What is Tsuma?

In Japanese cuisine, “Tsuma” refers to ingredients that are added to sashimi, soup dishes, and other dishes to enhance their color and flavor. Many people think that the shredded daikon radish served with sashimi is “Tsuma.” However, this is actually called “Ashirai,” and depending on how it is cut and where it is placed, it is classified into three types: “Tsuma,” “Ken,” and “Yakumi.”

More specifically, Tsuma itself can also be categorized into three types.

One is Shikitsuma (pronounced ‘shikizuma’ in Japanese) which consists of things like green shiso and cucumber leaves that sashimi is laid on. Another is Metsuma (pronounced ‘mezuma’ in Japanese) which is made from aome and murame. The final is Tatetsuma (pronounced ‘tatezuma’ in Japanese) used to prop sashimi up like hanahojiso and hanamaru kyuri (花丸胡瓜又は花付き胡瓜). All Tsuma is served to bring out the charm of sashimi.

One point of note is that the most commonly used shikitsuma, green shiso, is occasionally used to obstruct fragrances that are too strong for white fish and shellfish like flatfish and flounder. Furthermore, it’s a rule that shikitsuma, which is a leaf, is not used on plates shaped like a leaf, but what is served and how it is arranged is ultimately up to the chef.

In the end, Tsuma is not merely a garnish—it is an integral part of Japanese culinary aesthetics, harmonizing taste, seasonality, and visual beauty.

Image of Metsuma: Aome (Here, ao refers to green) is on the left and murame (Mura means purple) is on the right in the image.

Image of Hanahojiso (花穂紫蘇): It is the spike of perilla with flowers about to bloom.

Related contents: CONDIMENTS FOR SUSHI

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We hope this information will be helpful.

Revision date: July 25, 2025

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