nntsuzu/KFTT huggingface dataset:
English: However, because Edomae-zushi was invented in the era when no refrigeration technology was available, there exist various techniques to process materials for the toppings such as sujime (marinating in vinegar) or shoyu-zuke (pickling in soy sauce).
Japanese: しかしながら、冷蔵技術の無い時代に誕生したがゆえ、酢〆にしたり醤油漬けにしたりと、タネにさまざまに「仕事」をする技法がある。
English: Ingredients, salted, are immersed (or dipped) in vinegar.
Japanese: 塩をあててしばらく置いてから、酢につけて（または酢にさっとくぐらせて）〆る。
English: In addition to spotted shad, sillago, young sea bream, and mackerel, horse mackerel and halfbeak, which are used without being cooked nowadays, were ordinarily marinated in vinegar.
Japanese: コハダ、キス、カスゴ、サバの他、今では生で使われることが多いアジやサヨリなども以前はたいてい酢〆にした。
English: Marinating in soy sauce includes the immersion of the red flesh in soy sauce-based seasoning liquid for a long time for rich texture, the immersion of sliced red flesh in it for a short time, the immersion of yushimo-processed red flesh (making the surface marbled, for example, by pouring hot water over it) in it.
Japanese: 長時間漬けてねっとりした質感をもたせたものや、切りつけて数分程度の短時間漬けるもの、湯霜にしてから漬けるなどの仕事がある。
English: The topping called 'steamed abalone' is actually close to nimono.
Japanese: また「蒸しアワビ」と呼ばれるものも、実際にはほとんど煮物に近いものである。
English: In the past, squid and whitebait were stewed as well, but recently, this process has almost disappeared.
Japanese: イカやシラウオも昔は煮て使うことが主流だったが、近年ではあまりみられなくなった仕事だ。
English: It is not rare that boiled ingredients are put through more complicated processes such as being marinated in seasoned vinegar or being cooked in broth.
Japanese: 茹でた後調味した酢に漬けたり煮汁で煮返したりと、さらに手をかける仕事も少なくない。
English: Using paste is the quintessential process for Edomae-zushi, while dejiru-maki is rather a process for Japanese dishes.
Japanese: すり身を入れた方が江戸前ずし本来の仕事で、出汁巻きは日本料理的な仕事である。
English: Because tamagoyaki at Edomae-zushi shops is, in general, sweet, many people eat it at the end of meal as though it were a dessert.
Japanese: 江戸前ずし店の卵焼きは概して甘く調味され、デザートのように最後に食べる人が多い。
English: Hold a tane (sushi topping) on the palm of the left hand, take a suitable amount of sushi rice with the right hand, develop it into the desired shape (called sharidama [rice ball]), take wasabi on the index finger, paste it on the tane, and place the sharidama on the pasted tane.
Japanese: 左手にタネを持ち、右手ですし飯を適量とって軽くまとめ（シャリ玉という）、ワサビを人差し指でとってタネにぬってシャリ玉を乗せる。
English: After making a cavity at the center of the sharidama with the left thumb or the right index finger, turn it over (called tekaeshi technique) several times so that the rice surrounding cavity will fill it.
Japanese: 左手の親指か右手の人差し指でシャリの真中に空洞を作り、上下・前後を何度か返して（手返し）その空洞をまわりから閉じていくように成形してつける。
English: However, nowadays, few sushi chefs use the hon-tegaeshi technique, which was recognized as the basic in the past.
Japanese: しかしながら、昔は基本とされた本手返しでつける職人はもうほとんどいなくなった。
English: The finished shapes of sharidama include tawara-gata (barrel shape), hako-gata (box shape), funa-gata (boat shape), jigami-gata (fan shape) and most sushi chefs adopt funa-gata today.
Japanese: 仕上がりの形状を、俵型、箱型、船型、地紙型とよび、現代では船型につける職人がほとんど。
English: Making nigiri-zushi is called 'tsukeru' (pickling) and the cooking place is called 'tsuke-ba' (pickling place).
Japanese: また、握りずしを製することを「つける（漬ける）」といい、調理場を「つけ場」という。
English: This expression derives from the fact that sushi was originally pickled fish, and shaping sushi by hand is regarded as important as 'tsukeru' in making sushi.
