Imashibori products are made from domestically grown soybeans and wheat, with no added preservatives, stabilizers, flavorings, or chemical seasonings.
Enjoy the unparalleled flavor produced by kōji mold.
Soy Sauce for Growing (make your own shōyu)
¥3,696
“The joy of eating fresh soy sauce that you’ve brewed yourself”
Handmade soy sauce, now available as a kit!
Soy Sauce for Growing was born from the idea of bringing back the handmade lifestyle of old.
Enjoy a taste unique to each household.
Product Description
Once upon a time, soy sauce was a part of daily life. Each household made its own soy sauce with its own unique flavor, just as they did for miso. Soy Sauce for Growing is a kit that allows you to ferment the kōji that we at Imashibori have poured our hearts and souls into, and to press it yourself, tasting both the fresh soy sauce as well as the moromi after it has been pressed. The taste of soy sauce is slightly different depending on where and when it is prepared. Please enjoy the taste of handmade soy sauce as you watch it ferment and change over time.
How to grow:
Put the shōyu kōji (soy sauce malt) and 300ml of water into the jar and mix well. Use your favorite water, or water that has been boiled and then cooled (make sure to cool it!), and stir with a long spoon, etc. It is useful to write the date of preparation. Some people also give it a name and love it! Salt will accumulate at the bottom of the jar, so stir from the bottom to ensure an even salt concentration.
Stir every day for a week, then 2 to 3 times a week for a month, and then once every week or two until summer is over. If you forget, just stir it as soon as you remember. If a white film, known as film yeast, starts to form, the soy sauce is telling you to stir it. Leaving it there for too long will cause the aroma of the soy sauce to be lost. If the yeast becomes too thick, just scoop out the surface and throw it away. The rest is fine! When you stir the soy sauce, wipe off any dirt on the jar with a paper towel to prevent other molds from growing.
Over the summer, the Maillard reaction produces a delicious color and aroma. Soy sauce is ready when it has been aged for at least six months and summer is over. Those brewed in spring should be kept until late fall, those brewed in fall should be kept for one year, those brewed in late summer should be kept until the next summer, and those brewed in winter should be kept until the next fall. If the color of the soy sauce is like that of bitter chocolate, it has aged well and is full of flavor. If you want even better tasting soy sauce, let it age for two summers.
How to press (using a jar press):
Using a jar press allows you to press the entire amount of soy sauce at once.
・Jar Press (With Jar): large pressing bag, perforated lid, jar ¥2,244
・Jar Press (Without Jar): large pressing bag, perforated lid ¥1,584 (can be used with the jar for Soy Sauce for Growing)
*How to use the jar press
When pressing Soy Sauce for Growing, add 200ml of water (about 1/3:1 water to moromi) and mix well, breaking up the moromi as you go (if you have purchased a jar press without a bottle, transfer the moromi to a bowl or other container after mixing).
(1) Wash the jar thoroughly.
(2) Rinse the squeezer bag with water and wring it out tightly.
(3) Place the pressing bag in the jar and fold the top outward over the jar to keep it in place.
(4) Pour the moromi with water into the jar.
(5) Once the entire amount has been added, pull the string to close the bag, then pass the string through the hole in the lid, tighten the lid of the bottle tightly, and hang in an appropriate place.
As-is, it will produce about 120ml of soy sauce.
If you wish to increase the amount of soy sauce, simply tighten the bag and hang it up once more. The soy sauce will begin to drip again, eventually yielding about 170ml of soy sauce. If you hang the bag before going out, you will have clear and tasty soy sauce when you return home. You can also enjoy the delicious moromi after it has been pressed.
The second pressing is performed in the same way. Please keep the moromi in the refrigerator after pressing and use it for cooking.
How to press (using a tabletop press):
Tabletop Press ￥2640
(Made of stylish porcelain, the soy sauce is pressed just before eating, allowing it to gradually age and its flavor to deepen. This is handmade luxury at its finest.)
*How to use the tabletop press
(1) Wet the included small pressing bag with water, wring it out tightly, and lay it in the press.
(2) Put 2 large spoonfuls (20g) of soy sauce and 1 spoonful (7g) of water into the bag.
(3) Stir well with a spoon.
(4) Fold the sides of the bag inward, overlapping them until the bag is nice and tight.
(5) Press down on the bag using the lid and pour the soy sauce that comes out onto a dish.
(6) The moromi after it has been pressed is full of nutrients and should be eaten.
(7) A second pressing can be performed by adding 3-5 grams of water.
(8) If you want to make a lot, you can press up to 20 grams of moromi and 15 grams of water at one time.
*If the pressing bag gets dirty, a commercially available tea bag (9.5cm x 7cm) can be substituted.
How to enjoy the moromi:
(1) As-is, without pressing
Eat it as the perfect accompaniment to tofu or rice, or use it to glaze fish, dress vegetables, or as a topping for carpaccio. We think it will change how you think of soy sauce. In the olden days, soy sauce was a luxury item, and it was a treat to be able to eat aged, unpressed moromi over rice. Full of vitamins and minerals, it's outstandingly tasty!
