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Soy and legumes from Japan — Gifu

Gujō miso (barley-koji + soybean-koji miso, Gifu)郡上みそ

Gujō miso is a soft, medium-salty miso from the Nagara river headwaters in Gifu, made with both barley koji and soybean koji. The maker packs it with winter water and ripens it for more than two years, keeping the tamari liquid in, which makes it soft. The name is a trademark of one maker, not a regional class.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Gujō miso itself. Its own sources do not record how it is made, so the steps and scenes below are those of Mame miso / Hatchō miso (soybean-only koji miso), the closest documented soy and legumes ferment, shown as a guide to the method, not as a record of Gujō miso.

Short entrySoy and legumes2 years

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedOne maker's product; no amounts are published.
Whole soybeansSelected, non-GM whole soybeans[GUJO-MAKER]
BarleyMade into barley koji; part of the soybeans are also made into koji[GUJO-MAKER][JA-WIKI-郡上味噌]
Natural salt[GUJO-MAKER]
WaterNatural water from the coldest season, when it is cleanest[GUJO-MAKER]
Starterbarley koji and soybean koji

Total time across the steps of Mame miso / Hatchō miso (soybean-only koji miso): 10 months

Start
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What changes: Soaked soybeans are steamed soft and dark

Step 1 of 5 · steps of Mame miso / Hatchō miso (soybean-only koji miso)
Soak and steam the soybeans
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Moulds
Yeasts

The steaming is deep, so the beans are already dark before they become koji. Output: steamed soybeans.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

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

Gujō miso is a soft, medium-salty miso from the Nagara river headwaters in Gifu, made with both barley koji and soybean koji. The maker packs it with winter water and ripens it for more than two years, keeping the tamari liquid in, which makes it soft. The name is a trademark of one maker, not a regional class. Made in 2 steps over 2 years. The longest step, pack with salt and winter water; ripen with the tamari left in, takes at least 2 years (Ōtsubo Shōyu). Koji mould and yeasts does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 2 yearsReported[GUJO-MAKER]Pack with salt and winter water; ripen with the tamari left in

What makes this one different

Gujō miso uses both barley koji and soybean koji, a method Japanese Wikipedia calls unlike any other miso, and keeps its tamari in, so it is softer than ordinary miso.

Related ferments

History and sources

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

It grew out of Gujō home miso. Ōtsubo Shōyu, the oldest maker in Gujō, worked on it for a century from its founding, finished it in the Shōwa 30s (1955–64), and the third head named it Gujō miso.

  1. [GUJO-MAKER] Ōtsubo Shōyu, 郡上みそって何? (What is Gujō miso?), maker's pageweb
  2. [JA-WIKI-郡上味噌] Japanese Wikipedia, 郡上味噌wiki