Japanese Soy Sauce, Shoyu, Tamari

Japan's Agricultural Standards (JAS) define five soy sauce types and three production methods. Tr ... more

Japan's Agricultural Standards (JAS) define five soy sauce types and three production methods. True-brewed honjozo — moromi mash fermented naturally with only enzyme assistance — accounts for roughly 90% of Japan's 681,000 kilolitre annual output and is the baseline for serious kitchen work.

The five types: koikuchi (dark, all-purpose, roughly 85% of production); usukuchi (light-coloured, slightly saltier, Kansai origin, for preserving colour in delicate dishes); tamari (soybean-dominant, little or no wheat, dense and rich, reddens when heated); saishikomi (twice-brewed — brewed using soy sauce in place of brine, dark and sweet); and shiro (wheat-dominant, pale amber, minimal colour impact for soups and chawanmushi).

SushiSushi's house producer is Shibanuma, based on Shodoshima, Kagawa — one of Japan's oldest soy sauce districts, home to over 1,000 wooden fermentation barrels (kioke) and 400 years of continuous brewing tradition. The climate and the barrels produce a rounder, more complex soy sauce than the factory norm.

Read the Soy Sauce Masterclass