Kure Town's 400-year-old fishing technique

Located under an hour from Kochi City by train, Kure is a retro fishing town with a long history of serving some of the best katsuo (bonito) you can find. The secret? A traditional fishing technique called ipponzuri, which dates back more than 400 years

As you can see in the top photo, skilled fishermen catch katsuo one by one with a single rod and line. In comparison to using purse seines (large nets that catch entire schools of fish), ipponzuri causes less injuries and stress to katsuo, prevents unnecessary bycatch, and alleviates risk of species endangerment because only a small portion of the population is caught at a time. Additionally, katsuo in Kure have relatively much less food mile emissions because fishing grounds are near the coast and they're sold just 5 minutes from the port by car

At Kure Taishomachi Ichiba Market, you can savor fresh, melt-in-your-mouth katsuo straight off the boat! At the family-run Tanaka Sengyoten, the fishmongers masterfully fillet and thoroughly inspect the catch to ensure its high quality. According to the shop owner, Kure’s katsuo is so delicious simply because anything less won't be served!

Learn more about Kure Town: ​​https://visitkochijapan.com/en/see-and-do/10415