Japanese: しかしながら、すしは古来漬け込んで製したことからくるいい方というだけではなく、握ることが「漬ける」に相当する重要な要素である。
English: An instantaneous feeling of oneness generated between a sharidama and a topping by pressing them by hand in an appropriate force is the highlight of Edomae-nigiri-zushi, and finding the delicate oneness feeling is the sushi chefs' chance to show their skill.
Japanese: 適度な押圧を加えることで瞬時に生じる一体感が江戸前握りずしの醍醐味であり、そのバランスが職人の腕の見せ所である。
English: This type of sushi is different from the quintessential nigiri-zushi that are made on the feeling of oneness generated between a sharidama and a topping by pressing them by hand.
Japanese: 本来の握ることによって一体感を得て「つける」握りずしとは別物である。
English: When making a Kansai style sushi roll, the laver, not roasted, is rolled up firmly because letting it stand for a while before it is consumed is normal.
Japanese: 関西の巻きずしは、時間を置いて食べることを主とするため、海苔は焼かずにしっかり巻くという違いがある。
English: Place a half sheet of roasted laver on a makisu (sushi mat) so that the near side of the laver is aligned and put an appropriate amount of sushi rice on it properly.
Japanese: 焼いて半分に切った海苔を巻き簾に手前を揃えて置き、すし飯を適量とって一旦軽くまとめる。
English: After spreading the rice on the laver from the left center to the right center, spread it up and down with 1 cm margin left on both sides.
Japanese: 海苔の中央左から右へとすし飯を広げながら置いていき、端をきめながら1センチほど残して前後に広ていく。
English: There are words and phrases unique to the Edomae-zushi world including the words called 'sushi-kotoba' (sushi words) in ancient times and the jargons used among sushi chefs.
Japanese: 江戸前ずし屋独特の言葉や言い回しがあり、古くは「すし言葉」と呼ばれた言葉や、職人同士が使う隠語・符丁がある。
English: Originally, the tea served before meal was called 'debana' and that served after meal 'agari.'
Japanese: 本来は食べ始めのときのお茶を「デバナ（出鼻）」、締めのお茶を「アガリ（上がり）」といった。
English: Nikiri: soy sauce evaporated with sake or sweet sake
Japanese: ニキリ（煮切り）：醤油に日本酒や味醂を加えて火にかけて煮切ったもの。
English: It is said that Edomae-nigiri-zushi was invented by Yohei HANAYA at the 'Yohei-zushi' in Ryogoku, or by Matsugoro SAKAIYA at the 'Matsuno-zushi' in Ataka.
Japanese: 江戸前握りずしの創案者は、両国は「與兵衛鮓（よへいずし）」の華屋與兵衛とも安宅の「松之鮨（まつのずし）」、堺屋松五郎ともいわれる。
English: The first reference to Edomae-zushi is found in a senryu (humorous poem) in "Yanagidaru" (a collection of senryu) published in 1829: 'Sushi shaped by ninja's magic' (made in 1827).* Ninja's pressing his hands together at eye level before using ninja skills looks like shaping sushi by hand.
Japanese: 文献的には文政12年（1829年　1827年作句）『柳多留』に「妖術という身で握るすしの飯」とあるのが初出である。
English: "Katei sushino-tsukekata" (How to make sushi at home) written by Seizaburo KOIZUMI, Yohei's great-grandchild gave a description which referred to "Matanu aoba" (Green leaves that do not wait) (hand-copied; Its whereabouts unknown; May be destroyed in an earthquake) written by 文久子, Yohei's grandchild.
Japanese: 與兵衛のひ孫、小泉清三郎『家庭　鮓のつけかた』に與兵衛の孫、文久子『またぬ青葉』（手写本、現在所在不明、震災で焼失とも）の引用があり
English: According to the description, there were some people who made nigiri-zushi in the past, but each piece, packed into a box partitioned with bamboo leaves, was lightly pressed for several hours.
Japanese: 、要約すると「以前にも握りずしを試みた者はいたが、握った後に笹で仕切って箱に詰め数時間押しをかけるすしであった。
English: Because Yohei hated the pressing, he invented nigiri-haya-zuke (quintessential nigiri-zushi) so that sushi would be served just after it has been made.
Japanese: 翁（初代與兵衛）は押しをかけることを嫌い、握ることのみで製する"握早漬"を創った」とのことである。
English: There are several theories about when Yohei started selling nigiri-hayazuke, but it may be around 1824.
