330 Years in Wood: Why We Still Brew Soy Sauce the Slow Way

In a small town in Japan, one soy sauce brewery has been doing things the same way for over 330 years — since 1688. Back then, this region was known as one of the three great soy sauce producing areas of the Kanto area, and its soy sauce was once presented to the shogunate as "the finest soy sauce in Japan."

Most modern soy sauce today is brewed in stainless steel tanks. This brewery still uses wood.

Some of its wooden barrels are over 100 years old, and inside that wood lives a community of roughly 100 different natural microbes that steel simply can't replicate. Over time, they bring out a deeper aroma and richer umami in every batch. In 2021 — for the first time in a century — the brewery built new wooden barrels, carrying this tradition into its next 100 years.

NIHON NO GOHAN's soy sauce and yuzu ponzu are brewed at this same wooden-barrel brewery. We also make a lower-sodium version — 41% less sodium than regular soy sauce — so you don't have to choose between flavor and a lighter touch of salt.