GK met with Mr. Nobutaro Asai, colloquially ‘Mr. Hatcho’ by international partners, to discuss the ins and outs of Maruya Hatcho Miso Co., Ltd.
With roots dating back to 1337 and a painstakingly authentic miso processing technique that utilizes large wooden vats and heavy stones, the company has been producing naturally brewed miso since before the Edo period only a hop and a skip from Okazaki Castle, birthplace of the famed Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. With little change to its manufacturing process in 400 years, the company’s longevity can be attributed to the uncompromised quality of its namesake product.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค?
“Most companies only focus on the mass majority because they are looking for short-term profits, but in this case, the long-term benefits tend to not stick. With our method of targeting more educated thought leaders and visionaries within industries, though it takes longer, eventually the efficacy of miso will permeate society more broadly and this approach certainly worked for our ancestors over the last 400 years.”
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐?
“Now we are planning to focus on a new product which is miso powder. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I traveled to New York City to meet a top-level pastry chef and he believed that powdered miso could be very useful for making ice cream, or even tempura. Hatcho miso itself can be said to taste a little bit like cheese, meaning that when it is powdered, it could be used with ingredients like chocolate. It doesn’t taste the same as conventional miso because we do not have any additional processing steps โ simply hydrate it with water.ย ”
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซย ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ?
“An antique text was written in 1846 and remains a guideline for us to stick to. Another text of ours was written in 1722 and contains the recipe and steps required for producing our traditional Hatcho miso, which involves making three layers of soybeans, water, and salt at varying concentrations. The stones which are then placed on top play a very significant role in that over time, they help each layer to merge and form a kind of consistency.
If we stopped producing our miso in this way, consumers honestly might not even notice a change. Nevertheless, we are dedicated to our craft and continuing the legacy of our forefathers. Even when it comes to mixing the ingredients, we do not use machines, opting for shovels and tools instead โ I believe when it comes to miso, every step plays a crucial role in the finished productโs quality, and there is an inherent spiritual aspect involved, too.”
