abstract:is a saltwater fish (smelt]) about 15 centimeters in length. It is slim and resembles a [[willow leaf; the Japanese name, shishamo, is derived from the Ainu name for the same fish, susam, which is supposed to be derived from a compound of Ainu susu "willow" + ham "leaf", hence its name in kanji (jukujikun, where the characters have no phonetic relation to the word).