Held each May along Kochi's waterfront, the Tosa Kuroshio Matsuri celebrates the prefecture's deep bond with the Kuroshio Current and the skipjack tuna (katsuo) that have sustained its coastal communities for centuries. The festival's showpiece is a live katsuo no tataki demonstration where freshly caught fish are seared over crackling rice-straw fires and served to the crowd with garlic and yuzu. Traditional wooden fishing boat races take place in the harbour, accompanied by folk music from local taiko ensembles and fishermen's chants. Food stalls offer Kochi's vibrant katsuobushi, sawachi cuisine, and local Tosanishiki sake.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Food
- Season
- Spring
- Month
- May
- Region
- Shikoku
- Prefecture
- Kochi
- City
- Kochi
Highlights
- ◆Live katsuo no tataki straw-fire cooking demonstration
- ◆Traditional wooden fishing boat races
- ◆Sawachi full-course Tosa cuisine stalls
- ◆Local taiko drumming and fishermen's chants
- ◆Tosanishiki sake tasting from Kochi brewers