About 2.5 kilometers northwest of the Bikan Historical Area.
Located near the Takahashi River, one of the three major rivers in Okayama Prefecture, the soy sauce brewery "Tora Soy Sauce" is one of the oldest companies in Kurashiki City.
The tiger face mark is familiar not only in Kurashiki but also throughout Okayama Prefecture.
The author has been using Tora Soy Sauce since childhood in their family home.
In recent years, Tora Soy Sauce has also become popular for its seasonings made with local Okayama ingredients such as yellow garlic chives and cilantro.
We will introduce Tora Soy Sauce, a long-established brand that has supported the dining tables of Okayama residents for many years and developed alongside the community.
Tora Soy Sauce is a soy sauce brewery with a history of about 150 years
Tora Soy Sauce was founded in the late Edo period, in the first year of Bannen (1860).
This coincides with the year of the "Sakuradamon Incident" at Edo Castle.
Tora Soy Sauce is one of the leading long-established brands in Kurashiki, with a history of over 150 years.
Currently, the seventh generation, Miyake Masaki, serves as the president.
At the time of its founding, Tora Soy Sauce was named "Miyake Soy Sauce Store".
The name comes from the surname of the first generation founder, Miyake Kijuro.
The founding location is in the present-day Sakazu area of Kurashiki City.
It is the same location as the current address.
This Sakazu area is located by the Takahashi River, close to the confluence of the Takahashi River and its tributary, the Oda River.
Therefore, high-quality water can be sourced here.
Furthermore, the southern part of Bichu, where Sakazu is located, was also a production area for the main ingredients of soy sauce such as soybeans, wheat, and salt.
Additionally, Sakazu was a base for Takase boats navigating the Takahashi River, making it advantageous for transportation.
Thus, the Sakazu area was suitable for soy sauce brewing, which is why it became the founding location of Miyake Soy Sauce Store (Tora Soy Sauce).
Since its founding, Tora Soy Sauce has focused on food products themed around food safety, security, and trust.
With the philosophy of "Creating family gatherings through food and contributing to society", it is a locally rooted company that produces products including soy sauce.
Additionally, during the Taisho era, Tora Soy Sauce presented soy sauce to the Imperial Family.
Tora Soy Sauce has received numerous awards and has gained high recognition.
Origin of the Company Name
Tora Soy Sauce was originally named "Miyake Soy Sauce Store" at its founding, but in the seventh year of Taisho (1918), it became "Miyake Soy Sauce Co., Ltd.".
Then, in the 25th year of Showa (1950), it was renamed to its current name, "Tora Soy Sauce Co., Ltd.".
▼ In Kurashiki, Tora Soy Sauce is well-known for its tiger face mark.
But why "Tora"?
In fact, the fourth generation and first president, Miyake Jihei's Uraeto (hidden zodiac sign) is the tiger.
Uraeto refers to the zodiac sign that is located directly opposite one's own zodiac sign when arranged in a circular format.
In other words, it is the zodiac sign that is sixth from one's own sign.
Since Miyake Jihei's zodiac sign was the monkey, the Uraeto being the tiger became the origin of the company name.
The decision to use the Uraeto in the company name was inspired by a saying at Kibitsuhiko Shrine (in Ichinomiya, Okayama City) that "valuing the Uraeto leads to prosperous business."
Main Products of Tora Soy Sauce
Tora Soy Sauce offers a wide range of products, including not only soy sauce but also soy sauce processed products, sauces, marinades, and dressings.
Additionally, there are gift series such as "Takumi Brand" and gift sets.
Soy Sauce
Tora Soy Sauce produces honjozo (pure brewed) and mixed soy sauces.
▼ This soy sauce, marked with the tiger face, is familiar to the people of Okayama.
▼ Additionally, products such as "Kintora" and "Bessen" have been loved in the region for many years.
Note that honjozo is a traditional soy sauce made from soybeans, wheat, and salt.
Mixed and mixed brewing soy sauces contain amino acid liquid.
▼ Additionally, Tora Soy Sauce also produces "sashimi soy sauce" and soy sauces for businesses and school lunches.
Soy Sauce Processed Products
Soy sauce processed products are those that are based on soy sauce and have added ingredients such as dashi (broth).
▼ Tora Soy Sauce's "Yellow Garlic Chive Soy Sauce," made with the local specialty of Okayama Prefecture, is popular.
