Edomae Cuisine: A Guide to Tokyo-Style Sushi & Seafood

Sushi, tempura, and unagi no kabayaki (grilled eel)—three pillars of Japanese cuisine—took recognizable form 200–300 years ago, when Tokyo was still called Edo. Today, you can find them nationwide, but the styles historically diverged between Kanto (the Tokyo-centered east

area) and Kansai (the Osaka-centered west region). The Tokyo lineage is singled out as Edomae sushi, Edomae tempura, and Edomae unagi to mark the difference.

Used as a prefix, Edomae first means “in the Edo/Tokyo style.” At the same time, it literally refers to the waters “in front of Edo”—the sea that once spread before Edo Castle, i.e., modern Tokyo Bay—and to the seafood taken from it.

Originally, Edomae sushi, tempura, and unagi no kabayaki were made with seafood landed from Edo’s own bay. Over time, techniques evolved and tastes refined, and these dishes grew into beloved staples of washoku (Japanese cuisine), enjoyed not only in Japan but also around the world.

Look at Tokyo Bay today, which has been reclaimed and modernized, and you might not immediately imagine a rich fishery. Catches have indeed fallen to roughly a tenth of their peak. Even so, the bay still lands just under 20,000 tons of seafood a year, representing around 300 species, including cutlassfish, flounder, octopus, conger eel, and mantis shrimp, which are facts that even many Japanese do not realize.

In this article, we’ll explore what every enthusiast should know to better savor washoku the Edomae way: a brief history of fisheries on Edo/Tokyo’s waterfront and its ecosystem, and a closer look at the birth and evolution of Edomae sushi, the standard-bearer of the style today.

From the early 17th century to the late 19th century, Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate—a samurai government that unified the entire country for more than 260 years. Its founder, Tokugawa Ieyasu, established his military government in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) in 1603, laying the foundation for what would become Japan’s political and cultural heart. Determined to transform Edo into a city worthy of that status, Ieyasu and his successors introduced a series of far-reaching reforms and development policies.

One of their key concerns was food security. By the early 18th century, Edo had grown into one of the world’s largest metropolises, home to over one million residents—including samurai living in the castle compounds, nobles in their grand estates, and ordinary townspeople. Feeding such a vast population required a reliable supply of fresh fish, leading the shogunate to actively promote the fishing industry.

However, local fishermen in Edo lacked the advanced techniques necessary to meet the city’s growing appetite. To solve this, the government invited skilled fishing communities from northwestern Osaka, known for their cutting-edge methods, to relocate to Edo. These fishermen were granted special privileges and protection, ensuring their success. Their migration inspired others from western Japan, particularly from the Wakayama region, to travel east and fish in Edo Bay and the surrounding seas.

These newcomers brought with them the refined Western Japan–style fishing techniques that would revolutionize Edo’s coastal waters. Some eventually settled permanently in the Kanto area, bridging regional traditions and reshaping local culture. Stimulated by these developments, large-scale commercial fishing finally took root in Edo’s waters.

During the Edo period, the many rivers flowing into Edo Bay—most notably the Tama and Sumida Rivers—served as rich arteries feeding the sea with nutrients. These nutrients sustained plankton, which in turn nourished small fish, and then larger species, forming a vibrant marine food chain. As a result, Edo’s coastal waters teemed with well-nourished, flavorful seafood. A book published in 1735, Zoku Edo-sago (Onko Meiseki-shi), which describes Edo’s natural and cultural landscape, noted that “the horse mackerel caught in Edo’s sea are plump and of excellent quality, as are many other fish.”

Edo Bay offered both shallow and deep-water habitats. Warm currents from the outer sea flowed inward, while the brackish estuaries near the river mouths showed subtle gradations in salinity. Sediment carried by the rivers created expansive tidal flats, producing a wide range of environments where countless marine species could thrive.

Along the coast and rivers, fishermen caught black sea bream, flounder, flathead, sea bass, sillago, greenling, halfbeak, gizzard shad, conger eel, octopus, squid, shrimp, crab, icefish, and eel. In the inner bay, there were sea bream, croaker, grunt fish, mackerel, yellowtail, Spanish mackerel, horse mackerel, sardine, saury, tuna, and anglerfish. The tidal flats yielded abundant clams, cockles, and surf clams. By the Meiji era (1868–1912 CE), official records listed as many as 128 species harvested from Edo’s sea.

