Skip to main content
Support

Browse by category

All categories
Fermentation Atlas

Soy and legumes from Japan — Yamanashi

Kōshū miso (rice-and-barley koji miso, Yamanashi)甲州味噌

mild mixed-koji miso, essential for hōtō. Made in 4 steps over 12 months. The longest step, natural ageing in a cool storehouse, takes 12 months (MAFF). Salt is 12 % (Kayama S. 1992. 甲州名物ほうとうと甲州味噌. 日本醸造協会誌 87(2)). Aspergillus oryzae does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step12 monthsSourced[MAFF-TF-kosyu_miso]Natural ageing in a cool storehouse
Salt12 %Measured[KAYAMA-1992]Mix rice koji and barley koji with salt, then soybeans
DocumentedSoy and legumes12 monthsMore soy and legumesMore from Japan

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
soybeans
rice koji
barley koji
salt
Starter: koji/qu/mold-starter (two koji)

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 months

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Soybeans boil until they crush between the fingers

Step 1 of 4
Boil soybeans soft
Time
until crushable between fingers
Unconfirmed
Temperature
~100
Unconfirmed
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Moulds
Aspergillus oryzae

Output: boiled soybeans, cooled; cooking liquor kept.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
soft
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

killed

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

Variants

  • Blended Kōshū misorice miso and barley miso brewed separately then blended to order; now also called Kōshū miso [MAFF-TF-kosyu_miso]
  • Home-brewed Kōshū miso (survey)home brewers used rice+barley koji 41 %, barley koji alone 35 %, rice koji alone 20 % [KAYAMA-1992]
  • Fusuma miso (wheat-bran miso)bran-based famine-era miso, nearly gone; still made in small amounts in Kiriwara (Uenohara) [KAYAMA-1992]

History and sources

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

High, poorly irrigated land limited rice; barley was a staple, so both koji types were combined [MAFF-TF-kosyu_miso]. JAS classes it as chōgō (mixed) miso [JA-WIKI-味噌].

  1. [MAFF-TF-kosyu_miso] MAFF, にっぽん伝統食図鑑 (Japan's traditional foods), kosyu_misogov
  2. [KAYAMA-1992] Kayama S. 1992. 甲州名物ほうとうと甲州味噌. 日本醸造協会誌 87(2):95–100. doi:10.6013/jbrewsocjapan1988.87.95paper