■When was Ono Soy Sauce born?
Soy sauce production began about 400 years ago in Ono, a soy sauce town that has flourished as the gateway to the sea in Kanazawa. The Maeda family, the Hyakumankoku daimyo, gave great strength to this birth. It is said that during the Genna period (1615-1624), when Toshitsune Maeda, the third lord of the Maeda clan, ruled Kaga, Ihei Naoeya, a merchant from Ono, followed the orders of Toshitsune, the lord of the domain, and learned and passed on the soy sauce brewing method. It is said that later on, the Maeda family took advantage of the sankin kotai to promote Ono Soy Sauce to the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido.
Because of this, Ono Soy Sauce developed with the strong support of the Maeda family, and has now grown to such an extent that the name Ono Soy Sauce has spread throughout the country, not to mention Kaga cuisine.
Where did Naoeya Ihei learn to make soy sauce?
There are several theories about the region where Ihei Naoeya learned soy sauce brewing.
There are theories that he learned in Kishu Yuasa, the birthplace of soy sauce, others that he invited engineers from Yuasa, and theories that he learned in Noda and Choshi, but it is assumed that he learned from Kishu Yuasa.
This is because the taste of the currently existing Ono Soy Sauce is different from the dry taste of Kanto, and is sweeter, although not as sweet as Kyushu. The color is not very dark, but rather light, and if anything, it is more like light soy sauce from the Kansai region. Therefore, based on these characteristics, it is thought that he learned brewing techniques at Kishu Yuasa.
■Characteristics of Ono Soy Sauce
Ono has long been considered the perfect region for brewing soy sauce. It can be said that the abundance of water from the Hakusan water system and the humid climate with lots of rain are more effective in growing the koji mold used in the fermentation of soy sauce. In addition, soy sauce produced in the Hokuriku region, mainly in Ono, is still mainly sweet soy sauce.
Sweet soy sauce is famous in the Kyushu region, and Ono's sweet soy sauce (Savory Soy Sauce) has a history of Kaga cuisine that not only has a rich flavor, but also a beautiful color that brings out the color of the ingredients without destroying them.
In summary, Ono Soy Sauce has the right amount of sweetness and is relatively light in color even among dark soy sauces, so even if you use it for noodles, stews, or kake soy sauce, it won't be too assertive and will let the ingredients stand out. It can be said to be an unsung hero that brings out the taste, aroma, and color of the food.
■One of the five famous production areas
The five major producing regions of soy sauce are: Noda, Choshi, Tatsuno, Shodoshima, and Ono (Kanazawa)
Soy sauce produced in Ishikawa Prefecture has developed uniquely among the five major soy sauce producing regions, and has reached its current level. In the rich food culture represented by Kaga cuisine, sweet soy sauce with added sugar has been enjoyed locally since the Edo period. Nowadays, "Savory Soy Sauce," which has added "umami" to it, has become popular due to its ease of use.
Ono-machi, Kanazawa City is a soy sauce production area where 18 soy sauce manufacturers, including Yamato Soy Sauce and Naogen Soy Sauce, gather. At its peak, there were over 60 soy sauce brewers, and it was said to be one of the five major soy sauce production areas. The sweet soy sauce, which is relatively light in color, is loved by locals and is essential to Kaga cuisine. Soy sauce production began in Ono about 400 years ago. In Ono, which has prospered as the gateway to Kanazawa's sea, the Maeda family, who were wealthy feudal lords with a million koku, started brewing soy sauce by ordering Naoeya Ihei, and later the Maeda family took advantage of the sankin kotai to become a post station at the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido and promote Ono Soy Sauce.
Characteristics of soy sauce from each region
Soy sauce has a different taste depending on where it is produced. Savory Soy Sauce from Ishikawa Prefecture has developed along with the food culture of Kaga Hyakumangoku, and has just the right amount of sweetness and mellowness. Its exquisite taste adjusts the flavor of the dish and brings out the natural flavors of the ingredients.
Kanazawa Castle Gojikken Nagaya
One of the special products of the Kaga clan
The history of soy sauce in Kaga dates back to the Genwa period (1615-1623) when Naoeya Ihei, a resident of Ono, west of Kanazawa, learned the Kishu Yuasa brewing method by order of the Maeda domain lord, and introduced this method to brew soy sauce. Since then, Ono has developed as a soy sauce production area under the protection of the domain and excellent natural conditions, and "Ono Soy Sauce" has become one of the specialty products of the Kaga domain.
Kaga has a large consuming area called Kanazawa, the castle town of Hyakumangoku, the function of Ono Port, which has long been developed as a key port on the Sea of Japan coast, and the humid climate suitable for brewing, as well as the abundance of underground water flowing from Mt. Hakusan. Thanks to its abundant water, Ono became the Kaga domain's main production area for soy sauce production. During the Edo period, Kanazawa was one of the largest cities in the country, and consumer culture flourished under the rule of the Kaga domain, which practiced a civilized government. Demand for soy sauce in large consumer cities led to the creation of unique soy sauce manufacturers in Kanazawa, Kaga, and Noto, in addition to Ono.