Namazu ryori is a local specialty of the water-rich lowlands of eastern Saitama Prefecture, between the Arakawa and Edogawa rivers, made with the freshwater fish namazu (catfish). Yoshikawa City in particular is known as the 'hometown of namazu,' and a variety of preparations have been passed down there, including tempura, kabayaki (grilled and glazed), and 'tataki,' in which the flesh is minced, mixed with miso, and deep-fried. Yoshikawa prospered through river transport on the Nakagawa and Edogawa rivers connecting it to Edo, and river-fish merchants gathered there, making namazu, alongside eel, a local specialty so celebrated that people used to say, 'Don't leave Yoshikawa without eating catfish and eel.' In the Kitakawabe district of Kazo City as well, catfish tempura and other dishes rooted in the river-fish food culture of the Tone River basin remain popular, and can now be enjoyed at the dining hall of a roadside station. Known for its white, delicate flesh and distinctive texture, namazu ryori requires skillful preparation and is a Saitama delicacy typically finished by the hands of specialist river-fish restaurants.
Origin
Yoshikawa is a water-rich area with the Edogawa River to its east and the Nakagawa River to its west, and it has been a center of rice farming for well over a thousand years, celebrated even in an eastern-provinces poem in the Man'yoshu as 'Katsushika waseda' (early rice of Katsushika). In the early Muromachi period it flourished as the trading market of Shimokawabe-no-sho, and in the Edo period it developed further as a key point for river transport; river-fish merchants dealing in catfish and eel caught in the rivers lined the riverbank, and namazu ryori took root there as a local specialty. The saying 'Don't leave Yoshikawa without eating catfish and eel' has been passed down since ancient times, showing how the dish was loved even by travelers.
History
Yoshikawa's river-fish restaurants are said to have been visited by prominent figures across the generations, including Kondo Isami, Fukuda Takeo, and Nakasone Yasuhiro, and many of them, including a long-established shop said to have been founded in 1837, trace their roots to the Meiji era or earlier. As urbanization caused the catch of wild namazu to decline, the Saitama Prefectural Fisheries Experiment Station succeeded in 1993 in becoming the first in Japan to artificially breed namazu, and from 1996 fishery operators in Yoshikawa City also began aquaculture, now shipping around 2 tons a year to support the local food culture.
Features
Preparations range widely, from tempura and kabayaki to 'namazu no tataki,' in which the minced flesh is mixed with miso, rolled, and deep-fried. Some preparations use nearly the entire fish, finely chopping the backbone, head, and liver and combining them with miso so that none of the catfish goes to waste. Although the white flesh has little odor and a delicate flavor, preparing it requires skilled technique, and specialist restaurants often serve it as part of a formal kaiseki-style course.
Food Culture
Yoshikawa City promotes itself under the banner 'Namazu no Sato Yoshikawa' (Catfish Hometown Yoshikawa) and runs community-revitalization efforts such as a catfish-themed marathon, while 'namazu no tataki' made with miso is also passed down at home as a taste of the region. In the Kitakawabe district of Kazo City, it is served at roadside stations and elsewhere as part of the Tone River basin's river-fish food culture.
Famous Shops
A long-established restaurant said to have been founded over 400 years ago. The namazu kaiseki course starts at around 3,200 yen.
The namazu tempura set meal is about 1,550 yen, with options to add dishes such as deep-fried namazu tataki.
Formerly Michi-no-Eki Kitakawabe. Serves a namazu tempura set meal and vegetable kakiage with namazu tempura.