Kakukyu

What is miso?

Miso is a fermented food made from two basic ingredients: soybeans and salt, and is regarded as one of the many condiments essential to Japanese cooking.
Numerous kinds of miso exist in Japan depending on the region; however, we have continued to produce Hatchō Miso since 1645 without altering our unique production method, which employs the basic ingredients of soybeans and salt, thus making it stand out from other types of miso.
Known for its distinctive acidic, astringent, and bitter flavor, the name 'Hatchō Miso' is originally derived from the geographical name of 'Hatchō' where the miso used to be produced, and as a result, came to be known by this name.
Produced using a long-established process of manufacture, Hatchō Miso comprises just approximately 0.2% of the total volume of miso produced in Japan.

When one enters the Kakukyu storehouse, one will find rows of traditional large wooden casks, which are used to prepare miso. One by one, craftsmen place by hand large quantities of stone on top of the wooden casks so that they act as weights. In the past these stones have never collapsed, even in the event of large earthquakes. Under the weight and pressure of three tons of river rocks, six tons of Hatchō miso is left to slowly mature throughout the hot, humid summers and relatively mild winters of Hatchōchō.