Topic: One of Japan’s Largest Wooden Fermentation Barrels Has Been Completed
On Friday, December 5, a commemorative unveiling ceremony was held at Yuasa Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. to celebrate the completion of a newly constructed wooden fermentation barrel.
Soy sauce production using traditional wooden barrels has become increasingly rare and is now attracting significant attention as a valuable artisanal method. Yuasa Soy Sauce continues to preserve this heritage technique, passing it down through generations.
The newly installed barrel is one of the largest in Japan made entirely from domestically sourced Japanese cedar.
Its completion marks an important milestone in the ongoing preservation and revitalization of Japan’s traditional soy sauce culture.
Yuasa Town, Wakayama Prefecture. There was a time, it is said, when the rich aroma of soy sauce filled the air of this town. Yet when I was growing up here in the 1970s, that fragrance was already fading.
In my childhood memories, Yuasa was not known as a town of soy sauce. It was famous instead as a “fishing paradise” and a major producing region of Arida mandarins. Signs welcoming anglers lined the area around the station, and at school we were taught with pride that this was one of Japan’s leading citrus regions.
At my family business, Marushin Honke, anglers visiting from Osaka would buy soy sauce by the isshō-bin (large glass bottles). As a child, I could not understand why they would go to such trouble to carry something so heavy back with them. I only thought vaguely, “Our soy sauce must be good.”
The turning point came after I turned twenty. A single remark from someone in Osaka changed the course of my life.
“Yuasa is the birthplace of soy sauce, isn’t it?”
I was stunned. I had never once been told that the town where I was born and raised was the origin of soy sauce—an essential pillar of Japanese food culture. From that moment on, I began researching its history obsessively.
What emerged was a story both profound and heartbreaking.
About 800 years ago, a monk named Kakushin (later known as Hottō Kokushi) crossed the sea to the Southern Song dynasty in China to pray for the soul of Shogun Minamoto no Sanetomo and to pursue Zen training. After enduring life-threatening ascetic practice, he returned to Kōkoku-ji Temple in Yura and brought back the method for making Kinzanji miso. The liquid that slowly seeped from that miso—tamari—became the prototype of soy sauce.
Yuasa flourished so greatly that Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself granted permission for the free trade of its soy sauce. During the Edo period, as many as 92 soy sauce breweries lined the town’s streets, and Yuasa thrived with energy and pride.
Yet by the time I was a child, only three or four remained.
An industry that had once been the town’s greatest source of pride declined, until it was no longer spoken of. Perhaps because it was no longer something to boast about, people stopped telling their children its story. The memory, I realized, had been quietly sealed away. When that truth sank in, my chest tightened with sorrow.
“If this continues, 800 years of history will disappear.”
That sense of crisis drove me forward. In 2002, I founded Yuasa Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. This was not simply a business venture. It was a challenge to reclaim a pride that had been sealed away—and to reintroduce Yuasa to the world as “the place where it all began.”
My gaze no longer remained fixed on this small town alone. “To create the world’s finest soy sauce and deliver it to the world.” With that single conviction, I traveled to New York—the heart of the global economy—and to France, the birthplace of gastronomy, sharing the true value of Japanese tradition wherever I went.
Just as a monk once crossed the sea and returned with seeds of hope, now it is my turn—to carry a drop infused with 800 years of spirit from Yuasa to the world.
Yuasa Soy Sauce is on its path to becoming a global brand representing Japan. And our story has only just begun.
Exports to Paris and New York began around 2005.
Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, overseas markets were affected by reputational damage related to concerns over radioactive contamination in Japanese food products, resulting in product returns and export suspensions. In response, the company made a strategic decision to shift toward local production overseas.
Why Bordeaux? (Site Visits in 2014)
Bordeaux was selected after on-site inspections conducted in 2014. The region is home to approximately 7,000 wineries, supported by a highly developed ecosystem of bottling, labeling, and related industries. The availability and adaptability of winemaking infrastructure—particularly large wooden barrels—were identified as major advantages.
In addition, while koji production remains a uniquely Japanese strength, the team recognized key similarities in fermentation philosophy and processes, leading to confidence that soy sauce brewing could be successfully adapted to the local environment.
Significance for the Regional Economy
The project enables off-season utilization of wine-making facilities, offering diversification opportunities at a time when red wine consumption has been declining and farm abandonment has become a challenge. As such, soy sauce brewing functions as a new industrial model contributing to regional resilience.
On-Site Evaluation and Flavor Characteristics
Production processes were directly observed at the local brewery, with fermentation in traditional Bordeaux wine barrels serving as a defining feature.
Market prices were generally positioned at the premium end, as confirmed through retail observation at Le Bon Marché.
Tasting Impressions
White (light-style soy sauce)
Minimal color transfer, preserving visual presentation. Light sweetness and freshness, with restrained soybean aroma. Saltiness tends to appear first.
