[About Kanpyo]

Do you like “kanpyo-maki,” the kanpyo seaweed rolls found in sushi? For me, it is a food that feels like a slightly sweet snack and reminds me of my grandmother's favorite treat. Among the thin rolls that can be eaten as a light snack, there are also “kappa-maki” (cucumber) and “takuan-maki” (pickled radish). I like them very much because they are refreshing and perfect as a palate cleanser. While kanpyo rolls are a staple in the Kanto region, I hear they are not as familiar in Kansai, Kyushu, or Shikoku. For those who have not tried them yet, they are a classic example of Edomae sushi that I would definitely like you to taste at least once.

Kanpyo (dried gourd shavings) is not only an essential ingredient for “futo-maki” (thick rolls) and “chirashi-zushi,” but also for “eho-maki” (fortune rolls). The kanpyo in eho-maki carries the meaning of “longevity” because it is thin and long. Although it is thin and flexible, it does not easily break even when simmered, making it useful as an edible “string.” It plays a key supporting role in the kitchen, used for tying “konbu-maki” (kelp rolls), “age-kinchaku” (fried tofu pouches), and cabbage rolls.

In the world of Edomae sushi during the Edo period, “norimaki” referred specifically to kanpyo rolls. It was the stylish “Edokko” (Edoite) way to eat rolls as a finisher after the nigiri sushi. The name “Sukeroku-zushi,” which combines inari sushi and kanpyo rolls, hides a witty play on words. It was born from an Edo-style pun, combining “age” (fried tofu) and “maki” (seaweed roll) by associating them with the names of the protagonist Sukeroku and his lover, the oiran Agemaki, from the Kabuki play “Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Sakura.” It is said to have gained popularity as a bento during Kabuki intermissions.

In the past, kanpyo was also used as food for training in temples and as an ingredient for dashi in the vegetarian cuisine (shojin ryori) of court nobles and samurai families. In “Ryori Monogatari” (1643), an early Edo period cookbook that concisely summarizes materials and cooking methods of daily dishes collected through word of mouth, it is recorded that “kanpyo, kelp, dried knotweed, glutinous rice, dried turnip, and dried radish are a good combination,” showing that umami was extracted from kanpyo.

The raw material for kanpyo is a plant called “yugao” (bottle gourd). It was named so because it blooms white flowers similar to morning glories in the evening and withers the following morning. In “The Tale of Genji,” a woman called “Yugao no Kimi” appears. The waka poem she composed for Hikaru Genji, “I gaze at the flower, wondering if it might be you—the yugao, glowing with the light of the white dew,” is derived from this flower.

Yugao is a member of the cucurbit family, like cucumbers and bitter gourds. The raw material for kanpyo is the fruit of the “maru-yugao,” a giant circular vegetable that grows to about 30 cm in diameter and weighs 10 to 20 kg or more, larger and heavier than a large watermelon. Kanpyo is made by shaving this giant fruit into thin, long strips, like peeling a daikon radish (katsuramuki), and then drying them. There are theories of its introduction from China and legends of Empress Jingu; it spread to Tochigi via Omi during the Edo period. Today, it is a specialty of Tochigi Prefecture, which accounts for over 90% of domestic production.

The charm of kanpyo lies in its simple taste, light texture, and a personality that does not overstate itself. From Edomae sushi to home-style simmered dishes, it is an essential supporting ingredient that has been passed down through the ages.

Kiya's Sushimaki
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/sushimaki.html

References
https://colbase.nich.go.jp/collection_items/tnm/A-10569-7130
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/干瓢巻き
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/かんぴょう
https://www.kanpyo.jp/basic/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/料理物語
https://www.kabuki-za.co.jp/syoku/2/no228.html
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ユウガオ
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/夕顔_(源氏物語)
https://www.motoji.co.jp/blogs/reading/genji2024_08
https://www.goodcross.com/words/20220-2019
https://urahyoji.com/crops-kanpyo-d/