Kikkoman Corporation

The most characteristic seasoning contributing to the taste of Japanese cuisine is soy sauce – literally “soy oil”, or shoyu. Soy sauce is essential to the flavor of typical Japanese foods such as sushi, yakitori, tempura and sukiyaki. The spirit of its delicious taste is defined by its color, its fragrance and its flavor (umami).

If a small quantity of soy sauce is poured into a white dish, one immediately notices its rich reddish brown color; when soy sauce is used on boiled or broiled foods, it enriches the color of the food while sharpening the appetite. But the true nature of soy sauce is found in its essential flavor, known as umami. In the making of soy sauce, umami is born from the amino acids of soy protein which have been produced by microorganisms during the fermentation process.

Soy sauce does not have a very ancient history. The first mention of it in written records dates back only some four hundred years. Condiments used in Japan prior to soy sauce included salt, vinegar and miso (soybean paste), and a sashimi dipping sauce made of a boiled mixture of sake, bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and pickled plums (umeboshi). Soy sauce came into widespread use in western Japan, or Kamigata – the area known today as Kansai, which includes Osaka, Hyogo, and Wakayama – in the early seventeenth century. It gradually became popular throughout Japan and huge quantities were brought from Kamigata to the new and rapidly growing capital, Edo (Tokyo).

Early eighteenth century records state that as many as 9,650 kiloliters of soy sauce were sent to Edo from Kamigata each year. At that time, Kamigata was more advanced technologically, economically and culturally than Edo, and so fine-quality goods were said to “come down” (kudaru) from Kamigata to Edo. The most representative examples of these were sake and soy sauce. “Things that did not come down” (kudaranai mono) were considered poor quality; hence the term kudaranai, meaning uninteresting, or poor in quality, entered the Japanese language.

A Unique Cuisine

From the late eighteenth century, high quality soy sauce from Noda and Choshi (today’s Chiba Prefecture) began to replace Kamigata’s soy sauce. Workshops capable of producing large quantities of shoyu were established to meet Edo’s huge demand. According to 1821 statistics, in one year 16,600 kiloliters of soy sauce were delivered to Edo; as the city’s population at that time numbered some 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 people, each citizen would have consumed 14-15 liters of soy sauce annually. In Japan today, the national average yearly consumption of soy sauce is only a little less than 8.5 liters.

The rapid acceptance of soy sauce in the eighteenth century was largely owing to the establishment of these large-scale workshops. Miso can easily be made in small quantities, so ordinary households could produce their own supply. But good shoyu cannot be made without very powerful presses, and as a result, the widespread availability of shoyu lagged several centuries behind that of miso.

In making shoyu, a special seed starter is added to steamed soybeans and roasted wheat. The resulting mixture is cultured for three days to form a dry mash called koji. Salt and water are added to the koji to form moromi, which is then fermented for about six months. In the past, production took at least one year, and in some cases up to three years. In 1965, this was reduced to about eight months; today’s technology allows the production of shoyu in less than six months. Despite this progress, however, soy sauce production remains much more time-consuming compared to that of other seasonings.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as shoyu had become widespread, what we now think of Japanese cuisine was being perfected. Japanese cuisine aims to elicit the best from the basic flavors of raw ingredients. Rather than seeking to enhance the taste of food by strengthening flavors or using sauces, Japanese cooking adds as little as possible to the original flavor of the ingredients, thus invoking their natural taste. Raw fish dishes, for example, consist simply of sliced raw fish (sashimi) or raw fish served on lightly vinegared rice (sushi) – ideal examples of a cuisine that involves as little “cooking” as possible.

This philosophy very much parallels the concept behind traditional Japanese wooden houses made of unpainted wood and earthen walls, a style that focuses on the natural beauty of the materials. In the same vein, Japanese cuisine works on a very visual level as well: for example, to show off the colors of the natural ingredients, light-color shoyu is used. This is most popular in western Japan, whereas in Tokyo and eastern Japan, ordinary soy sauce is preferred for its density of color and taste.

One reason why Japanese cuisine has become so popular is that the element of shoyu successfully elicits the taste of natural ingredients. The food may seem to have been prepared just minutes before serving, yet because it takes so long to make the soy sauce, a kind of balance is achieved.

Past and Present Tastes

Reflecting international interest in Japanese cuisine, soy sauce has recently come to be enjoyed around the world. This is not the first time, however. It is not generally known that shoyu was consumed in Europe a few centuries ago. Shoyu was first exported to Europe in the eighteenth century via Nagasaki: from 1,200 to 2,400 liters were shipped in porcelain containers called compra jars (a term said to stem from the Portuguese comprador, or “buyer.” Via Holland, shoyu was then distributed throughout Europe. The French scholar Diderot defines it in his 1772 Encyclopedia as “a kind of Japanese sauce that enhances the taste of meat dishes.” The Dutch called soy sauce “soya” or “zoya,” terms adapted from the Japanese shoyu. In fact, the English word “soy” evolved directly from the term shoyu, which is why the beans that produce soy sauce are referred to today as “soybeans.”

In the twentieth century, shoyu was further refined as color, flavor and taste were all enriched, while reduced-salt shoyu became available. Beyond its modern refinements, however, is the importance of using shoyu properly. One of the keys to the enjoyment of sushi and sashimi is not to drown the fish in soy sauce – a little goes a long way. And in so enjoying soy sauce, one tastes a hint of true Japanese culture.

Translation by M. C. Collcutt

Author’s Profile

Isao Kumakura was born in Tokyo in 1943. After receiving his Ph.D. from Tokyo Educational University in 1971, He taught as a lecturer at Kyoto University Research Institute in Humanistic Sciences, and at Tsukuba University from 1978 to 1992. Since then he has held the position of Professor of Japanese History and serves as curator at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka. Among his major publications are The Art of Tea and Kindai Sado Shi no Kenkyu.

Translator’s Profile

Martin C. Collcutt was born in Britain in 1939. He received his BA in History from Cambridge University in 1962, and his Ph.D. in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University in1975. Presently, he teaches and serves as Director of Princeton University’s East Asian Studies Program.