is a dry Japanese condiment sprinkled on top of cooked rice, vegetables, and fish, or used as an ingredient in . It typically consists of a mixture of dried fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate. Other ingredients in such as (sometimes indicated on the package as bonito), or (bonito flakes moistened with soy sauce and dried again), freeze-dried salmon particles, , egg, powdered miso and vegetables are often added to the mix. is often brightly colored and flaky. It can have a slight fish or seafood flavoring and may be spicy and/or sweet. It can be used in Japanese cooking for pickling foods and for rice balls (). History One account of the origin of is that it was developed during the Taishō period (1912–1926) by a pharmacist in Kumamoto prefecture named . To address calcium deficits in the Japanese population, Yoshimaru developed a mixture of ground fish bones with roast sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and seaweed that was made into a powder. This product, which he called , is generally considered the precursor to contemporary . A food company in Kumamato later acquired the product and was able to sell it commercially. It was initially sold in a flask-like container shaped with a narrow neck to prevent moisture from seeping into the product. Years after Yoshimaru's , a grocery retailer in Fukushima City named Seiichirō Kai developed a mixture consisting of white croaker and powdered kombu and other ingredients simmered with a soy sauce-based broth. Kai called his product ; it was popular on its release. Although was initially considered a luxury item for the affluent who were able to consume white rice on a regular basis, it later was made accessible to the Japanese working class. The availability of in Japan increased starting shortly after September 1948, when Nissin Foods began to manufacture it on a large scale to address pervasive malnourishment. The product was commercialized on the basis that it provided a good source of protein and calcium. was made widely available as it was dispensed to those serving in the Japanese military starting in World War I. The term was used generically to describe the product starting in 1959 with the formation of the National Association. Since 1959, products are usually differentiated by their particular ingredients, such as salmon and sesame-and-salt . See also – a type of mostly consisting of cooked