A traditional way to prepare herring so that it can be eaten year-round. The fish are first opened, cleaned, and dried. Then they are layered with leaves of sansho pepper in between and pickled in a liquor prepared from soy sauce, sake, vinegar, and sugar. In the old days, special ceramic serving bowls for pickled herring were used in the Aizu-Wakamatsu region, and were an integral part of a bride's trousseau. They are still produced by local ceramics craftsmen.