Japanese: 與兵衛が「握早漬（握りずし）」を売り出した年は、諸説あるが文政7年（1824年）あたりとされる。
English: "Kiyoshoran" (an en encyclopedic book on cultures) written in 1830 by Nobuyo KITAMURA pointed out that 'the Matsugasushi, having started operations in Fukagawa rokken bori early in the Bunka era (1804-1817), changed the sushi world completely,' which 'changed completely' can be interpreted in two ways.
Japanese: 文政13年（1830年）喜多村信節『嬉遊笑覧』に「文化（1804-1817年）のはじめ頃、深川六軒ぼりに、松がすしが出来て、世上すしの風一変し」とあるが、この「一変」には二つの解釈ができる。
English: One interpretation is that sushi shops in Edo, as a result of the invention of nigiri-zushi, completely shifted their attention from the Kansai-area style sushi such as oshi-zushi (lightly-pressed piece of sushi topped with cooked ingredients) to nigiri-zushi.
Japanese: ひとつは握りずしを創案し、それまで押しずしなど、上方風のすしが中心だった江戸市中のすし屋が、握りずし一色に一変したという解釈。
English: The other one is that the sushi shops started selling sushi at a higher price than before and other ones followed suit, which trend changed the sushi world completely.
Japanese: もうひとつは、これまでにない高額のすしを売り出し、市中のすし屋も追従したために一変したという解釈。
English: However, these names came from 'Ataka no matsu' and Matsugoro, its owner, and the real name of the shop was 'Isago-zushi.'
Japanese: しかしながら、「安宅の松」と主人の名、松五郎にちなんだ通称であり、本来の屋号は「砂子鮨（いさごずし）」といった。
English: Nigiri-zushi established itself by the Bunsei era (1818 - 1831), and 'Yohei-zushi' and 'Matsuno-zushi' became the first shops that played an important role for that.
Japanese: いずれにしろ握りずしは文政年間（1818-1831年）には完成をみて、「與兵衛鮓」、「松之鮨」は最初の大成者となった。
English: Nigiri-zushi won the Edo people's heart, immediately spreading throughout the Edo City.
Japanese: こうして誕生した握りずしは、江戸っ子にもてはやされて瞬く間に江戸市中に拡がっていった。
English: As represented by the opening of the Edo style sushi shops in Osaka toward the end of Bunsei era and in Nagoya during Tenpo era 1831-1845), nigiri-zushi spread nationwide.
Japanese: 文政末には大阪に、天保（1831-1845年）には名古屋にも江戸風のすし店が開店と、全国に拡がっていった。
English: "Morisada Manko" (a kind of encyclopedia of folkways and other affairs in the Edo Period) cited egg omelet, omelet roll, nori-maki using gourd, spotted shad, raw tuna, prawn soboro, whitebait, and conger eel as the types of Edomae-zushi.
Japanese: 『守貞謾稿』には、玉子、玉子巻き、海苔巻き（カンピョウ）、車エビ、コハダ、マグロさしみ、エビそぼろ、シラウオ、穴子、があがる。
English: In this era when neither cooling nor freezing technology was available, tane was marinated in vinegar or soy sauce, or cooked before used as toppings or fillings.
Japanese: 冷蔵・冷凍技術のないこの時代のすしは、酢〆、醤油漬け、火を通す、などの下仕事をしたタネばかりであった。
English: When a street stall selling sushi named 'Ebisu-zushi' served sushi topping with tuna meat that was parboiled and immersed in soy sauce, the sushi became quite popular and the fish established itself as one of the major tane of Edomae-zushi.
Japanese: 「恵比寿鮨」なる屋台のすし屋が鮪を湯引きし、醤油に漬けてすしに漬けたところ、大いにヒットして、以降江戸前ずしを代表するタネになっていった。
English: However, it is said that tuna was not used in famous sushi shops, because it was positioned as gezakana (a low-grade fish) at that time.
Japanese: しかし当時鮪は下魚とされており、名のある店では使わなかったといわれる。
English: While 'yatai-mise' (stall) selling sushi at a reasonable price became ubiquitous in Edo City, sushi shops called 'uchi-mise' (operating at a fixed place) offered relatively high-priced sushi.
