Born from a thousand-year-old tradition originating over 1,000 years ago on the island of Seto-uchi, moshio (Japanese sea salt enriched with minerals and umami through seaweed) was traditionally produced by spreading and rinsing seaweed before boiling it to crystallise the salt. Today, on the coast of Kagawa Prefecture where superior-quality tamamo seaweed is cultivated, Moshio Kobo, founded by Mr Takemura, carries on this artisanal tradition — born of a personal passion that grew into a commercial enterprise. Handcrafted in small batches and sun-dried, this moshio relies on akamoku and hondawara seaweed, harvested from January to March, dried, rehydrated, cut, and then slow-boiled to extract a concentrate incorporated into local sea salt, before being sun-absorbed over several days, with the residues repurposed as fertiliser. This mastered process allows precise control over colour and flavour, yielding salts with granulometries suited to a variety of dishes (tempura, yakiniku, sashimi, or sushi) prized by great Japanese chefs, despite limited availability and long waiting lists.
