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Fermentation Atlas

Japan

184 ferments from Japan, with how each is made.

184 entries listed here, page 1 of 2.

Compare them

FermentKindMain stepTemperatureSaltpH
Amazake (rice-koji)Soft drinks18 h50–60 °C
AwamoriAlcoholic drinksat least 6 months
BottargaFish and seafood5–7 days20 °C
Doburoku (unpressed cloudy sake)Alcoholic drinks14–30 days
East Asian fruit wines (bayberry, mulberry, goji and plum)Alcoholic drinks6–15 days17–20 °C4.9 → 3.49
Engishiki pickles (延喜式 漬年料雑菜), Heian court tsukemonoVegetables30 days4–5 %3.3–5.3
Genshu, shiboritate, muroka, tobingakoi and shizuku (pressing and finishing styles)Alcoholic drinks21–28 days8–18 °C
Ginjo and daiginjo sake (with junmai ginjo and junmai daiginjo)Alcoholic drinks6–12 months15 °C
Goishi-chaTea leaf10–20 days
Honjozo and futsu-shu (sake with added brewer's alcohol)Alcoholic drinks6–12 months
Imo-jochu (sweet-potato shochu)Alcoholic drinks9 days
Katsuobushi (karebushi, honkarebushi)Fish and seafood6 months27 °C
Koikuchi shoyu (Japanese dark soy sauce, honjōzō brewed) — reference processSauces and condiments6–12 months15–28 °C17–19 %4.7
Kokuto shochu (brown-sugar shochu)Alcoholic drinks8 days30 °C
Kome miso, salty light type (Shinshu miso) — reference processSoy and legumes2–3 months25–30 °C11–13 %5
Kome-jochu (rice shochu, e.g. Kuma shochu)Alcoholic drinks42 h40 °C → 30 °C
Koshu (aged sake)Alcoholic drinks3–53 yearsup to 15 °C
Kuchikamizake (chewed-rice sake) and Okinawan/Amami mikiAlcoholic drinks3 months5 °C3.8–4
KusayaFish and seafood10–20 h2.7–11.1 %
Mugi-jochu (barley shochu)Alcoholic drinks20 days
Mungbean starch noodles (sour-liquid starch)Roots and tubers19 h – 2.2 days-10 °C4.5
Namazake (unpasteurised sake) and once-heated nama formsAlcoholic drinks6 monthsup to 5 °C
Natto (itohiki natto, whole-bean sticky natto)Soy and legumes24 h5–10 °C6.9–8.1
Nigori, origarami, jikagumi and doburokuAlcoholic drinks21–28 days8–18 °C
Nukazuke (rice-bran bed pickles)Vegetables40 days24 °C6 %6 → 4
Persimmon vinegar (Korean gamsikcho, Japanese kakisu)Vinegar21 days – 25 years15 °C3–3.7
Probiotic and therapeutic fermented milks (family)Fermented milk24 h
Rice koji for sake (yellow koji, kome-koji)Starters and koji44 h – 2 days
ShottsuruSauces and condimentsat least 12 months20 %6
Soba shochu and kasutori shochuAlcoholic drinks42 h40 °C → 30 °C
Umeboshi (salted dried ume)Fruit30 days20 %up to 3
Yamahai sakeAlcoholic drinks25–34 days5.8–10.4 °C
Echigo miso (uki-kōji miso, "floating-koji miso")Soy and legumes50 days – 2 months12.5 %
Edo ama-miso (sweet red rice miso)Soy and legumes9–14 days50 °C5–6 %
FunazushiFish and seafood6 months – 3 years15 %4
Hamana miso (Fukui winter koji-moromi relish with eggplant)Soy and legumes20 days
Kansai shiro miso (sweet white rice miso); Saikyo miso is the Kyoto premium exampleSoy and legumes7–14 days5–7 %
Kijoshu (sake brewed with sake)Alcoholic drinks21–28 days8–18 °C
Kimoto sakeAlcoholic drinks14 days8 °C3.5
Kōshū miso (rice-and-barley koji miso, Yamanashi)Soy and legumes12 months12 %
