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The "Autumn Sword Fish": How Sanma Captures Japan’s Season, Humor, and Changing Seas

As late October settles over Japan, one fish commands the spotlight in local supermarkets and traditional neighborhood restaurants: Sanma (秋刀魚), known in English as the Pacific saury.

With its slender, silver body, the smoky aroma of its skin blistering over charcoal, and its classic pairing with grated daikon radish and fresh citrus, sanma is more than just dinner—for Japanese people, it is the ultimate culinary symbol that autumn has arrived.

Behind this humble fish lies a fascinating story uniting Japanese kanji, centuries-old comedic folklore, and the shifting realities of our modern oceans.

1. The Meaning of "Autumn Sword Fish"

In Japanese, sanma is written with three kanji characters: 秋 (Autumn) + 刀 (Sword) + 魚 (Fish).

Look at a fresh sanma in the market and the name makes instant sense: its long, sleek, metallic body gleams just like a polished samurai blade. Because the fish migrates south along the Japanese archipelago in autumn when its fat content is at its absolute peak, the poetic name "Autumn Sword Fish" became standard in the early 20th century.

Historically, when net-fishing techniques expanded during the Edo period (1603–1867), sanma was an abundant, inexpensive street food. Because it was rich in oil and spoiled quickly before refrigeration, the samurai elite dismissed it as "commoners' food" unfit for noble tables.

2. "The Sanma of Meguro": A Classic Rakugo Tale

This strict class divide inspired one of Japan’s most famous traditional comic storytelling (Rakugo) routines: Meguro no Sanma (The Sanma of Meguro).

The Story:

One autumn day, a sheltered feudal lord goes falconry hunting in the rural hills of Meguro (now an inland residential ward of Tokyo, nowhere near the ocean). Growing hungry, the lord catches the mouthwatering scent of a local farmer grilling fresh, fatty sanma over a charcoal brazier. Defying his attendants' warnings that the fish is "too vulgar," the lord takes a bite—and is blown away by its smoky, juicy flavor.

Back at his castle, the lord cannot stop thinking about the fish and orders his royal chefs to serve him sanma. Terrified of serving "greasy street food" to royalty, the castle chefs buy top-grade sanma from the fish market, steam all the fat out of it, and painstakingly pull out every tiny bone, turning it into a dry, tasteless mash.

Disappointed after one bite, the clueless lord declares: "Ah, just as I thought—when it comes to sanma, nothing beats the ones from landlocked Meguro!"

To this day, the joke lives on: every autumn, thousands of people gather outside Meguro Station for the Meguro Sanma Festival, where volunteers grill thousands of fish over charcoal in honor of the confused feudal lord.

3. By the Numbers: From Everyday Staple to Precious Delicacy

For generations, sanma was the ultimate budget-friendly meal, often selling for less than 100 yen per fish. In recent years, however, statistics from Japan’s Fisheries Agency tell a dramatic story of environmental change:

• Up until 2008: Japan’s annual sanma catch hovered steadily around 300,000 to 350,000 metric tons.

• Late 2010s: Catches plummeted below 50,000 tons as ocean conditions shifted.

• 2022: The catch hit a historic record low of roughly 18,000 tons—less than 6% of peak levels.

• Recent Trends: While catches have shown modest signs of recovery into the 20,000–40,000 ton range in recent seasons, numbers remain roughly one-tenth of what they were twenty years ago.

Rising sea temperatures and shifts in the Kuroshio ocean current have pushed sanma migration routes far offshore, compounded by international fishing competition in the high seas. As a result, a plump, fatty autumn sanma has transformed from a cheap everyday staple into a cherished seasonal delicacy.

4. How to Eat Sanma Like a Local

If you order Sanma no Shioyaki (salt-grilled sanma) at a Japanese restaurant this week, here is how to enjoy it at its best:

• Grated Daikon and Citrus (Sudachi): The natural enzymes in raw grated daikon radish help digest the rich fish oils (which are packed with healthy Omega-3s, DHA, and EPA), while a squeeze of green sudachi citrus cuts through the richness.

• The Secret of the Wata (Innard): Unlike most fish, sanma has no stomach and a very short digestive tract, meaning it is traditionally grilled whole without gutting. Many Japanese connoisseurs love the rich, slightly bitter flavor of the wata paired with a sip of warm sake—though leaving it on the side of your plate is completely normal too!

When you sit down to a plate of grilled sanma and a bowl of freshly harvested autumn rice (shinmai), you are tasting centuries of Japanese history, humor, and deep gratitude for the changing seasons.