A NOTE OF THANKS
Our Artisan Japan range is the result of years of travel and research. A challenging but extremely rewarding project. We have many people to thank for their help along the way, but none more so than Nancy Singleton Hachisu.
Nancy is a leading authority on Japanese food and culture. She has featured in several television cooking series, such as Salt Acid Fat Heat and frequently writes about Japanese food culture for the Japan Times.
We highly recommend sourcing Nancy’s cookbooks about Japanese food; Preserving the Japanese Way, Japanese Farm Food, JapanThe Cookbook, Food Artisans of Japan and Japan: The Vegetarian Cookbook.
It is because of Nancy’s deep knowledge and extensive network of traditional, family-owned producers that we are able to present this range to you. They are from Japan’s most respected producers and we couldn’t be more thrilled to present them to you.
HANAMARUKI
CHUO-KU, TOKYO
@ HANAMARUKI_PR
Established in 1918, initially as a miso producer in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture, Hanamaruki's aim has always been to use only the best ingredients, matched with traditional techniques and cutting-edge technology.
This innovative liquid shio koji from Hanamaruki is made by fermenting a mixture of koji, salt and water before placing it into a sake bag and cold-pressing.
This no-heat process ensures that the enzymes in the rice malt stay active, allowing them to break down proteins resulting in succulent meat and fish dishes.
Its mild salty taste naturally boosts the umami of other ingredients and adds complexity and depth to a broad range of culinary creations.
Use it as a marinade to boost umami and tenderise proteins. This is a wonderful product to experiment with - the possibilities are endless!
LIQUID SHIO KOJI
ITO SHOTEN
TAKETOYO, AICHI PREFECTURE
@ YOSHINOYA_ITOSHOTEN
Ito Shoten is a tamari and miso company nestled in Taketoyo, Aichi Prefecture which was established during the Edo Period (1603 - 1868). Currently run by the spry 85-year old Ito-san (ninth generation) and his grandson (eleventh generation), Ito Shoten uses traditional methods to turn locally grown whole soybeans into tamari and miso.
One aspect of Ito Shoten’s process that makes their tamari so special is the aging. Their miso is aged for three years in ancient cedar barrels (the youngest is 100 years old, the oldest 200), weighed down by river stones. When you visit, it really feels like you are stepping back in time. This is artisanal production at its finest.
THREE-YEAR-OLD TAMARI
A top-of-the-line tamari made from Japanese sourced soybeans, koji, and sea salt which is aged slowly and naturally for over three summers in ancient cedar barrels.
True tamari is the liquid you get when you press miso.
The Aichi Prefecture is known for very dark, rich miso, meaning this tamari has tremendous depth and character, like a fine wine.
SIZE | 720ML
KUSHINO NOUEN
KYUSHU, OITA PREFECTURE
@ KUSHINO_NOUEN
Yuzu Kosho; a Japanese condiment made from fresh chillies combined with the rind and juice of fragrantly tart yuzu. Kushino Nouen grows both ingredients at their farm in a picture-perfect Japanese valley, where yuzu trees line the steep hillsides and chillies grow on the fields below. At the correct time of the year, the yuzu is collected and peeled while the peel is stone-ground with salt and chilli that has been aged in salt for a year.
Don’t let the small jars deceive you. A teeny dab of this explosive paste will work wonders.
Fermented from green yuzu peels, green chillies and Japanese sea salt. Adds a bright, citrusy-salty note to soups or sauces. Fantastic stirred into mayonnaise or olive oil vinaigrettes.
Crazy good with steak.
SIZE | 50G
KUSHINO GREEN YUZU KOSHO
MIKAWA MIRIN
AICHI PREFECTURE
The Mikawa brewery was established in 1910 and continues to be family owned and operated. They specialise in Mirin and Umeshu (plum liqueur) and are famous across Japan for it.
Their Mirin is made traditionally with just glutinous rice, koji and shochu (made in house with the rice mash left from making Mirin) and is aged for two years until it’s sweet, rich and complex.
Even in Japan, most of the Mirin available is Mirin-fu Chomiryo, which is a low-alcohol blend of added sugar (such as corn syrup), rice and Koji. HonMirin refers to real Mirin, but even most of the Hon-Mirin available these days is made using modern techniques, with white liquor, some sort of sweetener and is fermented for only 40-60 days.
MIKAWA MIRIN
A small dash of Mikawa Mirin is all you need to add a complex sweetness to savoury dishes. Wonderful as a poaching liquid for fruit and often used in patisserie. Made from Japanese-grown glutinous rice, koji, and in-house distilled shochu.
This is a rare product that deserves to be celebrated.