Japanese: 屋台で廉価なすしを売る「屋台店」が市中にあふれる一方で、「内店」とよばれる固定店をかまえるすし屋では、比較的高価なすしを売った。
English: Some senryu made in those days mentioned sumptuous sushi offered by 'Matsuno-zushi' and 'Yohei-zushi.'
Japanese: 特に「松之鮨」や「與兵衛鮓」の贅沢さは、時の川柳にたびたび詠われるほどだった。
English: While uchi-mise mainly offered takeout sushi or delivered sushi, the ones with a sign 'Gozen' (literally, meal) displayed on the door allowed people to have lunch in zashiki (a Japanese style guest room with tatami flooring) on the premises.
Japanese: 内店では主に持ち帰りや配達ですしを売ったが、「御膳」と書かれた看板をあげた店は、店内の座敷で食事のできるお店である。
English: Two types of sushi, inexpensive sushi affordable for the general public and expensive one, reflect today's co-existence of two types of sushi shops, belt-using sushi shops and traditional style sushi ones.
Japanese: 庶民的なすしと高価なすしの二分化は、さながら現代の回転ずし店とタチのすし店のようである。
English: Under the Tempo Reforms that prohibited luxury, the owners including sushi chefs of more than 200 sushi shops suffered tegusari penalty (confinement to one's residence and restraint in behavior with handcuffs on the wrists).
Japanese: そして、贅沢を禁じた天保の改革では、200軒あまりのすし屋が手鎖の刑に処せられることになった。
English: Because ice makers started operations toward the end of 1890s, sushi shops had easy access to ice and some of them owned electric refrigerators around the end of the Meiji era.
Japanese: 明治30年代（1897-）頃から企業化した製氷のおかげで、すし屋でも氷が手に入りやすくなり、明治の末あたりからは電気冷蔵庫を備える店も出てきた。
English: Because of the improvement of coastal fishery methods and distribution, handling fresh seafoods became increasingly easier.
Japanese: 近海漁業の漁法や流通の進歩もあって、生鮮魚介を扱う環境が格段によくなった。
English: In Edomae nigiri zushi, the ingredients that had been marinated in vinegar or soy sauce, or cooked were gradually used raw.
Japanese: 江戸前握りずしでは、これまで酢〆にしたり醤油漬けにしたり、あるいは火を通したりしていた素材も、生のまま扱うことがしだいに多くなっていった。
English: With a variety of ingredients available, a smaller-size nigiri-zushi became dominant and the shape of nigiri-zushi became similar to that of today's nigiri-zushi.
Japanese: 種類も増え、大きかった握りもしだいに小さくなり、現代の握りずしと近い形が整ってきた時代である。
English: Under strict food control in the era immediately after the end of World War II, sushi shops were prohibited from doing business openly due to the enforcement of the Emergency Restaurant Business Measures Ordinance in 1947.
Japanese: 第二次世界大戦直後、厳しい食料統制のさなか、昭和22年（1947年）飲食営業緊急措置令が施行され、すし店は表立って営業できなくなった。
English: In Tokyo, the sushi association members made negotiations with the government and won the right of doing business officially in the form of making ten pieces of nigiri-zushi (or four rolls of maki-zushi) in exchange for 180ml of rice.
Japanese: 東京ではすし店の組合の有志が交渉に立ちあがり、1合の米と握りずし10個（巻きずしなら4本）を交換する委託加工として、正式に営業を認めさせたのである。
English: Because Kamigata (Kyoto and Osaka area) and other areas nationwide followed suit, Edomae-zushi became dominant across the country.
Japanese: 上方をはじめ全国でこれに倣ってしまったため、全国ですし店といえば江戸前ずし一色となった。
English: When making 10 pieces of nigiri-zushi from 180ml of rice, the size is considerably large, categorized as 'oo-nigiri' (a big-size nigiri-zushi), which size was popular from the Edo to the early Meiji period.
Japanese: ちなみに1合で10個の握りずしならかなり大きな握りでいわゆる「大握り」、江戸-明治初期を思わせる大きさである。
English: A sushi chef who knows the situation of that time said, "We sometimes placed in the front of my shop a bag in which dummy rice was put to avoid prosecution."
