Furikake is said to have been invented in several places from the Taisho Era to the early Showa Era, but the date of May 6, established by the International Furikake Association (IFA) as “Furikake Day,” is not a play on words, but a reference to the birthday of Suekichi Yoshimaru, a pharmacist in Kumamoto Prefecture who is called “the originator of furikake,” in 1887. Mr. Yoshimaru was a pharmacist in Kumamoto Prefecture and is known as the “originator of furikake” (sprinkled seasoning).
In the Taisho era (1912-1926), Mr. Yoshimaru invented “Gohan-no Tomo” (friend of rice), in which fish bones are crushed and served over rice to compensate for a lack of calcium. Because of its high preservability, it was also used as a military food.
Japanese rice consumption has dropped by more than half over the past half century. This means that the consumption of rice has been rapidly declining. However, the consumption of furikake, which is sprinkled over rice, has conversely increased, with the market size exceeding 50 billion yen according to a survey by Fuji Keizai. It can be said that furikake has firmly taken root in the Japanese diet by expanding the target market from products with a strong image for children to adults as well.