Lightly sweet light miso (e.g. Shizuoka aijiro)Soy and legumes10 days7–12 %
Mame miso / Hatchō miso (soybean-only koji miso)Soy and legumes10 months – 2 years10–12 %4.5–5.1
Sake (base flow: junmai, sokujo starter)Alcoholic drinks6–12 months10–15 °C4–4.5
Sanuki shiro miso (Kagawa white miso, GI)Soy and legumesup to 7 daysup to 6 %
Sendai miso (salty red rice miso)Soy and legumes30 days – 12 months10–15 °C21.5 %
Sunki (salt-free turnip-leaf pickle)Vegetables7 days – 2 monthsup to 0 °C0 %3–4.5
Sweet barley miso (Satsuma miso)Soy and legumes30 days – 3 months9–11 %4.9–4.9
Yuzukoshō (柚子胡椒, salted yuzu peel and chilli paste)Sauces and condiments3–6 months16–20 %
Aizu misoSoy and legumes11–13 %
Akado-zuke (Aso red taro-stem pickle, "field horse-sashimi")Vegetables
Akaisake (red sake) and kuroshu (brown-rice sake)Alcoholic drinks
Akazuke / akazushi (keitomama)Cereals and bread
Akita misoSoy and legumesat least 12 months
Akumochizake (ash-preserved sake)Alcoholic drinks
Awa-banchaTea leaf
Ayu gyoshōSauces and condiments
Batabata-chaTea leaf
Bettara-zuke (sweet koji daikon)Vegetables
Black koji (kuro-koji)Starters and koji40–45 h35–40 °C3
Bodaimoto sake (mizu-moto)Alcoholic drinks7–10 days
Caspian Sea yoghurtFermented milk6.6
Echizen shio-uniFish and seafood
Endō miso (pea miso, Nara)Soy and legumes
Etari no shiokaraFish and seafood
Etchū miso (Toyama rice-koji miso)Soy and legumes6–12 months
Fermented silkworm pupae seasoning (modern)Insects
Fuchū miso (Hiroshima white sweet miso)Soy and legumes5–20 days5–7 %
Fugu no ko nukazukeFish and seafood2–2.5 years30 %
GanzukeFish and seafood
Gosai-zuke (Ibaraki salted saury and daikon)Fish and seafood14–30 days
Gujō miso (barley-koji + soybean-koji miso, Gifu)Soy and legumes
Hakusai tatami-zuke (Kohoku folded napa pickle)Vegetables
Hamanatto / Daitokuji natto / tera natto (salted mold-fermented soy nuggets of Japan)Soy and legumes
Hanazuke (salt-pickled edible flowers)Vegetables
Hatahata-zushiFish and seafood
HeshikoFish and seafood3–12 months
Hi-no-kabura-zuke (Matsuyama scarlet turnip)Vegetables
Hida akakabu-zuke (Hida red turnip pickle)Vegetables
Hinona-zuke (Hino turnip bran pickle)Vegetablesat least 30 days
Hiroshimana-zuke (Hiroshima greens pickle)Vegetables
Hokkaido misoSoy and legumes
Hon-mirinAlcoholic drinks40 days – 2 months20–30 °C
Hongqu (red yeast rice, red qu)Starters and koji3–6 days30–40 °C
Horon miso (historic temple 'debate miso'; processed name-miso)Sauces and condiments
Iburigakko (smoked takuan)Vegetablesat least 2 months
Iga shirouri teppō-zuke (melon stuffed and pickled in miso-tamari)Vegetables
Ika no shiokaraFish and seafood10 %
Ikanago shōyuSauces and condiments
IshiruSauces and condiments
Ishizuchi-kurochaTea leaf
Iwate rice miso (Tōhoku Pacific-side karakuchi miso)Soy and legumes6 months15 °C → 30 °C11.4–11.9 %
Izekomi-na / yudekomi-na and sunana-zuke (unsalted greens pickles of Niigata and Fukui)Vegetables
Izushi (Hokkaido)Fish and seafood18–20 days
Kabura-zushiFish and seafood
Kaga misoSoy and legumesup to 18 months
Kakizuke (daikon pickled with astringent persimmon)Vegetables
