Nigiri sushi was first made in Edo (Tokyo) in the mid-19th century.

At the time, Edo was a great metropolis with a population of over one million people.
The number of single men was very high, so street foods such as sushi, soba and tempura were very popular.

Unfortunately, it is not known who invented nigiri sushi, but it is believed that Hanaya Yohei, the owner of ‘Yohei Sushi,’ was the one who popularized it.
At the time, nigiri sushi was made using fish caught in the Edo area, and rice seasoned with salt and vinegar. Each piece was two to three times larger than modern sushi.