Who Invented Sushi?

The answer to “who invented sushi” is not simple or linked to just one person. Instead, sushi developed over many years and across different places. Although many people now think of sushi as mainly Japanese, its story started in Southeast Asia. Back then, it was a way to keep fish safe to eat. People packed fish with rice and salt to keep it from going bad. This early method is very different from today’s small, neat pieces of sushi. Over many generations, these methods changed as they spread, until they reached Japan. There, people kept improving the idea, leading to the many kinds of sushi enjoyed all over the world now.

Who Invented Sushi?

It’s not possible to name one person as the inventor of sushi. It developed little by little, much like bread or cheese did. Sushi grew out of common ways people found to keep and prepare food. Over time, these ways were changed by different cultures and needs. In this way, sushi is a group effort, not someone’s single idea.

Was Sushi Invented by One Person or a Group?

Sushi came from many people and cultures over time, not one inventor. The first version, called narezushi, started in Southeast Asia. People there needed a way to store fish, so they would ferment fish with rice and salt. After the fish was preserved, they threw the rice away. This way of keeping fish traveled across Asia, changing a bit with each place it reached. When the process made it to Japan, it changed even more. Japanese cooks started to keep and eat the rice too. Eventually, the preserved fish grew into a special food where the rice and fish were both important. So, sushi is the combined work of many cultures, not a single person.

Common Myths about Sushi’s Invention

• Many think sushi started in Japan and always had raw fish, but that isn’t true. The original goal was to preserve fish, and the first sushi was fermented, not raw.
• Another common mistake is believing “sushi” means “raw fish.” In fact, sushi is about the sour, seasoned rice. The rice matters more than the fish in the definition of sushi.
• The quick, freshly made sushi we see now, especially nigirizushi, only began in Japan about 200 years ago during the Edo period.

Is Sushi from Japan or China?

Sushi is now strongly tied to Japanese cooking, but its early forms started in Southeast Asia and then spread to China. The earliest sushi was narezushi, possibly from the Mekong River area. Early records in China from the 4th century mention this food. The Han Chinese picked up this way of preserving from other groups in the south. Over time, many Asian countries developed their own dishes using fish, rice, and fermentation-such as in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Soon after, this idea made its way to Japan. Japanese cooks greatly improved it there. They started eating the rice as part of the meal and swapped out the long fermentation with added vinegar for flavor. This made sushi faster to prepare and gave us many of the popular types people know today. So while the basic idea came from places in Southeast Asia and China, the sushi we see all over the world now was shaped mostly in Japan.

When and Where Did Sushi Begin?

Sushi’s story starts a very long time ago, before refrigerators existed. People needed a way to preserve fish so it wouldn’t spoil in warm climates.

Early Sushi in Ancient Southeast Asia

The first kind of sushi, narezushi, is thought to have started in the Mekong River area (now Laos, Cambodia, Thailand) and the Irrawaddy River area (now Myanmar) as early as the 5th to 3rd century BC. People would clean and salt their fish, then pack it with cooked rice. The rice would ferment and release acids that, along with the salt, kept the fish safe to eat. The rice itself wasn’t eaten – it just kept the fish fresh. This smart method let families store fish for months or even years before fridges were invented.

Sushi Comes to Japan

This way of keeping fish reached Japan during the Yayoi period, which is when wet rice farming began there. At first, Japanese people used it just as a way to preserve fish. But by the Muromachi period (1336-1573), they started eating the rice with the fish, turning preserved fish into a dish of rice and fish together. This was a big step towards the sushi we see now.

How Did Sushi Change Over Time?

The history of sushi is a story of change and improvement, from a food made mainly to keep fish from spoiling, to a dish enjoyed for its taste and style.

Narezushi: The Earliest Sushi

Narezushi was the first style of sushi. It focused only on keeping fish from going bad. After long fermentation in rice and salt, the rice was thrown away and only the fish was eaten. This slow process could take months or even years, making the fish taste and smell strong. Narezushi stayed popular for a long time, and a rare form called funazushi-made from a local fish in Lake Biwa, Japan-follows this process even today. Funazushi is famous for its strong flavor and long aging.

Namanare and Hayazushi: New Styles Appear

• Namanare: During the Muromachi period, people invented namanare, which means “partly fermented.” The time for fermenting was shorter, and the rice was now eaten along with the fish. This made the food taste less sour and more enjoyable.
• Hayazushi: In the Edo period (1603-1867), hayazushi was created. This “quick sushi” removed the need for fermentation by mixing vinegar into the rice for a sour taste. Chefs put fresh fish on top, and the dish was ready to eat right away. Most of today’s well-known sushi types, like chirashizushi, makizushi, inarizushi, and nigirizushi, came from these changes.

The Start of Modern Sushi in Edo

The Edo period was a major turning point. With the new method of using vinegar, sushi became quick and easy to make. This was perfect for busy city life in Edo (now Tokyo). Nigirizushi-hand-shaped rice topped with fish-became very popular, allowing people to enjoy tasty food on the go. Edo’s location next to the sea provided plenty of fresh seafood, helping sushi become a favorite in Japanese daily life.

Who Helped Shape Modern Sushi?

Sushi mostly came about through shared habits and changes over time, but one person played a big part in how we eat modern sushi.

Hanaya Yohei and Nigirizushi

Hanaya Yohei (1799-1858) is often credited with inventing nigirizushi in the early 1800s. He set up a food stand in Edo, close to fresh fish markets. Yohei used freshly cooked rice mixed with vinegar and salt, then pressed by hand, topped with slices of fresh fish. This took only minutes to make. Sushi became affordable, tasty, and easy for people to take with them. Soon, many similar shops opened, and nigirizushi became the standard for what people call sushi today. While the pieces were bigger back then and the vinegar had a different taste, Yohei’s idea of putting together fresh fish with vinegared rice is the reason modern sushi is so popular worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sushi’s History

How Old Is Sushi?

• First, the method using rice to preserve fish began roughly 2,300-2,500 years ago (5th-3rd century BC).
• People started eating the rice with the fish in Japan during the Muromachi period (about 600-700 years ago).
• The sushi with vinegared rice and raw fish seen today started in the Edo period (200-400 years ago).

So, while the food preservation technique is thousands of years old, recognizable sushi dishes are much newer.

What Is the Oldest Kind of Sushi Still Made?

*Funazushi* is the oldest type still being prepared. It is made in Shiga Prefecture near Lake Biwa, using a unique kind of goldfish. The process takes years: the fish is packed with salt, aged for up to a year, then placed in rice and fermented for up to four years more. The result is very strong-smelling and sharp-tasting. The Kitamura family has been making funazushi since 1619. This dish gives us an idea of what ancient sushi was like a long time ago.