Konowata

Lore & Background

Konowata has a long recorded history in Japan. The Engishiki, established in 927, lists 'one koku of sea cucumber intestines' among tribute from Noto Province. The 15th-century Ninagawa Chikamoto Diary mentions that Hatakeyama Yoshimune presented Ashikaga Yoshimasa with 'one hundred tubs of sea gut' as a gift. A recipe for making konowata appears as a secret recipe in the cookbook Shijoryu-Houchou-sho from around 1489. In 1522, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiharu ate konowata when he attended the Gion Festival. The 16th-century Diary of Odachi Joko records that warlord Hatakeyama Yoshifusa gave konowata as a New Year's gift in 1539. In 1583, Sen no Rikyū provided konowata in a kaiseki meal to Araki Murashige. The Muromachi-dono Diary describes Toyotomi Hideyoshi receiving konowata as a gift and having a waka poem composed about it. In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu presented konowata to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. In 1635, konowata was served for breakfast when Date Masamune entertained Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Reader's Guide

Konowata is made from the intestines of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. The manufacturing process begins by keeping sea cucumbers in a fish tank in the sea for about two days to allow excretion of food residue and feces. A small cut is made on the ventral side near the mouth, and the internal organs are pulled out. The intestines are squeezed to remove sand, then separated into the intestinal tract, respiratory tree (called 'the second part of the sea squirt intestine'), gonads, and sandy mud. The intestines are rinsed in seawater, drained, and mixed with a little more than 10% salt by weight. They are ready to eat in two to three days. Konowata is often served on hot rice, sometimes with a quail's egg. It can be added to hot sake to make konowata-zake, or cut into pieces and added to thin soup or miso soup to make konowata-jiru. The Honcho-Shokkan (1697) notes that well-made konowata is yellow like amber, while inferior ones have black or white foreign matter. It states that Owari and Mikawa products were considered the best, and that a monk in Mikawa who was skilled at making konowata helped establish that region's reputation. During the Edo period, the Maeda clan of Kaga Domain declared processed sea cucumbers a government monopoly. The Wakan Sansai Zue describes konowata as fragrant and a perfect snack for winter and spring, but notes that after New Year's it becomes too salty to eat.

Did You Know?

• Konowata is made from sea cucumber intestines and is classified as a type of shiokara (fermented salted seafood).
• The earliest known reference to konowata is in the Engishiki of 927 CE, listing it as tribute from Noto Province.
• The 1697 Honcho-Shokkan states that well-made konowata is yellow like amber, while inferior versions contain black or white foreign matter.