Sushi, in the form people know it today, was invented in Tokyo in the early 19th century, when the city was known as Edo. For this reason, it is still often called Edo-mae sushi in Japan.
Originally, sushi was a fast food sold cheaply from hand-pushed stalls. Many credit Yohei Hanaya, a chef who owned a hugely successful restaurant in Tokyo, with perfecting the art of Edo-mae sushi and beginning its ascent to a gourmet food.
Today, the best sushi chefs are considered artists and geniuses. The secret of perfect sushi has been variously attributed to the selection of the best and freshest fish, technique with the knife and the atmosphere the chef creates, down to the slapping sound as the rice is shaped.