Common name: Kobi Squid

Japanese name: Himejindoika (姫神頭烏賊、姫磁頭烏賊)

Scientific name: Loliolus sumatrensis (d’Orbigny, 1837)

Nigiri sushi detail: Kobi Squid (Himejindoika) Nigiri sushi

Characteristics:

Kobi Squid (Himejindoika) is distributed in the Seto Inland Sea and Kyushu. Some of them grow to a mantle length of only about 10 cm. Himejindoika are similar to Japanese Squid (Jindoika), but are slightly slimmer and have a reddish body color. Jindoika and Himejindoika are especially common in the Seto Inland Sea.

Cuttlefish with body lengths of about 15 cm or less, such as Jindoika, Himejindoika, Beika, Kensakiika, and Yariiki, which have standard Japanese names, are easily mistaken for the smaller Jindoika species. In other words, they could be substitutes.

Himejindoika is very small, somewhat watery, and soft. The skin is easy to remove.  It tastes very good, as does Jindoika, and is inexpensive.