Food · Fermented foods

Fukahire (Shark Fin)

ふかひれ (Fukahire)

Also known as: Fukahire, Shark fin, Dried processed shark fin, 鱶鰭

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At a glance

Category	Food
Japanese labeling name	ふかひれ
Common Japanese notations	ふかひれ, 鱶鰭, フカヒレ
Origin	Processed shark fins from various shark species; principal modern Japanese processing region Kesennuma (Miyagi — heritage center, world-leading shark fin processing); the dried processed product is principally used for Chinese-cuisine soup applications
Typical functions	Chinese-cuisine fukahire soup (defining premium dish), Premium foodservice — high-end Chinese restaurant specialty, Premium gift retail (Kesennuma Fukahire)
Regulatory status in Japan	Standard food labeling. Kesennuma processing center heritage. Sustainability awareness: shark species used for fukahire are subject to varying conservation status — CITES-listed species (e.g., scalloped hammerhead, oceanic whitetip) require permits; Japanese fukahire industry sources from various species. Some retailers and OEM partners now require sustainably-sourced documentation.

Fukahire (ふかひれ / 鱶鰭) — dried processed shark fin — is one of Japan's ultra-premium specialty products, with Kesennuma (Miyagi Prefecture) as the heritage and modern processing center (world-leading capacity). The OEM positioning is exclusively ultra-premium Chinese-cuisine specialty. **Sustainability awareness is increasingly relevant** — some retailers require sustainably-sourced documentation given conservation concerns for various shark species.

Classification

Tags below link to other ingredients sharing the same attribute, so you can pivot from one ingredient to its peers.

Product applications

Functions

Flavoring

Regulatory tags

Culinary ingredient

Origin

Marine-derived

Used in (typical product categories)

Finished-product categories that commonly include this ingredient in Japanese-market formulations.

Whole fukahire dried (premium gift)
Pre-prepared fukahire scallop retail

What it is

Dried and processed fins from various shark species. Kesennuma is the heritage processing center.

Typical uses in Japanese products

Chinese-cuisine fukahire soup.

Premium Chinese restaurant foodservice.

Premium Kesennuma gift retail.

For OEM: ultra-premium gift retail with sustainability documentation, Chinese-restaurant supply.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Kesennuma origin.

**Sustainability and CITES awareness**: documentation increasingly required for premium retail.

Regulatory classification in other markets

EU	Some EU member states have shark fin restrictions or import bans.
USA	Several US states have shark fin sale bans (California, Washington, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois, Maryland, others) — federal Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act enacted 2022 broadly bans US sale.
China	Major established Chinese fukahire culture.
Korea	Established Korean trade.

Example products

Example finished products will be added after verification of Kesennuma processing origin and sustainability/CITES documentation.

All brand names and product names referenced anywhere on this site are the property of their respective owners. Example entries are provided for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement.

Used in similar product applications

Other ingredients commonly used in the same finished-product families.

Sharing similar functions

Ingredients that overlap on functional benefit tags.

From the same origin

Other ingredients that share an origin classification.

References

MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition — ふかひれ

Last updated: 2026-04-28. Ingredient entries are reviewed at least annually against current regulatory listings.