What is particularly fascinating is how the hierarchy of seafood differed from today. Refined white-fleshed fish such as sea bream, flounder, sea bass, and icefish were considered the most luxurious. Among them, sea bream held the highest prestige—an essential dish for celebratory banquets of the shogunate and the samurai elite. The icefish, favored by Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, was reportedly so prized that during his lifetime it was reserved exclusively for the shogun’s household.

In contrast, tuna, now one of Japan’s most sought-after delicacies, was regarded as a humble fish in Edo. Before local waters began yielding large catches, Edo’s tuna came mainly from the distant coasts of Iwate and Miyagi. The long transport inevitably reduced freshness, diminishing its value. Moreover, Edo’s citizens preferred fish with a clean, delicate flavor, and the fatty flesh of tuna—especially the toro—was often dismissed as greasy and unrefined.

Ultimately, the abundance of fresh, high-quality seafood from Edo Bay inspired cooks to explore new ways of savoring the ocean’s bounty. Out of this pursuit emerged the enduring culinary icons of Edo—sushi, tempura, and grilled eel—dishes that continue to define Japanese cuisine today.

Earlier, we mentioned that seafood caught in the waters stretching before Edo Castle—today’s Tokyo Bay—came to be known as “Edomae,” literally meaning “in front of Edo.” Among all the seafood bearing this name, the eel was the first to be called Edomae.

Although eels are generally known as freshwater fish, they spawn and hatch in the ocean before swimming upstream into rivers, allowing them to be caught in both saltwater and freshwater environments.

During the Edo period, large numbers of eels were caught near the mouth of the Sumida River, one of the key waterways that supported Edo’s bustling network of transport and trade, as well as in the brackish inner bay where river water met the sea. The locals began referring to these eels as Edomae, distinguishing them from those caught elsewhere—an origin story for the now-famous term that would later define Edo’s seafood culture.

In the early 18th century, Edo chefs developed a distinct way of preparing eel: they would split it from the back, remove the spine, skewer the fillet, then grill it over an open flame, steam it, and finally coat it with a soy-based glaze before giving it a final char. This method, still used today, became known as unagi no kabayaki—grilled eel with a glossy, savory-sweet finish.

The dish became immensely popular. Many restaurants proudly hung noren—traditional fabric curtains printed not with the word “eel,” but with “Edomae”—at their entrances, signaling to passersby that what awaited inside was the true taste of Edo.

(Noren: a traditional Japanese shop curtain hung at the entrance, often bearing the store’s name or emblem. It serves both practical and symbolic purposes, marking the threshold of hospitality.)

Following the example of unagi no kabayaki, another dish came to carry the proud label “Edomae”—Edomae-zushi, or Edo-style sushi. According to one account, it emerged in the early 19th century, during the late Edo period.

Before the arrival of Edomae-zushi, sushi in Japan was a completely different creation. The earliest forms included narezushi, made by fermenting river fish such as sweetfish or crucian carp with rice over a long period, andoshizushi, prepared by layering thinly sliced fish over rice in a wooden mold and pressing it with weights. Both required time and patience.

The sushi that appeared in Edo, however, was something entirely new—a culinary revolution. Instead of fermenting or pressing, the chef placed a small portion of rice in the palm, topped it with a slice of seafood, and shaped it quickly with the fingers. This nigirizushi was served immediately, fresh, and ready to eat on the spot.

Designed to suit the impatient and fast-moving townspeople of Edo, Edomae nigirizushi was sold from street stalls, often eaten standing, and served as an early form of fast food. Each piece costs between four and eight mon, roughly equivalent to 100–200 yen today—affordable enough for anyone to enjoy.

Much like grilled eel before it, this new sushi style became an instant sensation. Before long, countless stalls and restaurants across Edo began serving Edomae-zushi, each embracing its distinctive techniques and flavors.

