Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
What Hatcho miso is
- No rice koji, no barley koji: a soybean miso brewed from soybeans and salt alone. Hatcho miso is the standard-bearer for it.
- The reason it took root only in the Tokai region is said to be the climate. In hot, humid summers a rice koji miso is hard to keep for long, while soybean miso, helped by its salt, resists spoiling.
- The Yahagi River basin also gave it good soybeans and good water. Because it keeps so well, it is said to have been valued as field rations in the Warring States period.
- That it grew up in Okazaki, the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, may be no accident.
Ask people what color the miso in their miso soup is, and the answer differs completely from region to region. The pale golden miso of Shinshu, the whitish barley miso of Kyushu. What comes to mind for someone from the Tokai region is a red-brown so dark it is close to black.
No rice koji, no barley koji: a soybean miso brewed from soybeans and salt alone. Hatcho miso is the standard-bearer for this miso, which took deep root in the Tokai region and nowhere else in the country.
Why soybean miso only in the Tokai region
One reason is said to be the climate.
Summers in the Tokai region are hot and humid. Miso made with rice koji ferments readily, and in this climate it was hard to keep for long. Soybean miso, where the koji is grown on soybeans alone, resists spoiling with the help of its salt, and can cross as many muggy summers as you like. Being blessed with good soybeans and good water from the Yahagi River (矢作川) basin pushed the soybean miso culture along too.
Soybean miso keeps well, and it is said to have been valued as field rations in the Warring States period. That Hatcho miso grew up in Okazaki, the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, may be no accident.
Two summers and two winters, under 3 tons of stone
The "Hatcho" in Hatcho miso comes from the name of Hatcho village (八丁村), eight cho from Okazaki Castle, a distance of about 870 m. The maker that has gone on making miso in this place since 1645 (Shoho 2) is Kakukyu.
The method has not changed much since it was founded. Soybean koji and salt go into kioke (wooden barrels) close to 2 m in both diameter and height, and on top of that a craftsman stacks up around 3 tons of river stones by hand, in a cone. The stone stack, said to hold even in an earthquake, is a skill handed down through the generations.
Then it sits for "two summers and two winters" (二夏二冬), more than 2 years of tennen jozo (naturally brewed, no temperature control). Aging that moves this slowly builds a taste in which a dense savor and a faint astringency and acidity fold over each other.
Kakukyu Hatcho Miso: a brewery running since 1645
Kakukyu's Hatcho miso has no additives; the ingredients are soybeans and salt only. Miso nikomi udon, miso katsu, dote-ni: much of what is called Nagoya meshi cannot be discussed without this taste. With a history as a purveyor to the Imperial Household, it stands for Japanese soybean miso as a whole.
To a palate used to the sweetness of rice koji, it may feel severe at first. But the way soybean miso gains savor the longer you simmer it, without its character falling apart, is something no other miso will stand in for.
How to enjoy Hatcho miso
- In miso nikomi udon, and in aka-dashi miso soup
- In dote-ni (beef tendon and konnyaku simmered in miso)
- In the sauce for miso katsu (Hatcho miso, sugar and dashi)
- Blended in small amounts into the miso you already use, to add body
- As a hidden note in demi-glace sauce or curry
Start with the blend. A teaspoon added to your usual miso soup is enough to open the door onto the food culture of Tokai.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hatcho miso?
It is a soybean miso that has been made in the village of Hatcho (now Hatcho-cho) in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture. The ingredients are soybeans and salt only, with no rice koji. The established method is to brew it in large wooden barrels, weight it down with stacked river stones, and age it for more than 2 years, over two summers and two winters.
How is Hatcho miso different from ordinary miso?
Ordinary miso is made by adding rice koji (or barley koji) to soybeans, while Hatcho miso is a soybean miso brewed from soybeans and salt alone. Without the sweetness of rice koji, it develops a dense savor with a faint astringency and acidity, and it holds its character even after long simmering.
How should I use Hatcho miso?
The standards are miso nikomi udon, aka-dashi miso soup, dote-ni, and the sauce for miso katsu. If it is your first time, the easiest way in is to blend a small amount into the miso you already use. Kakukyu's Hatcho miso can also be bought online, on Amazon and elsewhere.
