MISO
There are two origins of miso. One is as follows: about 1st Century B.C. when the former inhabitants of the Japanese Islands started to manufacture salt, they made “kokubishio (a preserving agent)” by fermenting grains such as rice, wheat, and beans to preserve salt. The other origin is as follows: “Hishio” and “Kuki” ( fermented foods including salt and soy beans) which were made in ancient China, were introduced from the Korean peninsula to Japan in the Yamato era. It is from these two　sources that miso is thought to have originated. According to the Chinese ancient writing “Shurai”, many kinds of “Hishio” were manufactured in about 700 B.C. the Shu period.
Both views are considered correct. In the Nara era,(7th Century A.D. to 8th Century A.D.) the period when fermented foods were increasingly being produced, “Hishio” was made from various kinds of grains and it was called “Misho”. Miso and soy sauce were the same things. In the Kamakura era (13th Century A.D.), earthenware mortars were used and people began to make miso soup. This custom was started by buddist monk who came to Japan from China. But miso was too expensive for ordinary citizens. They ate tsubu miso, crushed soy bean paste, as it was, uncooked. Miso soup became popular in the Muromachi era (14th Century to 15th Century AD), when the production of soy beans increased. People made miso by themselves at home. After that, the style of a “simple meal of rice, soup, and a single dish” was established as the basic Japanese eating habit.
As a seasoning , many kinds of recipes using miso have been created and are continually being developed.
One of the typical examples is miso ramen, Chinese noodles in a miso broth,which is now very popular.
Miso is mainly made from soy beans nowadays. There are many types and they are specific to local areas. Some of the famous ones are Shinshu miso,
Sendai miso, Echigo miso, Saikyo miso, and Haccho miso. Miso is made in the following way: steam or cook soy beans and mash them. Add rice koji, or wheat koji and salt, and pack them into containers for a half year to one year. The first process (steaming the soy beans, add koji, salt then packing them) is known as “Shikomi”. The following process is “Jukusei maturing”.
There are two miso manufacturers in Hitachi, Sano Miso Manufacturing in Kawajiri and Uchiyama Miso Manufacturing in Mizuki. The latter uses domestically produced soybeans. This shop was established in 1872. It has a history of more than 130 years. The owner is the sixth generation operator of the shop. In a nationwide miso contest, the best prize went to the home made miso of this shop. The owner runs a store “Mizuki no sho” on the other side of Izumigamori on Route 245.