cooks near the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, has made efforts to promote this art overseas.
“In Japanese cuisine, there is a saying that means ‘A dish’s appearance is part of its good taste. Decorative sushi is part of Japan’s ‘omotenashi’ hospitality that we can present overseas with pride,” Kawasumi said.
He began making and studying decorative sushi about 20 years ago.
Since 2006, he has given demonstrations of decorative sushi preparation in Japan and overseas.
This year, he plans to spend more of his time and energy on developing human resources at home and abroad by introducing how to make such sushi – in detail and in English – on online video streaming sites, making learning materials and more.
The Japan Deco Sushi Association in Tokyo, gives lessons on how to make “deco sushi rolls,” thick sushi rolls in which ingredients are placed to make its cross sections reveal motifs of flowers, animals and others.
According to member Emi Tsuneoka, also known as Makiko Kazari, such sushi rolls with motifs of kanji characters and flowers are traditionally made in the Boso region in Chiba Prefecture and served at celebrations and festivals.
“Deco sushi rolls” are a modern arrangement of the local dish, with a simplified cooking process so it can be prepared easily at home and also incorporating motifs, such as those of popular characters, that can entertain children, Tsuneoka said.
According to Tsuneoka, the association has trained instructors to make deco sushi rolls; currently, about 300 instructors give classes or are dispatched on request.
“As they’re visually appealing, they can be a good conversation topic at the dining table,” Tsuneoka said. “Even 3-year-old children can make them. Even if they include ingredients the children don’t like, they still feel like eating them as they make the sushi themselves.
Tsuneoka’s book, “Tsukutte tanoshii! Tabete oishii!! Makizushi” (“Sushi rolls: Fun to make, delicious to eat”), shows about 40 motifs for deco sushi rolls. The book is also available in English, and titled Deco Sushi Roll Recipe Book.
Washington Post-Bloomberg