Ogawa Special Rishiri Bafun Uni AAA Summer 150g

What is Ogawa Special Rishiri Bafun Uni 150g?
Ogawa Special is the Bafun uni (馬糞 / バフンウニ) lot harvested off Rishiri Island, hand-picked every morning by the owner of the Ogawa uni processor right after the catch is shucked and packed. This 150g tray is packed at AAA grade — what the trade calls "Gokujo" — with the deep orange color and concentrated flavor that mark a top Bafun lot.

Bafun uni is smaller per piece than Murasaki and carries a deeper color and a more concentrated flavor — sweeter at the front, with the umami sitting longer on the palate. Rishiri uni feed exclusively on the kelp beds that grow around the island — the same Rishiri kombu that goes into top dashi. The summer harvest window (June through September) is when this diet shows up most directly: the sweetness (甘味 / amami) reaches its peak and the umami runs deep. During the peak season, the majority of AAA-grade Bafun uni in the trade comes off Rishiri — Ogawa Special is one of the producer lots from those waters.

Specifications

How to enjoy

As nigiri, sashimi, or chirashi: Served as-is, chilled. The Bafun's concentrated sweetness and deep umami carry the bite — no seasoning beyond a touch of fresh wasabi if anything.

Gunkan maki: The denser body of Bafun holds shape well in gunkan format — wrapped in nori on a small bed of sushi rice, eaten in one bite.

Over rice (uni-don): A bed of warm rice, the uni placed on top, a few drops of soy and shiso or nori. Eat within minutes — the warmth opens the sweetness.

Pairing notes — Junmai daiginjo or junmai sake, dry champagne, chilled white burgundy. The Bafun's deeper sweetness reads especially well against cool junmai daiginjo.