What actually seasons imoni: the dashi shoyu called Aji Marujyu that holds up Yamagata's table

Autumn in Yamagata. Along the riverbanks, people gather around big pots to simmer satoimo taro and beef. The "imonikai," or imoni gathering, is a seasonal sight that stands for the whole prefecture. Would it surprise you to hear that the deciding factor in that distinctive taste, the sweet-salty broth soaked into the taro, is actually a single bottle?

It is dashi shoyu. And the bottle Yamagata households choose overwhelmingly is the one named Aji Marujyu (味マルジュウ).

Imoni gatherings, and how they are seasoned

Inland Yamagata imoni is basically beef, satoimo taro, konnyaku and green onion simmered in a shoyu base. Its mark is a sweet-salty taste close to sukiyaki, and dashi shoyu is the lead in that seasoning.

But imoni is not uniform even within Yamagata. In the Shonai region it is pork with a miso base, and both ingredients and seasoning shift by area. Every household has "our imoni," and what holds up the memory of that taste is the dashi shoyu kept ready in the kitchen.

What dashi shoyu is

Dashi shoyu is honjozo shoyu blended with dashi from katsuobushi, kombu and the like. Where ordinary shoyu is made purely by fermenting soybeans, wheat and salt, dashi shoyu has the savor of dashi dissolved into it from the start.

So pouring or dripping it settles the taste. Even in a dish simmered in quantity, like imoni, this one bottle keeps the foundation of the taste from wandering. For a busy kitchen there is hardly a more dependable seasoning.

From safflower merchants: Marujuoya

Aji Marujyu is made by Marujuoya, in Yamagata City.

It was founded in 1844. The house began as a safflower merchant dealing in the dye plant, and later moved into brewing. Aji Marujyu, honjozo shoyu blended with dashi from katsuobushi and other ingredients, is such a dominant first-recall brand in Yamagata that people say "the taste of Marujyu is the taste of home." Seasoning imoni, so the saying goes, is settled with this one bottle.

The history of Yamagata as a merchant city grown rich on safflower, and the everyday taste of the people who live there. Both are dissolved into one bottle of dashi shoyu.

How to enjoy Aji Marujyu

• Imoni: season beef, satoimo taro, konnyaku and green onion with this alone
• Chilled tofu, blanched greens, natto: pour it straight on for the savor of dashi
• Noodle sauce: dilute it 5 times for soba or udon
• Simmered dishes, dashimaki tamago: use it as the base of the taste and you need no separate dashi

This is not a regional dish you taste while travelling. It is a bottle that brings the everyday life of Yamagata people onto your table as it is.

Frequently asked questions

How is Yamagata imoni seasoned?

Inland Yamagata imoni is basically beef, satoimo taro, konnyaku and green onion simmered in a shoyu base. Dashi shoyu is often what does the seasoning, and Marujuoya's Aji Marujyu is the standard bottle, the one people say settles the taste on its own. Ingredients and seasoning vary by area; in the Shonai region, accounts differ, with pork and a miso base among them.

How does dashi shoyu differ from ordinary shoyu?

Ordinary shoyu is a seasoning made by fermenting soybeans, wheat and salt, while dashi shoyu is honjozo shoyu blended with dashi from katsuobushi, kombu and the like. Because pouring or dripping it settles a dashi-forward taste, it works widely: seasoning imoni, chilled tofu, blanched greens and more.

Where is Aji Marujyu shoyu from?

It is a dashi-blended shoyu made by Marujuoya in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture. The house was founded in 1844 as a safflower merchant, and in Yamagata it is a first-recall brand to the point that people say "the taste of Marujyu is the taste of home." Besides imoni, it can serve as a noodle sauce when diluted 5 times.