Often nature and the outdoors are captured by using a plate resembling a fish in motion, a quiet river nook, or a deep pool. The fish itself evokes an image of the creature swimming through underwater weeds and roots. In Osaka there is still an elaborate tradition of sushi pressed with rice in wooden boxes. This type of sushi is called hako-sushi. Contrary to most knives, sushi knives are sharpened on one side only which makes for a faster, cleaner cut.
Vinegared rice is the heart of all sushi.
The fish is sashimi. Wrap the two together in portions and sell it as sushi, and the name still refers to the rice, not the fish. Sushi is a typical Japanese food with over a thousand years of history and tradition. Sushi actually began as a way of preserving fish. The raw, cleaned fish was pressed between layers of rice and salt by a heavy stone for a few weeks.