3 imagesOdawara Himono Yamaichi Domestic Dried Fish Assortment
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13-piece assortment小田原ひもの 山市干物専門店
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Odawara dried fish
Japanese name小田原ひもの
In Odawara, Kanagawa, aji, kamasu, and other seasonal fish are opened, lightly salted, and dried; the port, water, drying rooms, and school meals keep himono close to local life.
Information last updated 120 days ago
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Odawara Himono and the Light-Salt Fish of a Sagami Bay Port
Odawara faces Sagami Bay in Kanagawa, with forest, fields, rivers, and sea around a former castle town and Tokaido post town. Odawara himono grew from that setting: in the Edo period, locally landed aji and kamasu were opened, dried, and sold as preserved fish. Today the family is still shaped by light salt, careful drying, seasoning adjusted to fish fat, and a maker community that works with fish from local waters, elsewhere in Japan, and overseas fishing grounds.
A Port City with Water and Fish Work
Odawara himono begins with the city around it. Odawara has a temperate climate, forest, fields, rivers, and sea, and its streets carry the background of a castle town and a Tokaido post town. Those conditions placed fish, water, movement, and craft work close together.
Active fishing and abundant water helped seafood processing take root in Odawara. Himono sits beside other local fish foods such as kamaboko in this food landscape, where a fresh catch could become a processed food through cutting, salting, drying, and steady workshop labor.
Opened Aji and Kamasu in the Edo Period
The clearest origin account places Odawara himono in the Edo period. Locally landed aji and kamasu were opened and dried, then sold as preserved food, and fish wholesalers made dried fish as a side business. The practical sequence is simple and concrete: fish came ashore, were split open, dried, and turned into food that could keep longer than raw fish.
A possible earlier beginning in the Hojo period is described only as a theory, so the Edo-period open-drying account gives the steadier line for the family’s history. The strongest historical anchors are aji, kamasu, preserved food, and the fish wholesalers who turned port work into dried fish production.
Light Salt and Fresh Fish Flavor
The defining taste of Odawara himono comes from light-salt preparation. The aim is to keep the fish’s own flavor clear after drying, so salt supports the aji or kamasu instead of overwhelming it. Odawara City also points to careful drying and neat making as part of the product’s character.
Individual shops adjust seasoning according to the fat of the fish. A leaner fish and a richer fish can call for different handling, so the balance of salt, aroma, and texture belongs to the fish in front of the maker as much as to the general method.
Aji, Kamasu, Ibodai, and Kinmedai
The named fish give the category its concrete shape. Local industry descriptions list maaji, muroaji, kamasu, and iwashi, while Odawara City also names aji, kamasu, ibodai, and kinmedai. Each name points to a different body, fat level, and eating texture after the fish is opened and dried.
The place connection should be read carefully. Present-day raw fish may come from local waters, other parts of Japan, or overseas fishing grounds; Odawara’s role is strongest in the processing community, the opening, seasoning, and drying of seasonal fish.
Drying Skill and a Working Scale
Modern Odawara himono combines inherited cutting, salting, and drying skill with sanitary production equipment. The city’s water and fish-processing setting support a production rhythm in which seasonal fish become salted and dried products for tables across Japan.
Association descriptions give an annual shipment figure of about 6,000 tons for salted and dried products. The number is useful as a sense of processing scale, while it should not be read as a statement that every fish comes from Odawara or Sagami Bay.
The Cooperative in Port Events and School Meals
The maker community gives Odawara himono a visible place beyond the drying room. In 1963, a salted and dried seafood processing cooperative began with 22 members; in 2008, the current Odawara Himono Cooperative was established to carry that work forward.
The cooperative participates in Odawara fishing-port events and school lunch projects, and member businesses are listed in Odawara districts including Hayakawa, Hamacho, Honcho, and Haneo. Those activities connect opened and dried fish with port gatherings, local workshops, and everyday meals for children in the city.
Odawara himono is shaped by a Sagami Bay port, Edo-period preserved fish made from aji and kamasu, light-salt drying, and a producer community that still appears in port events and school meals. A dried aji or kamasu on the table carries that practical continuity: fish, water, seasoning, drying rooms, and local work held together in Odawara.
Compiled from public records and official sources; see the recognition links below. Details may change over time.
Recognition & registration
Where this product is officially registered, designated, or recognized in Japan.
Regional collective trademark
Registered as a Regional Collective Trademark with the Japan Patent Office.
Sources1
FAQ
What is Odawara dried fish called in Japanese?
It is written as 小田原ひもの in Japanese. Search Rakuten and other Japanese sites with that spelling — the English name will not bring up the listings.
What is Odawara dried fish?
Odawara dried fish (himono) is a product family from Odawara, Kanagawa, made by opening, lightly salting, and drying fish such as aji and kamasu. Its clearest origin lies in the Edo period, when locally landed aji and kamasu were dried as preserved food, with fish wholesalers making it as a side business. Today the raw fish may come from local waters, other parts of Japan, or overseas, while Odawara's character rests on processing skill, light salt, drying, and cooperative continuity.
What makes Odawara dried fish distinct, and why is it a Kanagawa specialty?
Odawara is described as a roughly 500-year castle town along Tokaido traffic routes, set in a temperate natural landscape. Named fish used include maaji, muroaji, kamasu, iwashi, ibodai, and kinmedai. Local descriptions state that about 6,000 tons of salted and dried products are shipped nationwide each year. The Odawara Himono Cooperative began in 1963 with 22 members and became today's cooperative in 2008, with member shops located in Odawara districts such as Hayakawa, Hamacho, Honcho, and Haneo.
How should Odawara dried fish be stored?
Storage varies by product — shelf-stable, refrigerated, or frozen — and is stated on the packaging and the Rakuten listing. Shelf-stable processed foods usually need refrigerating once opened and eating within a few days; chilled and frozen items go straight into storage on arrival. Treat the best-before date on the physical packaging as authoritative.
Is Odawara dried fish a good gift or something to take home?
Most options are shelf-stable, boxed, and travel well, so they suit gifting or bringing home. Confirm the final storage and delivery terms on the Rakuten listing.
Where can I buy Odawara dried fish?
On Rakuten: the shops listed here right now are 小田原ひもの 山市干物専門店. We don't sell directly; purchase, payment, stock, and delivery are all handled on the Rakuten product page.