Kidai Shoran (detail) © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art Museum, National Museums in Berlin), former collection of Hans-Joachim and Inge Küster, gift of Manfred Bohms 2002, photography: Tadao Kodaira

27Making kamaboko fish cakes

Samurai families used fish cakes as gifts, shown here being made in a shop near the fish markets. This shop is the Kanmo store, still in business today in Nihonbashi’s Muromachi district. Their signature hanpen is made by grinding the flesh of fresh shark and straining it to produce a fine texture.

Kanmo