The history of sushi in Japan began around the 8th century. The original type of sushi was first developed in Southeast Asia as a means of preserving fish in fermented rice. In the Muromachi period (1337 to 1573), people began to eat the rice as well as the fish. During the Edo period (1603 and 1868), vinegar rather than lacto-fermentation was used to sour the rice. In modern times, it is an early form of fast food strongly associated with Japanese culture.

The original type of sushi, known today as narezushi (fermented sushi), was first developed in Southeast Asia and spread to south China before introduced to Japan sometime around the 8th century. Narezushi was made of gutted fish stored in traditional fermented rice for months for preservation. The fermentation of the rice prevented the fish from spoiling. The fermented rice was discarded and fish was the only part consumed. This early type of sushi became an important source of protein for the Japanese.

The Japanese preferred to eat fish with rice, known as namanare or namanari (semi-fermented). During the Muromachi period namanare was the most popular type of sushi.This was partly raw fish wrapped in rice, consumed fresh, before it changed flavor. No longer was this a form of preservation fish but rather a new dish in Japanese cuisine.

During the Edo period, a third type of sushi was introduced, haya-zushi (fast sushi). Haya-zushi was assembled so that both rice and fish could be consumed at the same time, and the dish became unique to Japanese culture. It was the first time that rice was not being used for fermentation. Rice was now mixed with vinegar, fish, vegetables and dried food stuff added. This type of sushi is still very popular today, each region utilizes local flavors to produce a variety of sushi that has been passed down for many generations.

When Tokyo was still known as Edo in the early 19th century, mobile food stalls run by street vendors became popular. During this period nigiri sushi was introduced, consisting of an oblong mound of rice with a slice of fish draped over it. After the Great Kanto earthquake in 192, nigiri sushi chefs were displaced from Edo throughout Japan, popularizing the dish throughout the country.

Today the sushi dish internationally known as "sushi" (nigiri zushi), a fast food invented by Hanaya Yohei (1799–1858) in Tokyo. People in Tokyo were living in haste even a hundred years ago. The nigiri zushi invented by Hanaya was not fermented and could be eaten using the fingers or chopsticks. It was an early form of fast food that could be eaten in public or in the theater.

Funazushi

Funazushi is a rare type of narezushi still prepared near lake Biwa, Shiga prefecture. Eighteen generations of the Kitamura family have been preparing the dish at Kitashina since 1619.

Fresh funa are scaled and gutted through their gills keeping the body (and often the roe) of the fish intact. The fish are then packed with salt and aged for a year before being repacked annually in rice for up to four years. The resulting fermented dish may be served sliced thin or used as an ingredient in other dishes.

The authentic funazushi is made from one particular species called nigorobuna (Carassius auratus grandoculis) unique to the lake. It is thus quite misleading to say "crucian carp" is used, as if any old funa type carp in the genus (or the European species) may be randomly used. It is true that due to reduced catch in recent years, certain native species are starting to be substituted.

Appearances in the West

The Oxford English Dictionary notes the earliest written mention of sushi in an 1893 book, Japanese Interiors, where it mentions that "Domestics served us with tea and sushi or rice sandwiches". However, there is also mention of sushi in a Japanese-English dictionary from 1873, and an 1879 article on Japanese cookery in the journal Notes and Queries.

A report of sushi being consumed in Britain occurred when the then Prince Akihito (born 1933) visited Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation in May 1953. In America in September 1953, Prince Akihito is noted with serving sushi at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, hosted by Ambassador Eikichi Araki (1891–1959).

Sushi was first introduced to the United States in the mid-1960s, possibly at the Kawafuku restaurant in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles. The California roll was invented in Los Angeles, by substituting a slice of avocado for the seasonal toro (fatty tuna) in a traditional maki roll.

Sushi in Japan

The earliest reference to sushi in Japan appeared in 718 in the Yoro Code (Yoro-Ritsuryo).  Of which, an item was written down as zakonosushi or zatsunosushi. However, there is no way to know what this "sushi" was or even how it was pronounced. By the 9th and 10th century, they are read as "sushi". This sushi was similar to today's Narezushi.

For almost the next 800 years, until the early 19th century, sushi slowly changed and the Japanese cuisine changed as well. The Japanese started eating three meals a day, rice was boiled instead of steamed, and most important of all, rice vinegar was invented. While sushi continued to be produced by fermentation of fish with rice, the time of fermentation was gradually decreased and the rice used began to be eaten along with the fish. In the Muromachi period, the process of producing Oshizushi was gradually developed where in the fermentation process was abandoned and vinegar was used instead. Sushi was also sold in parks, near theaters as a type of Bento.

There were three famous sushi restaurants in Edo, Matsunozushi, Yoheizushi, and Kenukizushi, but there were thousands more sushi restaurants. They were established within twenty years at the start of the 19th century. Nigirizushi was an instant hit and it spread through Edo like wildfire. In the book Morisadamanko published in 1852, the author writes that for an acre hectare (10,000 square meters) section of Edo there were one or two sushi restaurants.

These early nigirizushi were not identical to today's varieties. Fish meat was marinated in soy sauce or vinegar or heavily salted so there was no need to dip into soy sauce. Some fish was cooked before it was put onto a sushi. This was partly out of necessity as there were no refrigerators. Each piece was also larger, almost the size of two pieces of today's sushi.

The advent of modern refrigeration allowed sushi made of raw fish to reach more consumers than ever before, and the late 20th century saw sushi gaining in popularity all over the world.