Other long-selling products include "Aji Tora" and soy sauces for noodle dipping and for tamago kake gohan (rice with raw egg), which have now become signature categories for Tora Soy Sauce.
Other Products
Tora Soy Sauce also offers sauces for grilled meat and ginger pork, as well as dressings.
▼ Among them, the "Cilantro Dressing" made with locally produced cilantro from Okayama Prefecture is popular.
▼ Additionally, in terms of sauces, Tora Soy Sauce produces various sauces under the long-established Okayama brand "Tomo-e".
▼ Furthermore, there is a baked confectionery called "Hishio-yaki" made with soy sauce.
Stores Handling Tora Soy Sauce Products
Tora Soy Sauce products can be ordered from the official online shop on Rakuten.
▼ Additionally, at the "Kurashiki Meisankan" located in the Bikan Historical Area, a variety of Tora Soy Sauce products are available.
Kurashiki Meisankan has almost all of Tora Soy Sauce's main products, making it convenient to compare and purchase.
Furthermore, Tora Soy Sauce products are also available for purchase at the company's headquarters.
Additionally, products from Tora Shoyu are sold at various supermarkets and food retailers throughout Okayama Prefecture, centered around Kurashiki City.
Please refer to the official website for a map of retailers.
Until the Soy Sauce is Made
This section introduces the manufacturing of soy sauce at Tora Shoyu.
The period required to make soy sauce is about one year.
The brewing process is as follows:
- Steam the soybeans and roast the wheat
- Mix the soybeans, wheat, and koji starter
- Produce koji and create the moromi
- Add brine to the moromi and ferment (maturation)
- Press to extract the soy sauce
- Pasteurization through heating
- Filtration
- Fill containers with soy sauce and label
▼The brewing of soy sauce begins with the processing of the raw materials, soybeans and wheat.
▼In the giant tank called NK tank, the soybeans are placed and steamed.
The moment I entered the workspace, the pleasant aroma of steamed soybeans wafted through the air.
▼In the tank on the left, roasted wheat is stored.
▼In the tank on the upper right, there is water.
▼Roasted wheat is mixed with the steamed soybeans in the tank, and they are stirred together.
It seems that the workspace becomes quite hot during the peak of summer.
▼After mixing, it is sent to the adjacent koji room for about three days.
The koji room is very humid and feels like a sauna.
▼After three days, it has turned into koji.
▼The completed koji is transported to the moromi tank, where brine is added for fermentation.
There are multiple moromi tanks, each about three meters deep.
▼By aging in the moromi tank for about eight months, the moromi is completed.
After inspection, the moromi moves on to the pressing process.
The moromi is pressed in a pressing machine, and the extracted product is nama shoyu.
▼The giant tank contains nama shoyu.
Then, the nama shoyu is blended and seasoned, and the heating process is performed.
Heating is a sterilization treatment through heating.
When heated, impurities in the soy sauce are released.
These are filtered, and the soy sauce is completed.
▼The tank containing the completed soy sauce is also huge.
It has a storage capacity of an astonishing 4.5 kiloliters.
I was overwhelmed by its size.
▼Furthermore, soy sauce processed products move on to another process. Work is carried out with dedicated equipment.
The soy sauce that is sold is filled into containers, labeled, packed into boxes, and shipped out.
▼Filling is done using machines.
▼Labeling and boxing are also done by machines.
▼Some products are labeled and packed by hand.
The aroma of the raw soybeans and the soy sauce being made at Tora Shoyu reminded me of a nostalgic scent, similar to what I smelled in my family's storehouse when I was a child.
In the latter part of the article, I interviewed Yukihiro Murakami, a director at Tora Shoyu, who shared his thoughts on the changes in the environment surrounding soy sauce and his passion for soy sauce production.
Tora Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. Data
| Organization Name | Tora Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food manufacturing and sales (soy sauce, seasonings, miso, beverages, alcoholic beverages, etc.) |
| Representative Name | Miyake Masaki |
| Year Established | Established: 1918, Founded: 1860 |
| Address | 2362 Sakezu, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-0233 |
| Website | Soy Sauce Brewing, Soy Sauce Making, Specialty Soy Sauce, Soy Sauce Processed Products Tora Soy Sauce | Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