Kanzuke (twice cold-wind-dried daikon)Vegetables
Kanzuri (snow-bleached fermented chilli paste)Sauces and condiments3 years
Karashi-zuke (mustard-koji pickle, especially autumn eggplant)Vegetables
Karikari ume (crunchy salted green plums)Fruit
Karimori kasuzuke (hard white-melon in mirin lees)Vegetablesat least 21 days
Katsugen (Hokkaido lactic drink)Soft drinks
Kawachi akakabura no suzuke (Fukui)Vegetables
Kinkon-zuke (Hanamaki stuffed white-melon miso pickle)Vegetables
Kinzanji miso (name-miso, eaten as a relish)Soy and legumes
Kojōyu miso (Oki Islands soy-sauce/miso hybrid)Sauces and condiments2 months
Komezu (rice vinegar) and akazu (red sake-lees vinegar)Vinegar
Konka-iwashiFish and seafood
Konowata (salted sea-cucumber gut)Fish and seafood2–3 daysat least 10 %
Koshu koume-zuke (crunchy small ume)Fruit
Kurozu (Kagoshima pot-brewed black rice vinegar)Vinegar6 months – 3 years
KurozukuriFish and seafood
Kyūshū amakuchi shōyu (sweet regional soy sauce)Sauces and condiments
Mefun (salted salmon kidney)Fish and seafood
Mie regional salt pickles (Matsusaka akana, Asama kona, Kumano takana)Vegetables
Misho / masho (末醤), Heian soybean pasteSoy and legumes
Mizukakena-zukeVegetables
Momiji-zukeFish and seafood
Moriguchi-zuke (two-year lees-pickled Moriguchi daikon)Vegetables
Myeongnan-jeotFish and seafood4–7 %
Nanto morohaku (Nara 'both-white' sake)Alcoholic drinks
NarazukeVegetables
Narezushi (Mie, nama-nare)Fish and seafood
Nasu no hanazushi (eggplant flower sushi)Vegetables
Nasu no koji-zuke (Akita eggplant koji pickle)Vegetables
Natazuke (hatchet-cut daikon in amazake)Vegetables
Nishin no sushi (herring narezushi, Wakasa)Fish and seafood
Nishin-zukeFish and seafood
Nozawana-zukeVegetables
Nuka-iwashi (Shōnai)Fish and seafood
NukanishinFish and seafood
Okinawan shima misoSoy and legumes3–4 months
Ōno shōyu (Kanazawa umakuchi soy sauce)Sauces and condiments6 months
Papaya-zuke (green papaya miso pickle)Fruit
Penne-imo / potche-imo (Ainu snow-fermented potato starch cakes)Roots and tubers
Pineapple wine (Maui Blanc and Asian pineapple wines)Alcoholic drinks
Rakkyo-zuke (Tottori, honzuke method)Vegetables
Raku, so and daigo (ancient Japanese dairy, Heian period)Fermented milk2 h100 °C3.8
Saba no kōji-zuke (Tottori)Fish and seafood
Saba no shiokara (Mihonoseki)Fish and seafood
Sado misoSoy and legumes13–14 %
Sakadane (sake-starter) bread and Japanese tennen kōboCereals and bread
Sakamanjū (sake-starter steamed bun)Cereals and bread
Sakura cheese (Kyodo Gakusha Shintoku Farm)Cheese10 days
Salt-alum jellyfish (boundary, not microbial)Other20–40 days
Salty barley miso (e.g. Nagasaki, Shimabara; reddish northern-Kantō barley miso)Soy and legumes
Sangohachi-zuke (3-5-8 koji pickle)Vegetables
Sanpoku/Atsumi yakihata red turnip pickleVegetables
Seisai-zuke and omi-zuke (Yamagata)Vegetables
Sendai hakusai-zukeVegetables

Bold names have a full page with the animated steps. Blank cells: no sourced value yet.

Numbers come from cited sources and carry a label that says how each is known. How this atlas is made