Japanese: 当時を知る職人にうかがうと、「あらかじめダミーの米を入れる袋を用意して店頭に置き、取り締まりを逃れて営業したこともある」とのことだった。
English: Sushi, in general, was categorized as a luxury, while there were the sushi shops selling sushi at a reasonable price.
Japanese: おして、廉価なすし店もあるものの、すし屋は高級な料理屋の部類に落ち着いた。
English: On the other hand, 'Mawaru Genroku-zushi', a conveyor belt-using sushi shop, opened in Osaka in 1958, and 'Kyotaru' and 'Kozosushi' started operations as takeout sushi shops offering sushi at a reasonable price.
Japanese: 一方、1958年に大阪で回転寿司店「廻る元禄ずし」が開店し、廉価な持ち帰りずし店「京樽」や「小僧ずし」も開業。
English: By around the 1980s, conveyor belt-using and takeout sushi shops were successful nationwide, which made sushi accessible to ordinary people once again.
Japanese: 1980年頃には回転ずし屋も持ち帰りすし店も全国に普及し、すし屋は庶民性を取り戻していった。
English: In "How to make sushi at home" written in 1910 by Seizaburo KOIZUMI, a descendant of Yohei HANAYA, the maki-zushi using ham (or cold meat) seasoned with pepper was introduced, which description means that Edomae-zushi (quick sushi) essentially welcomes various ingredients.
Japanese: 既に明治43年（1910年）華屋與兵衛の子孫、小泉清三郎著『家庭鮓のつけかた』には、ハム（またはコールドミート）を使ってコショウをふった巻きずしがあり、江戸前ずし（早ずし）は様々な材料を受け入れやすい素地があった。
English: Sushi created a big boom on the west coast of the United States in the 1970s, and in particular, 'Californian roll' born out of the boom became quite popular and was reimported to Japan.
Japanese: 1970年代アメリカ西海岸を中心に、すしは一大ブームとなり、そのなかで生まれた「カリフォルニアロール」は大いにヒットして日本にも逆輸入された。
English: In 'New sushi-dane and sushi' in "Textbook for sushi techniques" published in 1975, as many as 100 new sushi-dane (ingredients), including caviar, porcino, lobster, natto (fermented soybeans), junsai (water shield), and shiitake mushroom, were introduced.
Japanese: 1975年『すし技術教科書』の「新しいすしダネとすし」には、キャビアやセップ、ロブスター、納豆、じゅんさい、シイタケなど、100種類にもなる新しいすしダネが紹介されている。
English: On the other hand, the sushi shops using traditional foodstuffs and traditional cooking methods, which are categorized as exclusive ones, are also popular.
Japanese: 一方、古典的な材料・手法を守る店も人気があり、むしろ高級・高価である。
English: Shin Kabuki refers to kabuki plays written by authors independent from theaters after the Meiji period.
Japanese: 新歌舞伎（しんかぶき）とは、明治以降に、劇場とは独立した作家が書いた歌舞伎作品のこと。
English: Mokuami KAWATAKE's works, incorporating the modes of life after the Meiji period, were not different at all from the traditional kabuki plays in this regard.
Japanese: 明治以降の風俗を取り入れた河竹黙阿弥の作品もその点では旧来の歌舞伎と同様であった。
English: In the late Meiji period, when Engeki kairyo undo (theatrical performance improvement movement) was influential, new works were written by literary people who pursued kabuki plays suitable for modern society instead of those with traditional preposterous stories.
Japanese: 演劇改良運動の影響を受けた明治時代の後期になって、従来の荒唐無稽な筋書きではなく、近代社会にふさわしい歌舞伎劇を志す文学者が新たな作品を書くようになった。
English: A series of such kabuki plays, written from the late Meiji period to the beginning of the Showa period, are called Shin Kabuki, starting from "Akugenta" (Wicked Genta) by Shoyo MATSUI (1899) and "Kiri Hitoha" (a single paulownia leaf) by Shoyo TSUBOUCHI (1904).
Japanese: 松井松葉『悪源太』（1899年）、坪内逍遥『桐一葉』（1904年）を皮切りに、明治後期から昭和始めに書かれたこれら一連の作品を新歌舞伎と呼ぶ。
English: (Genichiro FUKUCHI's "Kasuga no Tsubone" and "Otokodate Harusame Gasa" (A Chivalrous Commonor and a Spring Rain Umbrella) are not included in Shin Kabuki because they were written for Kabuki-za Theater.)