SIZE | 700ML
MOROI JOZO
AKITA PREFECTURE
Shottsuru (fish sauce made from sandfish) had been made for centuries along the coastline of Japan until it almost died out in the 1980s. It was with a deep sense of responsibility to revive the craft that Hideki Moroi began making Shottsuru.
Shottsuru is made from sandfish (Hatahata) which is fished in December and January. The process begins with mincing the whole fish together with Japanese sea salt. The mixture is then fermented slowly for a minimum of 12 months and for up to 10 years. The juice is then simply pressed out and bottled.
Hideki Moroi has been recognised by Slow Food for his contribution to world culinary heritage and has achieved his aim of having Shottsuru celebrated around the world.
FINE JAPANESE FISH SAUCE
A pleasantly salty, well-rounded fish sauce fermented from Japanese sandfish.
Use as an umami-rich, hidden-taste addition to any dish that might want more than salt; soups, stews, vegetables, rice or grilled meats.
SIZE | 130ML
10+ YEAR OLD FINE JAPANESE FISH SAUCE
An elegant, beautifully nuanced, aged sandfish sauce which rivals, if not surpasses, the best Italian colatura. Try it on pasta, fresh mozzarella salads and spring vegetables.
SIZE | 200ML
NITTO JOZO
HEKINAN, AICHI PREFECTURE
@NITTOJOZO_GLOBAL
Since 1938, Nitto Jozo has produced artisanal white tamari. Third generation president Mr. Yoichi Ninagawa has gone to great lengths to produce this versatile and unique condiment.
Nitto Jozo’s shiro shoyu is made from four carefully selected ingredients: locally-grown wheat, Japanese sea salt, mountain spring water and koji.
At the headquarters in Hekinan City, the wheat is cooked and inoculated with koji. Afterwards, the wheat and salt are transported up to a small village in the mountains of Toyota where the climate is cool and mountain spring water plentiful.
In a repurposed old schoolhouse, the wheat, salt and water are mixed and left to age for four months in 100-year-old wooden barrels.
SHIRO SHOYU (WHITE SOY)
Shiro Shoyu (White Soy) is soy sauce that has been fermented using only wheat and no soy beans. As a result, it has a very light colour and a sweet malty flavour with koji and white miso notes.
The light colour and sweet flavour lend themselves very well as a seasoning in modern Australian dishes, particularly as a dressing.
SIZE | 300ML & 1.8L
OHYAMA FARMS
AYA, MIYAZAKI PREFECTURE
Ohyama Foods has been fermenting vinegar since 1930. Rice, Jiuqu (a dried fermentation starter), Aya’s famous water and seed vinegar are combined in the large jars you see in the image above to create their range of vinegars. While this is now an outdated method of production, Ohyama is proud to protect Japan’s traditions while using only local and organic ingredients.
OHYAMA JUNMAI SU (RICE VINEGAR)
Unlike any commercial vinegar readily available abroad. This bright, aromatic vinegar is fermented from in-house brewed sake (Japanese rice wine) and may end up fulfilling all of your most elegant vinegar needs.
SIZE | 900ML
OHYAMA GENMAI SU (BROWN RICE VINEGAR)
A full-flavoured vinegar with gentle caramel overtones. Brown rice, brown rice koji and water work to ferment this vinegar in black stoneware pots which are placed along the hillsides of the sunny Kagoshima prefecture.
The early morning breeze helps to cool the pots, slowing down fermentation before the intense heat of the day kickstarts it again.
SIZE | 500ML
SAKAI SHOTEN
KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE
Sakai Shoten has been making hongarebushi flakes since 1950.
Hongarebushi flakes are the highest grade produced from Katsuobushi (simmered, smoked and fermented Skipjack Tuna) with the added step of cultivating mould and sun-drying to add an extra level of umami character.
HONGAREBUSHI FLAKES
Shaved from the whole fermented katsuobushi.
Nothing to do with the ubiquitous shavings sold at Japanese grocery stores which have only been smoked.
SIZE | 80G
SUEHIRO SHOYU
TATSUNO CITY, HYOGO PREFECTURE
Located near the Ibogawa river that flows through Tatsuno City in Hyogo Prefecture and on into the Seto Inland Sea, Suehiro Shoyu has been brewing usukuchi (light colored) soy sauce using traditional methods since 1879. Tatsuno City is the birthplace of usukuchi soy sauce, where it has been brewed since the 1600s.
Suehiro has made a commitment to continue their traditional brewing methods. Maintaining that commitment is not easy - there used to be 60 shoyu breweries in Tatsuno City, but now there are only a handful (including the third largest soy sauce brewer in Japan).
However, sticking to their guns has allowed them to produce superior shoyu. They use soy and wheat grown in Japan, brew in small batches and smoke the shoyu over cherrywood.
