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55. Gensho 100ml

Sale price¥648

A legendary soy sauce made using traditional koji brewing methods

In order to preserve the traditional soy sauce making method, they use all domestic ingredients, such as soybeans from Toyama Prefecture, domestic wheat, and salt from Okinawa, and brew in a koji lid. There are only a few breweries that use koji lids. It is aged for three years to produce a rich, dark soy sauce.

Ingredients: soybeans (domestic), wheat, salt

Shokunin Shoyu No. 55


Umami flavor brewed in a brick room

You can't make good soy sauce without good koji...that's why making koji in the winter is said to be the most important part of soy sauce production. Hata Brewery, located in Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture, is an area that receives heavy snowfall in winter, with outside temperatures dropping below freezing. The room is made of bricks, built in the early Showa period, and is one of very few remaining in the country to cope with the temperature changes of the extremely cold region. It still maintains the traditional method of using koji lids, and because the bricks allow it to breathe, it is said that the impact on the koji is reduced even in the morning chill or when the outside temperature drops below freezing.

Preparation using koji futa takes time and effort, and maintaining the tools is also difficult. There are no longer any craftsmen who specialize in making these tools, so if you need a new one, you have to make it yourself or inherit it. Whenever they hear of people quitting making soy sauce or miso in various places, they inherit their tools, so the sizes of the koji futa vary. But all of them are very well cared for and used.


This legendary soy sauce is made using the traditional method of koji lid brewing.

This limited edition handmade soy sauce is brewed only in January to March, when the water and air are the coldest in Hokuriku, and is made from local soybeans from Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture, wheat from Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, and Shima Marsh from Okinawa, and is aged for three years in wooden barrels. By letting the soy sauce sit slowly in the natural climate while frequently stirring with a paddle, the sweetness of the soybeans, the savory aroma of the wheat, and the umami of the salt are concentrated into a soy sauce with a strong umami flavor.

The squeezing process is also unique, as the moromi is left to drip slowly and naturally for a week under its own weight, and then just a little pressure is applied to squeeze it out. Soy sauce made from whole soybeans contains oil, so if too much pressure is applied, the oily smell will be squeezed out as well. Gensho, which combines both concentrated umami and a refreshing taste, can be used not only as a dipping sauce, but also in cooking, bringing out the umami of the ingredients while still giving the dish a strong soy sauce flavor.


Gensho is also popular among chefs.

Gensho, popular among various food professionals such as sushi restaurants, traditional Japanese restaurants, and ramen restaurants, has a strong presence that is reminiscent of traditional soy sauce. It is unobtrusive when cooking, but it is like a silent hero, so it is also recommended for simple yet delicious konnyaku.

Of course, it goes great with meat, vegetables, fish, and any other ingredients. If you want to use it on rice, try it on raw egg. It's a little salty, so be careful not to put too much on! However, when combined with the egg, you can feel the sharpness of the soy sauce, but it's not too salty, and you can taste the rich umami flavor, so much so that you'll find yourself saying "soy sauce is delicious!" with just a small amount. You'll be surprised at how satisfying it is.

55. Gensho 100ml
55. Gensho 100ml Sale price¥648

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