Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Aogen Gokujo Tennen Jozo Miso (青源 極上天然醸造味噌)
The story behind it
Aogen Miso in Utsunomiya was founded in 1625. It has been brewing miso in this city since the days of Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Gokujo Tennen Jozo Miso uses only Tochigi-grown rice and soybeans, plus Japanese salt. The soybeans are hulled and steamed until soft, then brewed together with rice koji (the fermentation culture Aspergillus oryzae). After long aging the miso turns amber, with aroma and savoriness layered several deep.
No alcohol is added and it is not heated. The koji mold and yeast arrive alive, so the aging continues while it sits in your home. The same miso tastes different on the day you buy it and 6 months later. This is a miso for people who find that interesting.
Utsunomiya is known for gyoza, and it was this brewery that spread the miso dipping sauce for them. Here is the main work of a maker standing behind a city's famous dish.
How to use it
For miso soup, of course, and for mackerel simmered in miso. Dip cucumber into it for morokyu, or spread it on a rice ball and grill it. It has enough richness to hold its own in a root-vegetable tonjiru.