It’s an outstanding product.
SMOKED SHOYU (SOY SAUCE)
Smoked Shoyu (Soy Sauce) is a trending product in Japan. We investigated dozens and judged Suehiro Shoyu’s to be far superior.
Not only is it made with high quality shoyu from whole Japanese soy beans and wheat, but it’s also one of the few that is naturally smoked.
As a result, it tastes far better.
Gently smoky with a lovely subtle nose, Suehiro Smoked Shoyu is perfect as a dipping sauce, marinade or as a hidden seasoning for charcoaled vegetables, meats, seafood and fruits.
SIZE | 360ML
TOKUNAGA SEICHA
URESHINO, SAGA PREFECTURE
Mr. Kazuhisa Tokunaga’s family has been cultivating green tea for over 75 years and three generations. Tokunaga Seicha’s specialty is its steaming and roasting technique, which is optimised for every characteristic of the tea leaves.
The tea is carefully steamed and roasted in small quantities by hand using traditional methods by their experienced artisans. This is a highly skilled process as a change of just 0.1 degree produces a completely different tea.
TOKUNAGA SEICHA MATCHA
Some of Japan’s finest powdered green tea. Finely milled, this matcha is a stunning jade green colour that will make any plate or beverage pop.
The flavour is rich, deep and long-lasting. Pair with mochi for a traditional Japanese experience.
SIZE | 100G
WADAMAN
GOLDEN SESAME OIL
Hands down the best sesame oil produced in Japan. Once you compare this sesame oil to others, you’ll taste the difference immediately. The process Wadaman uses for cleaning, roasting and separating out the best seeds is mind boggling.
A little of this oil goes a long way.
SIZE | 180ML
BLACK SESAME PASTE
A beautifully rich, thick and spoonable paste that can be incorporated easily into any number of sauces or dribbled onto food as is. Made from roasted black sesame seeds that are then stone ground up to four times to a silky smooth consistency.
Mix well before use.
SIZE | 1KG
OSAKA PREFECTURE @WADAMAN_GOMA
Dating back to 1883, Wadaman is renowned for producing the highest quality sesame products in Japan. Their manufacturing process is one to behold. It involves a multi-step cleaning system, roasting and sorting process which quality-assures each individual seed.
Just a pinch or a dash of their products will add explosions of sesame flavour to any dish.
GOLD ROASTED SESAME SEEDS
Perfect for sprinkling on Goma-ae, rice, tofu, ramen and vegetables where a kick of sesame flavour is welcomed.
SIZE | 200G
SHOYU SESAME SEEDS
Roasted white sesame seeds that have been seasoned with Japanese shoyu (soy sauce). These are crunchy, with a nutty and pleasing salty kick.
SIZE | 200G
FURIKAKI - UME AND SESAME
Sesame master Takehiro Wada of Wadaman has blended this Furikake especially for us. It’s both crunchy, nutty, salty and sour all at the same time. With an attractive colour and texture, it is an extremely versatile ingredient.
Traditionally, Furikake is most often used to garnish rice but there are no end of innovative ways to use it. We love it as a ‘Japanese dukkah’ with bread and butter or EVOO, or as a coating for goats chevre.
SIZE | 200G
SANSHO POWDER
Probably the most rare and exceptional version of sansho powder - a native pepper used for over a millennium in Japan.
Green sansho berries are gathered by a group of septuagenarians and octogenarians on the hillsides of Wakayama prefecture. The berries are dried and processed to a potent verdant green powder to be used sparingly on meats and grilled fish. Sansho has a natural numbing agent, so less is more of this precious powder.
SIZE | 10G
YAMAKI JOZO
SAITAMA PREFECTURE
@YAMAKIJOZO
Established in 1902, Yamaki Jozo is one of Japan’s most respected fermentation houses. Still family run today, Yamaki Jozo keeps the preservation of Japanese food culture and the environment at the heart of everything they do.
Yamaki Jozo creates fermented foods such as miso and soy sauce in traditional methods. They are the largest fermentation house in Japan to be using whole, organic Japanese soybeans in production and ferment them according to the season.
To put this into perspective, more than 80% of soy sauce produced in Japan is made with imported defatted soybean grits and of the 20% that use whole soybeans, less than 2% of these are from Japan.
This is just one of the reasons why their products are superior to others on the market.
YAMAKI JOZO SHOYU
Brewed from whole Japanese soy beans, wheat, Koji, sea salt and mountain spring water. Fermented and aged over two summers in large cedar barrels.
This soy sauce has a deep, rich, complex flavour from the naturally occurring enzymes that live in the decades-old cedar barrels it ferments in.
A world away from commercially produced soy sauce.