One of the defining traits of early Edomae-zushi was its use of pre-seasoned and pre-cooked toppings, known as tane. Common ingredients included tamago-yaki (thick omelet), abalone, soy-marinated tuna sashimi, ebi soboro (seasoned minced shrimp), sea bream, gizzard shad, icefish, and octopus.

In an era without reliable refrigeration, preservation was a practical necessity. To keep seafood fresh longer, each topping was treated in advance—marinated in vinegar or salt, simmered, or soaked in soy sauce. These methods not only prevented spoilage but also added layers of flavor.

Because the toppings were already seasoned, diners did not dip their sushi in soy sauce as we do today. The taste was balanced and complete from the chef’s hand to the customer’s bite.

This red vinegar was affordable yet naturally rich in both sweetness and umami, giving the rice a subtle depth of flavor without the need for added sugar. It became the defining seasoning of Edo-style sushi rice and remains a symbol of its understated elegance.

In its early days, Edomae-zushi was also considered a hearty meal for laborers, which may explain why some shops served sushi pieces two to three times larger than those we see today. Eventually, to make them easier to eat, these oversized pieces began to be cut in half.

Later, chefs refined both the appearance and the eating experience by shaping the rice and toppings into bite-sized portions, offering two matching pieces per serving, a style that came to be known as nikan-zuke, or “served in pairs.”

Born and perfected in Edo, Edomae-zushi spread throughout Japan after two major historical events: the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the end of World War II in 1945. Following the destruction of Tokyo, many sushi chefs relocated across the country, opening their own shops and introducing Edo-style sushi to new regions. Through this migration, what began as a distinctly Edo creation became a national cuisine.

From the Meiji era onward, the form of Edomae-zushi gradually evolved. Today, it is common for sushi to feature raw, unseasoned seafood, similar to sashimi, sourced not only from Tokyo Bay but from all over Japan—and even overseas. Sugar, once a rare luxury, is now routinely added to the vinegared rice, giving it a milder sweetness.

Meanwhile, the street stalls that once defined Edomae-zushi disappeared around 1926, as new public health and traffic regulations came into effect. As sushi moved indoors into permanent establishments, it gradually took on an air of refinement and became associated with fine dining. Yet by the 1960s, the rise of takeout sushi and kaiten-zushi (conveyor-belt sushi) brought it back to the public in an affordable, casual form—completing a full circle to its origins as the everyday food of Edo’s common people.

Before closing, it’s worth remembering the indispensable role of Japanese seasonings—the quiet architects behind the creation of countless seafood dishes in Edo, from unagi no kabayaki to nigirizushi.

One of the most defining condiments was koikuchi shoyu, or dark soy sauce, still widely used in Tokyo and eastern Japan today. Darker in color and richer in aroma than the lighter soy sauce preferred in western Japan, it is said to have been introduced in the late 17th to early 18th century by fishermen from the Wakayama region who traveled east in search of sardines. Production later took root in Shimosa Province (modern-day northern Chiba Prefecture), just east of Edo. From there, barrels of soy sauce were shipped to Edo, where its deep fragrance proved perfect for masking the briny odor of fish—an ideal match for the city’s seafood-based cuisine.

By the 19th century, as domestically produced sugar became more accessible, Edo cooks began blending it with dark soy sauce to create the now-iconic sweet-and-salty flavor. This combination soon became a hallmark of Tokyo-style cooking. Dishes such as nitsuke—fish simmered in sweetened soy sauce—and tsukudani, small fish preserved in the same glaze, became beloved staples of Edo dining.

Another notable innovation was Edo sweet miso, said to have originated from an order by Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, who requested a miso “as sweet as Kyoto’s Saikyo miso.” Made with a higher ratio of rice malt, this miso had a gentle sweetness and effectively neutralized the strong aroma of seafood.

Meanwhile, the Edomae tradition, born and refined along these very shores, has endured. Though methods have shifted with the times, the core has been carefully preserved for centuries in Japan, and its influence now extends abroad, delighting diners around the world. If we find value in these dishes and wish to keep enjoying them, it’s worth learning what they share at the root: Edomae itself. Understanding that essence deepens the pleasure.