The Kamebishi-Ya house was established in 1753, founded by a Lord, a former Samurai. It is the only producer in the world to perpetuate the traditional manufacturing method known as "mushiro kôji" and continues to pass on its production secrets orally, from generation to generation. Discover the Kamebishi-Ya products.
Kamebishi-Ya, the only producer in the world to perpetuate the traditional method of soy sauce production
Today, Okada San, daughter and mother, carry on the tradition within the Hiketa district, in the town of Higashi-Kagawa, Kagawa Prefecture, in the north-east of Shikoku island.
It all begins with Kôji
Mushiro kôji means that the kôji is made on rice straw mats. It should be noted that the traditional production of soy sauce begins in autumn, after the wheat and soybean harvests. The main ingredients are soybean and wheat. The soybeans are cooked by steaming. They are correctly cooked when they are soft enough to be crushed between two fingers.
The wheat is roasted in a wood-fired oven. The flavour of the soy sauce will depend on the quality and mastery of the roasting. The roasted wheat is poured over the steam-cooked soybeans and the starter culture is added to produce the kôji (a method passed down for 250 years). The kôji is then poured onto rice straw mats. This particular process is called mushiro-kôji and will impart a unique flavour to the soy sauce.
A work of precision
This work is highly skilled and requires a great deal of experience. The spreading on the mats must be done very quickly so that the soybeans and wheat grains do not separate. The Kamebishi master craftsmen have only 90 minutes to spread the kôji across the 168 mats available at the factory. The mixture must be kept away from the cold at all times so that the starter culture can continue to grow.
The temperature of the room where the kôji is kept is between 28 and 30°C. It is monitored every 2 hours. The starter culture, as soon as it acts, produces heat. The temperature in the upper part of the room then rises. There is a difference with the temperature in the lower part of the room. This has an impact on the quality of the kôji, depending on whether it is at the top or the bottom. A natural ventilation system has therefore been created.
The cob walls and thick ceilings retain the heat. To counteract this, 14 hatches, both small and large, have been fitted in the ceiling and are opened or closed according to the need to regulate the temperature. In the room above the ceiling, glass panes are open to the outside. Warm air can thus escape and cold air enter. Temperature adjustment is therefore possible, resulting in significant energy savings.
The magic happens on the mushiro mats
The production of mushiro kôji continues for 3 days and 3 nights, without interruption. After 6 hours, having been spread on the mushiro mats, the ingredients are firm, proof that the starter culture is active.
When the kôji are sufficiently firm, they are removed from the mats and then broken apart to aerate them. This operation allows the growth of soybean filaments, which thus release their aromas. They are then, once aerated, placed again and spread out on the mushiro mats. Three hours after the aeration phase, the growth of the soybean filaments is observed under a microscope. It is these filaments that release the characteristic aromas of soybean.
The precious fermentation of Moromi
In the early hours of the fourth day, the kôji gradually changes colour and releases all its aromas. It is ready! Salted water is then added and the mixture, called moromi, is placed in large cedar barrels. The cedar vats, where the moromi is stored, have existed for over 200 years.
These vats, as well as the cellar where they are stored away from the light, contain 230 micro-organisms including lactic acid bacteria and yeasts that contribute to the fermentation and growth of the moromi. They have developed over the decades, between the beams, on the pillars of the building, and on and in the cedar barrels. These micro-organisms give the Kamebishi-Ya soy sauce its incomparable aromas and flavour.
At the end of winter, spring generates significant activity among these micro-organisms. The moromi must then be checked every morning. With summer and its high temperatures, the primary yeast ferments are at their most active, causing substantial fermentation.
The moromi is left to mature for at least 2 summers. Once matured, it is placed in linen cloths and mechanically pressed, then bottled and pasteurised at a low temperature.
Exceptional soy sauces: a delight!
I was fortunate enough to taste the finest moromi and the finest soy sauces: aged 2 years, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years and 34 years. Nowhere in the world did I find a soy sauce as exceptional as this, with such complex aromas, such a powerful fragrance and such a velvety texture.
Industrial soy sauces use a single yeast and cannot in any way compete with this artisanal Kamebishi soy sauce.