SIZE | 1L
DASHI SHOYU
Dashi is the broth or stock that forms the foundation of many dishes in Japanese cuisine, most famously miso soup. It is made from dried tuna flakes (katsuobushi) and seaweed (konbu) and dried mushroom (shiitake).
An instant and natural Umami enhancer!
SIZE | 500ML
PONZU (YUZU SHOYU)
With Yamaki Jozo Shoyu as its base, aged in cedar barrels with organic rice vinegar, four Japanese citrus (yuzu, sudachi, yukou and dai dai) and several dashi elements, this irresistible sauce is natural umami in a bottle.
Use 1:1 with extra virgin olive oil for a bright vinaigrette, drizzled over steamed fish, oysters or with seared beef.
SIZE | 360ML
ORGANIC UNPASTEURISED BROWN RICE MISO
This miso is made with 100% organic Japanese brown rice, organic brown rice koji, whole organic soy beans, local mountain spring water and Japanese sea salt. It is slowly fermented and aged for two summers following centuries-old traditional methods.
A bright, flavoursome miso that is particularly good as a dip for summer vegetables, used as a paste atop steamed seafood or stirred into dressings.
SIZE | 500G
UMEBOSHI PASTE
Made from Ume (Japanese sour plum), salt and naturallyfarmed shiso leaves.
Dab a little of this puckery paste into slightly salted cucumbers, radishes or turnips along with a handful of shaved katsuobushi for an instant pickle. Enjoy its punchy, bright flavour in sauces, dressings and desserts.
SIZE | 100G
SHISO POWDER
A bright dusting powder that contains top quality Japanese sea salt as well as ume su (the brine from salting sour plums). It is made by soaking shiso leaves in their own ume su and then sun drying. This process is repeated twice before the leaves are ground with high quality Japanese sea salt. We think of it as Japanese Sumac.
SIZE | 30G
HON DASHI POWDER
You’ve probably seen Hon Dashi in a Japanese supermarket, but this is far superior to any instant Dashi product in the market.
Katsuobushi (smoked and dried Skipjack Tuna), Niboshi (dried sardines) and Konbu (dried kelp) are finely ground and seasoned with salt, so all you have to do is add hot water to make a flavoursome Dashi.
Exceptional as an Umami-rich alternative to salt, or as a secret ingredient in adding depth to your sauces and braises.
SIZE | 100G
ORGANIC RICE KOJI
This is the finest and most authentic rice Koji you will buy anywhere. Koji is mould spores grown on rice and is one of the main ingredients in the production of shoyu, miso and sake. Koji creates multi-dimensional flavour by stimulating the sweet, sour, and bitter characteristics of food. It is also used to tenderise and flavour meat and vegetables, or for a quick pickle.
SIZE | 1KG
YUKI-TSUBAKI
TSUNAN, NIIGATA PREFECTURE
Yuki-Tsubaki’s Koshihikari Rice is cultivated in Tsunan; an area with very heavy snowfall. In spring, the snow melts and forms the Ryugakubo Spring which is famous throughout Japan. The spring water - cold, clear and rich in minerals - is used to water the rice fields. The rice is very carefully grown, harvested and extensively polished. Its quality can be seen immediately on opening the bag; the grains are uniform, beautifully polished and unbroken. When cooked, the grains maintain a soft fluffy texture and the flavour is clean and fresh.
This rice is an example of a humble product that when treated with respect and skill can become the hero ingredient.
KOSHIHIKARI RICE
LIMITED STOCK
Simply put, this is some of the world’s finest rice. It’s used by many of Japan’s Michelin-starred chefs and is gaining fame in New York and now, Australia. It’s naturally sweet, clean and fresh flavoured with a soft and fluffy texture.
Use it for an interesting take on European rice dishes such as risotto or paella, or for Japanese inspired applications such as chazuke, onigiri and kamameshi. It’s the perfect sushi rice.
This is an opportunity to serve one of the world’s finest food products at an affordable price.
SIZE | 2KG
YUZUYA
HAGI CITY, YAMAGUCHI PREFECTURE
@YUZUYA_HONTEN
Yuzuya Honten was established in January 1978 in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. At the top of their catalogue of high-quality yuzu products is the 100% Yuzu Juice. With its freshly squeezed taste and pleasant, citrus aroma, this is some of the finest Yuzu Juice you’ll find outside of Japan.
YUZU JUICE
Delicious, fresh tasting Yuzu juice. Made using yuzu from Yuzuya’s own farm and local farmers. Use it in the same way as vinegar or lemon juice; with fried food, meat, fish or in dressings. This is also a secret weapon to have behind the bar. Refrigerate.
SIZE | 720ML & 1.8L
ARTISAN JAPAN