Japanese: （福地源一郎　『春日局』『侠客春雨傘』は歌舞伎座のために書かれたもので、新歌舞伎には入れない）
English: The fundoshi is used not only in a case of misogi or suigyo, a purification ceremony particularly in cold water, but also in some of hadaka matsuri (literally, naked festival in which men are naked except for fundoshi loincloths).
Japanese: 禊（水行）の時に使われる場合が多い他、一部の裸祭りでは六尺褌に代って、こちらが使われる場合がある。
English: Several theories have been told as regard to the name of this fundoshi: it came from a gift from the medicine distributors from Ecchu Toyama region (they distributed medicines across the country, placing medicines at individual homes, and collecting the money for the used amount when they visit next time); it came from Tadaoki HOSOKAWA because he invented this type of fundoshi and his official title was Ecchu no kami (a govonor of Ecchu Province).
Japanese: 名前の由来には越中富山の置き薬の景品で全国に普及したことに由来する説や、越中守だった細川忠興が考案者とする説など、複数の説がある。
English: Ecchu fundoshi existed in the Edo period, and they were used by retired samurai (warriors), as well as people who were not engaged in physical labor, such as medical doctors, Shinto priests, Buddhist monks, men of culture and merchants.
Japanese: 江戸時代にも存在していて、隠居した武士、肉体労働を伴わない医者や神職、僧侶、文化人、商人の間で用いられていた。
English: Ecchu fundoshi became accepted generally, as the Conscription Ordinance was enacted in 1873, the universal conscription was made obligatory in 1889, and the army provided (lent, supplied) it to the conscripted adult males as one of the government-issued supplies and forced them to use it.
Japanese: 1873年（明治6年）に徴兵令が制定され、1889年（明治22年）に国民皆兵が義務付けられ、徴用された成人男子に軍隊が官給品として支給（貸興、給興）し、使用を強制したことで一般化するようになった。
English: After getting discharged from the military service, the adult males, mainly the younger ones, they brought back the fundoshi and made it popularized throughout Japan, as its maedare (front apron) concealed the private parts, it felt light and refreshing in use, it was easy to put on and take off, and it was economical becausethe length of cloth it needed was shorter than the one for the previous style of loincloth.
Japanese: 兵役除隊後、前垂れが陰部を隠し、軽くて清々しいとの使用感や、着脱が容易で布の使用が少ない経済性もあり、若者を中心に全国に普及した。
English: As Ecchu fundoshi was easy to make, it was made at home rather than bought at store up until 1945.
Japanese: 越中褌は簡易なものであることから、戦前では市中で販売されるよりも自家で縫製して使用するものが多かった。
English: Ecchu fundoshi was the main undergarment for Japanese adult males from the Taisho period up to the end of the Pacific War, and it was its prime as the word of fundoshi directly referred to this type of fundoshi, or even the word of male undergarment meant this fundoshi.
Japanese: 大正期から太平洋戦争終了時までの間は日本人成年男子の主な下着は「越中褌」となり、越中褌が「褌」や「男性下着」の代名詞となる程、越中褌の全盛期を迎えた。
English: After the war, the number of the fundoshi users decreased considerably, and fundoshi was reduced to something like an out-of-date undergarment that only elderly men wore, under the influence of following circumstances.
Japanese: 戦後は、以下のような事情の影響を受けて、褌の使用人口は大幅に減少して、年配者が使用する過去の下着のような存在となった。
English: During the changing period, the term 'fundoshi' gradually treated like a vulgar word, and to be replaced with terms such as 'shitaobi' (a belt for underwear) or 'shimekomi' (a thing to tighten up, such as a sumo wrestler's cloth belt).
Japanese: このため、褌の用語は卑語のように扱われ、「下帯」、「締め込み」などの用語で代用されるようになるに至った。
English: During the period, fundoshi got some attention for sevel times, featured by the mass media, and each time invoked a temporal boom; but it has never taken root and has never resulted in occupying one of corners of the male undergarment shop.
Japanese: 戦後、何度かマスコミュニケーションに取り上げられて一時的なブームが起こったことがあったが、定着することは無く、男性下着売り場の一角を占めるに至らない。
English: This can be understood that because the fundoshi is a niche item that the major undergarment manufacturers cannot easily embarked on the production with the following reasons, the undergarment cannot be traded on the major distribution network, and thus it's rare to find them in stores.