Black / Noir (dark-style soy sauce)
Designed for approximately one year of aging, offering depth while remaining lighter and more approachable than Wakayama-style dark soy sauce, which typically matures for around 18 months.
Wakayama soy sauce is characterized by long-term aging and umami-forward complexity, reflecting a different philosophical balance.
Brewing Environment: Water, Ingredients, and Salt
Water Quality
Bordeaux groundwater (Abatilles) is classified locally as soft water, but by Japanese standards it leans toward hard water due to limestone-rich geology. As French cuisine is historically adapted to hard water, the soy sauce formulation was redesigned accordingly.
Ingredient Policy
Japan: Emphasis on selecting high-protein soybeans.
France: Absolute priority on organic, pesticide-free cultivation.
The project collaborates with partners Adrien and Madina, who continue a nearly 400-year tradition of organic agriculture. Ingredients are grown by nearby farmers under contract, with plans for future self-cultivation.
Salt Selection
Current: Sea salt from Île de Ré.
Under Evaluation: Guérande sea salt, which may offer advantages in flavor, supply stability, and brand recognition. Switching tests are planned.
Products and Production System
Product Lineup
White (France-oriented light style / ~6 months aging):
Faster return on investment, though requiring careful management due to sharper edges.
Black “Noir” (dark style / ~12 months aging):
Longer maturation and slower capital recovery, but greater roundness and depth.
Production Expansion
2023: Approximately 5,000 bottles (sampling scale).
Latest batch: Expanded to approximately 50,000 bottles.
Business Structure and Rights
Products are registered under the local company, marketed under the brand name “SHINKO,” derived from the founder’s family name.
Japanese Corporate Background
The parent company, Marushin Honke, was founded in 1881 and is a traditional producer of Kinzanji miso, from which tamari—the precursor to soy sauce—originated.
Market Reception, Pricing, and Distribution in France
Pricing and Channels
The product performs well even in the premium price range (around €19). It has achieved repeat sales both in-store and online at Le Bon Marché and has expanded distribution into Switzerland and Belgium.
Adoption and Cultural Shift
Top-tier chefs, including Michelin-starred professionals, have adopted the soy sauce. It is increasingly integrated into French culinary contexts such as red wine sauces.
The former perception that “soy sauce does not belong in French cuisine” has shifted. The color-neutral quality of white soy sauce aligns particularly well with French aesthetics and respect for terroir.
The narrative of being “French-made”—using Bordeaux barrels, local water, salt, and agricultural practices—adds persuasive power and pride.
Aroma, Whole Soybeans, and Balance Design
Aroma-Driven Market Adaptation
As in wine culture, aroma evaluation takes precedence in France, with a highly developed sensory vocabulary.
Advantages of Whole Soybeans
The rich aromatic profile derived from whole soybeans has earned strong professional acclaim and clearly differentiates the product from industrial soy sauces made primarily with defatted soybeans.
Flavor Balance
Overuse can result in excessive saltiness, making precise balance between aroma and salinity essential.
Usage, Cultural Context, and Culinary Applications
By adding soy sauce to core French seasonings—salt, pepper, and vinegar—chefs can amplify aromatic and umami layers without shifting toward Japanese cuisine.
White soy sauce, when added sparingly to soups or sauces, enhances depth and aroma without altering color.
The project highlights the complementary relationship between Japanese modular fermented seasonings (miso, sake, mirin, katsuobushi) and French sauce techniques. A small addition of long-aged fermented ingredients can dramatically deepen sauces.
Historical Background: Yuasa and the Origins of Soy Sauce
Yuasa is recognized as the birthplace of soy sauce and designated as a Japan Heritage site. Approximately 770–800 years ago, the monk Kakushin studied koji in China and introduced Kinzanji miso to Japan; the liquid tamari that seeped from the miso became the foundation of soy sauce.
Around 400 years ago, during the Toyotomi era, “Yuasa soy sauce” was formally established. Local brewers gained official seals after supplying provisions for military campaigns, expanding distribution nationwide. At its peak during the Edo period, Yuasa had 92 soy sauce producers.
Following decline due to modernization and distribution changes, Yuasa Soy Sauce Co. was founded in 2002 to revive the tradition and pursue global expansion.
Water and Broth Culture: Eastern vs. Western Japan
Kanto: Hard water → kombu less suitable; bonito-based stock and dark soy sauce dominate.
France, while culturally a hard-water region, has adapted primarily through white soy sauce due to its emphasis on visual presentation.
Local Partners, Operations, and Language
Partners Adrien and Madina are highly dedicated and hardworking. Through continuous dialogue and annual revisions, ingredients, water, salt, and processes are constantly refined.
As operations are conducted primarily in Japanese, chef feedback is collected, translated, and analyzed through local partners.
Kansai: Soft water → kombu-based stock; light and white soy sauces are preferred.
