Traditional Japanese Food

Awase miso, as an ingredient of awase miso soup, has a long history in Japan. It was introduced to Japan as far back as the Asuka period (710-794), but at that time awase miso was not soluble in water, so people ate awase miso by licking it off. People began to eat miso soup in the Kamakura period.(1185-1333). In the Kamakura period, a meal style called "Ichiju-ichisai" (One soup and One Vegetable) began to take root in samurai society, and the custom of eating awase miso soup with every meal was established. From then, awase miso soup became popular as a food for warfare. In the Edo period (1603-1867), miso became popular for Japanese people in their daily lives. Nowadays, miso soup appears on every family's dining table. Since then, awase miso soup has been a staple of the Japanese diet.

Natural Wooden Barrel Fermentation

Our fine awase miso is slowly aged in a natural wooden barrel for a long period. Compared to other artificial fermentation containers, the natural wooden barrel "breathes", meaning that during the summer, the wooden plates swell due to the hotness & high humidity of Japanese summer. On the other hand, during the winter, the plates tighten due to the coldness & dryness of Japanese winter. These natural phenomena adjusts the inner temperature of the wooden barrel, and keeps an ideal condition for fine awase miso fermentation.

Artisanal Handworks of Small Brewery

Making awase miso is very simple, but therefore making distinctive awase miso requires great skills & efforts. Our small brewery succeeds the traditional methods which requires an artisan's keen eyes, nose, and tongue. Without completely relying on machines, our small brewery is adamant about artisanal handworks of succeeded skills.

Supervised by Japanese Modern Master Craftsman of Kyoto

Our authentic awase miso making process is supervised by Japanese "Modern Master Craftsman" in Kyoto. With his adamant philosophy towards making authentic miso & traditional skills, he was awarded "Modern Master Craftsman" in Kyoto. Without compromising about the ingredients & methods, our small brewery makes one of the finest miso in Kyoto, where is the mecca of Japanese traditional culture.

Traditional Japanese Food

Miso, as an ingredient of miso soup, has a long history in Japan. It was introduced to Japan as far back as the Asuka period (710-794), but at that time miso was not soluble in water, so people ate miso by licking it off. People began to eat miso soup in the Kamakura period.(1185-1333). In the Kamakura period, a meal style called "Ichiju-ichisai" (One soup and One Vegetable) began to take root in samurai society, and the custom of eating miso soup with every meal was established. From then, miso soup became popular as a food for warfare. In the Edo period (1603-1867), miso became popular for Japanese people in their daily lives. Nowadays, miso soup appears on every family's dining table. Since then, miso soup has been a staple of the Japanese diet.

Natural Brewing

During fermentation and maturation of miso, the fermentation tanks are placed in a warm room. Several kinds of microorganisms and enzymes from the koji greatly contribute to this process, creating various flavors unique to miso.The Yatsugatake Natural Brewery is located at an altitude of approximately 850m above sea level. We use subterranean water of Yatsugatake pumped up from nearly 90 m underground and matured slowly over a long period of time. This brings out a mellow and deep flavor to this naturally brewed Shinshu Miso.

How Rice Miso is Made

First, soybeans are in the boiling, steaming and pressure cooking process. Rice will go into the steaming process then it will become rice malt(koji). After that, the soybeans and the rice malt will be mixed with water and salt. Then, the mixture of soybeans, rice malt, water and salt will go into the fermentation and aging process for a long period of time in a brewing warehouse. The brewery is located in a mountainous area at an elevation of 849 meters, making it an ideal place for fermentation and maturation of miso due to the cooler temperatures. This long-term aging process gives miso a mellow, full-bodied flavor.

Commitment to Ingredients

We manufacture with a commitment to raw materials and use only Japanese ingredients.

As for the ingredients used to make miso, we carefully selected Koshihikari rice from Akita prefecture which is famous among Japanese people and even people overseas.

Various New Ways to Use Miso Paste - Twice-cooked Pork with Miso

Miso is generally used as an ingredient in miso soup. However, miso is also suitable for a wide variety of dishes as seasoning. Twice-cooked Pork with Miso is a nutritious recipe that combines vegetables and meat with miso. You can use this miso to create your own recipes!

Traditional Soy Sauce Manufacturing Methods

Until now, the technology of making soy sauce has been invested in producing soy sauce quickly and in large quantities. The technology of optimal temperature brewing is to adjust a proper temperature by adding unrefined sake and cultivated yeast. It reduced the conventional brewing time to half a year and has succeeded in significantly lowering the cost of soy sauce. This makes a big contribution to the oversea demand for soy sauce industry.

However, we will continue to maintain the traditional method of natural brewing, in which soy sauce is brewed by microorganisms that live in the brewery under the temperature change of the four seasons. This is because we believe that the soy sauce produced under the metabolic activities of microorganisms adapted to the environment and operating at their own rhythms is the real soy sauce.

Natural Brewing

The production method of making soy sauce without adding temperature to the unrefined sake and following the traditional practice of making soy sauce in the temperature changes of the four seasons is called "Natural Brewing",

The Power of Yeast in the Brewery

The yeast that lives in the tanks on the brewery walls gives a full flavor to the soy sauce. The power of post-ripening yeast literally works after aging and it does not appear without time. The amount of melanoidin, a functional substance in miso and soy sauce that has a high active oxygen scavenging capacity. It helps to deepen the color of the soy sauce with long-term aging.

The Cycle of Life

The yeast, lactic acid bacteria and various wild species that live in the brewery create a unique ecosystem. This unique ecosystem gives the soy sauce a rich flavor and this is our goal in soy sauce production. We value the cycle of life by learning from organic agriculture, where the soil is created by numerous living creatures to produce abundant harvests.

100% being particular about Japanese Ingredients

Japan has a very low domestic self-sufficiency rate. Soy sauce, which supports Japanese food, is also mainly made from foreign soybeans, which account for 97% of the soy sauce distributed in Japan.

However, we insist on domestically produced ingredients and do not use any chemical seasonings, preservatives, coloring agents, extracts or genetically modified ingredients.

We have deepened our ties with local farmers, fishermen and brewers in order to know the producers and use post-harvest and genetically modified-free ingredients.

Recommended for any dishes

In Japan, sushi is generally served with soy sauce, but it is also recommended to use in various kinds of dishes as a seasoning item. The common soy sauce may make the dish itself too rich in flavor, but this organic shoyu soy sauce can blend well with the flavors of the ingredients and bring out the taste of the soy sauce and the flavor of the ingredients in each other.