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Sauces and condiments from Japan — Shimane, Oki Islands

Kojōyu miso (Oki Islands soy-sauce/miso hybrid)こじょうゆ味噌

Kojōyu miso is a home seasoning from the Oki Islands that sits between soy sauce and miso. A koji called bana is grown on wheat, rice and soybeans in late summer, using last year's koji as the seed, then salt, mirin and sugar are stirred in every day for about two months. The soybeans and wheat stay whole instead of being ground.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Kojōyu miso itself.

Short entrySauces and condiments2 months

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedHome recipe with no fixed amounts; MAFF notes that every household's mix is different.
Wheat, rice and soybeansMade into kojōyu koji (bana)[maff-kojoyu]
Last year's seed kojiThe starter for the new koji[maff-kojoyu]
Salt, mirin, sugar and other seasoningsThe seasonings and their proportions are not fixed; each household has its own[maff-kojoyu]
Starterkoji: kojōyu koji (bana), seeded from last year's koji

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 months

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countMoulds

What changes: Koji mould grows over wheat, rice and soybeans in late summer

Step 1 of 3
Make kojōyu koji (bana)
Time
Made from August to early September, when koji grows easily
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Moulds

Output: wheat, rice and soybean koji.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
whole grains and beans
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

koji mould from last year's seed koji grows over the grain and beans

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Kojōyu miso is a home seasoning from the Oki Islands that sits between soy sauce and miso. A koji called bana is grown on wheat, rice and soybeans in late summer, using last year's koji as the seed, then salt, mirin and sugar are stirred in every day for about two months. The soybeans and wheat stay whole instead of being ground. Made in 3 steps over 2 months. The longest step, stir every day, takes 2 months (MAFF).

Key numbers
Main step2 monthsReported[maff-kojoyu]Stir every day

What makes this one different

Kojōyu miso uses nearly the same ingredients as soy sauce, but the beans and wheat are left whole and nothing is pressed, so it is part sauce, part miso. Each household seeds its koji from last year's batch.

Related ferments

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The islands had no soy sauce brewery, and shipping from the mainland was hard, so kojōyu miso was used in place of soy sauce. Soy sauce came into wide use on Oki only from the Meiji era. Emperor Go-Toba, who spent his last 19 years on Ama, is said to have liked it.

  1. [maff-kojoyu] MAFF, にっぽん伝統食図鑑 (Japan's traditional foods), こじょうゆ味噌 (Shimane)gov
  2. [shimane-photo] Shimane Prefecture, フォトしまね 195, 身土不二 (Ama town household recipe for kosho-miso made with kojōyu miso)gov