Made with a traditional Japanese method
Owned and run by the Okada family and operating from the same Samurai house where the business began in 1753, Kamebishi is a company steeped in tradition. The flavour and balance of this Japanese premium soy sauce rely on the exact replication of a 250-year-old method.
First, whole Japanese steamed soy beans are naturally inoculated with mushiro-koji mould. Roasted wheat is added, and this mixture is placed on straw mats to ferment. After four days the mixture is removed to cedarwood barrels where it is mixed with saltwater and aged. Kamebishi soy sauce is aged in 100-year-old wooden barrels, producing an aromatic flavour full of complexity and without any harsh salinity.
A note on Japanese soy sauce
Whereas Chinese-style soy sauces are traditionally made with 100% soya beans, Japanese-style soy sauces (also known as shoyu) are made with a mix of soy and wheat (usually 50/50). This produces a more sweet sauce, with a more nuanced flavour than Chinese soy sauce, which tends to be saltier and more aggressive.
A traditional Japanese soy sauce by the likes of Kamebishi will only contain four ingredients: roasted wheat, soy beans, water and salt, without any additives. Barrel-aged soy sauce in particular has a rich umami flavour thanks to the ageing process, which adds robust umami depth.
