According to the records of the Obama clan, my ancestors have been in Obama since the Edo period, 400 years ago. They were not fishmongers but traveling chefs. In the old days, people used to do all their weddings, funerals, and ceremonies at home, so the traveling chefs would bring a set of knives, cooking implements, and dishes with them, and cook catered meals in the kitchen of the house. After the Meiji era (1868-1912), they started a fish shop and dealt mainly in fresh fish. Since the post-war period in the Showa era (1926-1989) to the present, we have been mainly engaged in processing fish such as pickled sea bream.

The main ingredient of pickled red sea bream is lotus root. It brings out the flavor. The first "sasazuke of sea bream" was made in the late Meiji era. It is said that the original idea came from the Warring States period, when Kyogoku Takaji, the lord of the time, sent salted and pickled fish to various feudal lords. It evolved into the current "pickled sea bream" and spread rapidly in the 1960s. I am particular about purchasing the best ingredients possible. Since it is a semi-raw product, the freshness of the ingredients is paramount. The star of the show is the sea bream, and all we do is help bring out its flavor.