Sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi, tempura –hmmm…ring a bell? Even the words used to describe the most basic of Japanese dishes and Japanese cuisine are exotic and striking. Japanese cuisine is surely one of the healthiest in the world, with its concentration on fresh fish, seafood, rice and vegetables. The pungent sauces and delicate flavors of fresh foods complement each other beautifully, and the methods of presentation turn even simple meals into beautiful events.

There are forms and types of Japanese cuisine, which are traditionally known for featuring flavors of ingredients that arouse a subtle sense of the four seasons. The four forms  are as follows:

Kaiseki cuisine (haiku-type)
“Kaiseki”, dishes served at a meeting of “haiku” poets

The word “kaiseki” originally meant a meeting and specifically a meeting of composers of “haiku” poems, it has the same pronunciation as the “kaiseki” used in the tea ceremony. There were originally two kinds of “kaiseki” cuisine, one for a meeting of “haiku” poets and the other for the tea ceremony. However, as people gathering at the poetry meetings were often identical to those gathering at tea ceremonies, the two terms were and still are sometimes confused. The “kaiseki” cuisine for the meeting of poets is defined as “kuikiri”, or “eat-out” cuisine, and its objective is to enjoy the tastes of different foods without being too much concerned about ceremony and formality. The dishes are served individually at intervals. Dishes are served on individual, small dining tables about 1.2 feet wide without legs. The menu is generally composed of “saki-zuke (hors-d’oeuvre)”, “suimono (soup)”, “muko-zuke (a main dish composed of sliced raw fish, etc.)”, “kuchi-gawari (an entr_e to refresh the palate)”, “yakimono (broiled foods)”, “nimono (stewed foods)”, “aisakana (steamed or fried foods)”, “sunomono (food pickled in sweetened vinegar)”, “tomewan (end course)”, etc. But the simplest menu is composed of only three dishes, which are sometimes increased to higher odd numbers such as five (including two soups), seven, nine and eleven. The contents of the menu and the order in which the dishes are served are left to the discretion of the chef.

Kaiseki cuisine (tea ceremony-type)
“Kaiseki” dishes served at a tea ceremony

This “kaiseki” cuisine of a tea ceremony originated as a light meal served to soothe the hunger of “zen” monks. “Kai” originally meant bosom and “seki” stone. This type of cuisine was named so because the supper seemed to the monks just like carrying a warm stone in the bosom in order to soothe the hunger. The word “tenshin” derived from the Chinese word for a light meal that has the original meaning of turning on an empty mind. These “kaiseki” cuisine dishes are served as a prelude to the tea ceremony just as sweets are sometimes served. The difference between this type of cuisine from the “kaiseki” cuisine described above lies in the avoidance of excess.

Shojin cuisine
“Shojin”, dishes served at a meeting of “Zen-Buddist” poets

“Shojin” is a Buddhist term that referring to a type of asceticism that aspires to enlightenment and “ryori” translates as “cooking”. ﾒShojin ryoriﾓ is a type of vegetarian cooking that was introduced into Japan at the same time as Buddhism in the 6th century. In the 13th century when Zen Buddhism was introduced, the custom of eating “shojin ryori” spread rapidly. Foods derived from soybeans including “tofu” and vegetable oils including sesame, walnut and from rapeseed that were used extensively in “shojin ryori” became popular in Japan as a result.

Bento cuisine

“Bento” is the Japanese term for a lunch, particularly a packed lunch that can be carried in a lunchbox and eaten outside of one’s home. In the world of the tea ceremony the strict formality of “bento” should not be broken and has been established by shortening the “kaiseki” cuisine menu of the tea ceremony into a single set meal. This has been done so as not to lose the “wabi”, the elegant restraint and simplicity that is inherent the tea ceremony. Of this type of “bento”, the most representative ones are those to be found in Kyoto include the following examples.

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