Three soy sauces that have won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award

The winners of the 51st National Soy Sauce Competition in 2024 have been announced. This is a set of three bottles that received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, the highest award of the competition.

Kimura Soy Sauce Shop (Yamagata Prefecture)

In pursuit of the ideal soy sauce that plays a supporting role

"I think there are things we need to change to keep up with the times," says President Kimura Takehiko. "On my days off, I often visit our clients' stores. The store staff are happy to hear what they have to say, and they tell us their honest thoughts. I then pass that on to our staff. I think it's important because we do business within our own field."

Yonezawa ramen is characterized by its light soup made from chicken bones and dried sardines. Many ramen shops value clear colors, so they pay particular attention to the color of the soy sauce. In addition to not heating it too much, they bottle it quickly to seal in the aroma. "I would be happy to play a part in making the food culture of this region more attractive."

Aji no Tsukasa Dark soy sauce (honjozo)
Ingredients: Defatted processed soybeans (made in the USA), wheat, salt, sugar/alcohol, seasonings (amino acids, etc.), sweeteners (licorice, stevia)

Yamagataya Shoten (Fukushima Prefecture)

We want to take the utmost effort and aim for the utmost care.

This is the seventh time that the Minister's Award has been received, and the third year in a row. Kazuo Watanabe's words are always "recovery from the earthquake disaster." He also emphasizes the presence of his fellow study group members, who are organized by Takayuki Kurebayashi and others in the Fukushima Prefecture Association. "I'm even happier that 11 soy sauces from Fukushima Prefecture have been selected, in addition to the Excellence Award," says Watanabe.

One day, he saw a magazine at a soba restaurant. He took inspiration from the "kaeshi" method described there and tried to apply it to soy sauce making, which resulted in a more pronounced aroma and depth. He intuitively knew this would work, and after repeated trial and error, he sought guidance from the soba restaurant. "Although the number of work steps has increased and it will take more time, I want to aim to make the most careful soy sauce in Japan."

Yamabun Honjozo Special Selection Soy Sauce <br>Koikuchi Soy Sauce (Honjozo)
Ingredients: Wheat (Canada, Japan), salt, defatted soybeans, soybeans, sugar, sugar mixed glucose fructose liquid sugar, fermented rice seasoning/alcohol, sweetener (licorice), vitamin B1

Yamashin Brewery (Aichi Prefecture)

We want to pursue the creation of interesting products, not the mindset of a long-established company.

"When I was younger, I wanted to move to the city as soon as possible," says President Shinichi Okajima. "But the white soy sauce made in this rural area has come to be used all over Japan, and even overseas. In particular, the soy sauce brewed in wooden barrels tends to color, but it's something that is unique to Yamashin, so I want to continue doing it that way."

"A generation ago, our main customers were chefs from hotels and traditional Japanese restaurants, but recently we've been getting Western chefs and sweets makers using our products too. We don't think of ourselves as a long-established store. Rather, we want all of our staff to work hard so that people think, 'Yamashin is always making interesting things.'"

Yamashin White soy sauce (honjozo)
Ingredients: Wheat (imported or domestic (less than 5%)), salt, soybeans, defatted processed soybeans/alcohol, vitamin B1