Japanese: これは以下のような理由から大手下着製造業者が積極的に手掛けにくいニッチ商品であることが、大手流通網に乗らず、広く店頭に並ばない理由と推測される。
English: The seasons are: (1) as Ecchu fundoshi has the ultimate shape in its kind, the design has not changed for a long time, manufacturers can only make a difference in material, color or pattern; (2) as the most typical color for the fundoshi is white, there is extremely limited demand for other colors or patterns, and thus making a difference cannot be paid off; (3) since this is not so difficult to make, as they were made at home in the previous period, the price and profit rate should be low accordingly; and (4) it's hard to expect a large sale that can pay off the capital investment, as it's hard to expect a growing demand in comparison to other undergarments.
Japanese: 越中褌が究極の形状であることから、昔からデザインの変化がないことで、材質や色か柄でしか商品として差別化ができないこと、白色が定番の越中褌では色物や柄物では極端に需要が少なく採算に合わないこと、個人でも縫製できるものであるため、単価も安く利益率が低いこと、他の下着と比べて需要の伸びが大きく見込めず、設備投資に見合う大量販売が見込めないことなどである。
English: While Ecchu fundoshi are only sold at some of the department stores or the kimono shops, in recent years the advent of the Internet has brought about appearance of the companies that are devoted to manufacturing and selling fundoshi using Internet mail order and made it easy to buy them, and so the generation who had known only briefs and trunks seem to be turning into a new buyer group as a result of beginning to regard "fundoshi" as a new undergarment.
Japanese: 一部の百貨店や呉服店で販売されているに過ぎないが、近年ではインターネットの出現でインターネット通販を用いた褌製造販売専門業者などが生まれ、容易に購入できるようになり、ブリーフやトランクスしか知らない世代が「褌」を新鮮な下着として認識し始めたことで、新たな購買層となっているようだ。
English: It is certain that there exist the fanciers even now who uphold the function and effectiveness that fundoshi bring about in the Japanese climate with high temperature and high humidity since elastic is not used for fundoshi unlike underpants.
Japanese: パンツのようにゴムを使わず、高温多湿の日本の気候で褌の持つ機能や効能を支持する愛好家は現在でも確かに存在する。
English: It can represent 'graciousness' that excludes vanity and completes all the functions with a simple piece of cloth, and it reminds us "the sense of beauty" that the Japanese have cherished since ancient times, and can even exemplify the classic and ideal image of a man in Japan.
Japanese: 虚飾性を排し、単純な一枚の布で全ての機能が完結する「潔さ」が、日本人が古来から持つ「美意識」と共通するものがあり、日本の古典的な理想の男子像にも例えられる。
English: Because of the unmistakable shape of Ecchu fundoshi, an acknowledgement has implicitly been held by the Japanese that an oriental man who wears a white Ecchu fundoshi must be a Japanese man, and indeed the fundoshi is often used as a symbol that indicates a Japanese man in movies or TV dramas.
Japanese: 越中褌の独特の形状から、白い越中褌を締めた東洋人男性ならば「日本人男性」であるとの暗黙知が日本人にあり、映画、テレビなどの劇中で、しばしば日本人男性を示す象徴として用いられたりしている。
English: Not a few fanciers have an obsession with fundoshi as something that realizes an ideal image of a Japanese man who will exclude vanity and won't swim with the current of the times to seek the essence by wearing fundoshi.
Japanese: 褌を着用することで、虚飾を排し、時流に流されることなく本質を求道する理想の日本人男子像を具現化するものとして、褌にこだわりを抱く愛好家は少なくない。
English: This can be guessed from the fact that some of the undergarment makers have manufactured and shipped almost the same volume of Ecchu fundoshi since the post war period till now, and what is more, they are keeping considerably large quantity of sales.
Japanese: 一部下着メーカーの越中褌の製造出荷量は、戦後から現在でも一定で、しかも相当数の販売数を保っていることからも推測される。
English: Ecchu fundoshi became the undergarments that spread all over the country, particularly because they are the undergarments that were provided in the army (as articles supplied at official expense).
Japanese: 特に、軍隊で支給された下着（官給品）であったことで全国に普及する下着となった。