A Sushi Style Guide: From Edo Street Food to Modern Nigiri and Rolls

I learned to love sushi the way Tokyo does: early, fast, and with my hands. Modern sushi was invented in Edo—modern-day Tokyo—in the 19th century. It started as street food sold from carts, shops, and theater concession stands. Every form is meant to be eaten with the hands, though chopsticks are perfectly acceptable. I keep a picture in my mind of a stall near Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, where sushi is eaten as intended: fresh, quick, no frills, no plates, and seriously delicious—even at 6 a.m. In 2026, that same spirit still guides the best sushi counters and home kitchens I visit.

Makizushi: The Rolls I Reach For Most

The most ubiquitous and approachable form in restaurants today is makizushi, or wrapped sushi. I make it by rolling seasoned rice and a filling inside a sheet of nori with a bamboo rolling mat. Thick rolls with multiple ingredients are futomaki, fat rolls. The California roll is a classic American example, using crab or surimi, while in Japan the fillings are typically a mix of vegetables and pickles chosen for complementary colors and flavors. Thin rolls with a single ingredient are hosomaki, skinny rolls. The two most classic are tekkamaki, tuna rolls, and kappamaki, cucumber rolls, which I often eat as a palate-cleansing intermediary between different varieties of fish.

The absolute simplest form to make is temaki, the hand roll. It consists of a half sheet of nori wrapped into a cone shape around sumeshi and several fillings. Those fillings run from vegetables and pickles to raw and cooked fish, or chopped tartares like spicy tuna or salmon. Often the chef seasons them before serving. If I eat an unseasoned roll, I dip only the corner of the nori to be bitten lightly into soy sauce, so as not to saturate the rice. As with futomaki, contrasting colors, textures, and flavors are essential.

Nigiri: The Chef's True Test

Made by draping pieces of sliced raw or cooked fish, shellfish, omelet, or occasionally meat over an oblong block of sushi rice, nigiri is the form by which I judge a sushi chef. It requires the most precise knife skills and the most demanding shaping technique of any style. Despite lacking a nori wrapper, nigirizushi is designed as a finger food, and it is perfectly acceptable to pick it up with my hands. When I eat it, I lightly dip the edge of the fish in soy sauce—never the rice, which can fall apart if moistened—and consume the entire piece in one or two bites, without returning it to the plate between bites.

Inarizushi and Chakin-Zushi: Sweet Tofu Pouches

Inarizushi starts with frying a thin shell of tofu skin, then chilling it and marinating it in a sweet sauce. The tofu pouches are slit open and stuffed with sumeshi and various other ingredients. Some common varieties include reconstituted shiitakes, sesame seeds, or umeboshi, pickled Japanese plums, though really any vegetables can be added. When the fried tofu pouch is replaced by a thinly cooked omelette, it becomes chakin-zushi. I can buy tofu pouches fried, marinated, and ready to stuff at most Japanese supermarkets.

Oshizushi: Osaka's Pressed Treasure

The closest commonly consumed modern relative to the original narezushi, or fermented sushi, is oshizushi, a specialty of Osaka. To make it, ingredients such as pickled mackerel, raw fish, or vegetables are placed in the bottom of a wooden bamboo mold with a removable top and bottom. Sumeshi is then packed on top and firmly compressed into a tight block. After un-molding, the packed rice and toppings are sliced into bite-sized pieces. Often, I add an extra middle layer of ingredients or nori for flavor or decorative effect.

Chirashizushi: Scattered Sushi for a Crowd

Chirashizushi translates as scattered sushi. It is made by adding multiple contrasting ingredients directly on top of a bed of sumeshi, and it is traditionally served in small lacquered boxes. Because of its minimal preparation and simple technique, it is the most common form of sushi served in the home, and it is great for feeding a crowd. At restaurants, chirashizushi topped solely with raw fish is not uncommon, though in homes I usually make it with thinly sliced omelet, shreds of nori, various raw, cooked, and pickled vegetables like cucumber, carrots, and lotus root, occasionally cooked or raw fish, particularly shrimp or fish cake, and a sprinkling of tobiko, seasoned flying fish roe.

A Quick 2026 Style Guide

Style	Japanese Name	What I Notice First
Wrapped rolls	Makizushi	Nori, rice, and fillings rolled tight
Fat rolls	Futomaki	Multiple ingredients, bright colors
Skinny rolls	Hosomaki	One filling, clean flavor
Hand rolls	Temaki	Crisp cone, eat immediately
Finger sushi	Nigiri	Fish over shaped rice, chef's skill
Tofu pouches	Inarizushi	Sweet, juicy fried tofu skin
Pressed sushi	Oshizushi	Dense, layered, Osaka-style
Scattered sushi	Chirashizushi	A bowl or box of many toppings

I think sushi's genius is that it can be simple or complex, humble or luxurious, and still taste clean and deliberate. In 2026, I see these forms everywhere, from high-end counters to grocery aisles. Yet the best bites still follow the old rules: use your hands if you like, season with restraint, and eat each piece soon after it is made. Whether I am standing at a market stall at dawn or packing a lunch box at home, sushi remains a quiet lesson in balance. 🍣