Kama
カマ

What is Kama?

Kama (カマ) is the collar of the Bluefin Tuna — the section immediately behind the head and pectoral fin, containing some of the highest-fat meat on the entire fish. The Kama is the source of Kamatoro, described in detail on the Otoro guide.

At most restaurants and fish counters the collar is either grilled or discarded — never handled as a raw sashimi product. At Sashimi DC, the full collar from each Nagasaki Bluefin is carried and available both raw and for grilling.

How to prepare it

Kama Shioyaki (salt-grilled): Score the skin, rub generously with salt, rest 20 minutes. Grill skin-side down until the skin is golden and the fat runs. Serve with grated daikon and sudachi or yuzu. Raw Kamatoro: Slice from the bone, cut against the grain, 8–10mm. Tell us at pickup if you want the Kamatoro section identified.

Where this fish comes from

Every piece of Bluefin Tuna at Sashimi DC comes from Hosei Suisan (宝生水産), a farm in the Kamishima Wakamatsu area of the Goto Islands, Nagasaki Prefecture — the westernmost islands of Kyushu, where the Pacific and East China Sea converge.

The Goto Islands maintain water temperatures that never fall below 13°C in winter and rarely exceed 29°C in summer — the stable, narrow range that Bluefin Tuna require for consistent growth and quality. Hosei Suisan operates in the Kamishima Wakamatsu area, one of the most environmentally favored zones for marine aquaculture within the islands.

Hosei Suisan uses wild-caught seed stock (天然種苗) rather than hatchery-bred fish. Feed is sourced fresh and locally, centered on fresh mackerel (生サバ) bought directly by their own trucks from local fishermen. Director Tsuneya Yamashita explains the choice: mackerel produces better fat marbling and color than sardines. As mackerel catches have declined and prices risen in recent years, they secured dedicated year-round supply agreements with their fishing partners to maintain the standard. Post-harvest handling — the initial processing and preparation after the fish is landed — is also a focus: Ikejime is performed in Nagasaki, at source.

After Ikejime processing in Nagasaki, the fish is transported to a specialist Miyazaki processor where it is broken down into saku blocks, then flown Fukuoka → Haneda → IAD.