(2) After pressing
You can make new seasonings by adding oil and spices to the moromi after it has been pressed.
At Imashibori, we use this moromi to make three flavors of “edible” soy sauce:
(1) Olive oil with grated garlic
(2) Sesame oil with finely chopped chili pepper
(3) Rapeseed oil with finely ground young Japanese pepper
They are all delicious. Please try making your own “edible” soy sauce.
Add it to takikomi gohan (mixed rice), or use it as a flavor enhancer for simmered dishes, etc.
If kept in the refrigerator, it will last for a long time.
What our customers say:
There were times when I forgot to stir it, but it came out fine! I made it with lots of love.
It’s our very own soy sauce! My children were happy to help stir it.
It’s almost too good to press!
I named mine. It’s amazing to be able to make Japanese soul food at home.
I talked to it every day, and it gave me energy. My kids love rice with soy sauce.
It’s like a supplement for my family. I’m proud of making my own soy sauce.
I showed it off at a potluck!
I’m glad because I wanted to make my own soy sauce as well as miso.
I used it to make various seasonings.
Imashibori Shōyu (ready-to-press moromi soy sauce base)
￥993
We bring you our delicious, ready-to-press moromi that has been aged for two years in barrels here at Imashibori. This versatile seasoning can be used for cooking, enjoyed as-is over rice, or pressed to make fresh soy sauce.
Product Description
Tabletop Press ￥2640
(Made of stylish porcelain, the soy sauce is pressed just before eating, allowing it to gradually age and its flavor to deepen. This is handmade luxury at its finest.)
How to press (using a tabletop press):
Tabletop Press ￥2640
(Made of stylish porcelain, the soy sauce is pressed just before eating, allowing it to gradually age and its flavor to deepen. This is handmade luxury at its finest.)
*How to use the tabletop press
(1) Wet the included small pressing bag with water, wring it out tightly, and lay it in the press.
(2) Put 2 large spoonfuls (20g) of soy sauce and 1 spoonful (7g) of water into the bag.
(3) Stir well with a spoon.
(4) Fold the sides of the bag inward, overlapping them until the bag is nice and tight.
(5) Press down on the bag using the lid and pour the soy sauce that comes out onto a dish.
(6) The moromi after it has been pressed is full of nutrients and should be eaten.
(7) A second pressing can be performed by adding 3-5 grams of water.
(8) If you want to make a lot, you can press up to 20 grams of moromi and 15 grams of water at one time.
*If the pressing bag gets dirty, a commercially available tea bag (9.5cm x 7cm) can be substituted.
How to enjoy Imashibori Shōyu (Moromi):
(1) As-is, without pressing (soy sauce used to be a luxury item!)
Try it over hot rice, it’s delicious! It’s also surprisingly good as a topping for sashimi or mochi (Japanese rice cake). Eat it on tofu or cucumbers, or use it to glaze fish, dress vegetables, or even marinate chicken! We think it will change how you think of soy sauce. Full of vitamins, minerals, and natural amino acids, it’s outstandingly tasty!
(2) After pressing (to make your own seasonings, or to season cooked rice)
You can make new seasonings by adding oil and spices to the moromi after it has been pressed.
At Imashibori, we use this moromi to make three flavors of “edible” soy sauce:
(1) Olive oil with grated garlic
(2) Sesame oil with finely chopped chili pepper
(3) Rapeseed oil with finely ground Japanese pepper
They are all delicious.
Add moromi that has already been pressed to takikomi gohan (mixed rice), or use it as a flavor enhancer for simmered dishes. If kept in the refrigerator, it will last for a long time (it will last even longer if stirred occasionally).
You are able to enjoy the pressed moromi because we stick to the traditional method of making soy sauce without any additives.
Please enjoy making your own one-of-a-kind seasonings using Soy Sauce for Growing and Imashibori Shōyu.
What our customers say:
Pressing soy sauce is a first for me. When you open the lid, the aroma of the soy sauce will make you happy!
I've been enjoying it aged for 2 years (make sure to stir occasionally if left for a long time).
I like that it’s full of enzymes.
The soy sauce is delicious, but the moromi after pressing is too good to be true! I’ve used it make various original seasonings, which feel luxurious when placed on my dinner table.
Soy Sauce for Eating (moromi in oil)
￥993
We lightly press two-year aged moromi, full of lactic acid bacteria, yeast and enzymes nurtured by the kōji mold, and add only carefully pressed oil and natural spices from Kyoto, Japan.
We do not use preservatives of any kind.
The result is a natural, exquisite, all-purpose seasoning!
Product Description
Try any of our “edible” soy sauces over rice, they’re delicious! In addition to being the perfect accompaniment to rice, they also go well with mochi (Japanese rice cake). Use them as a topping for sashimi or carpaccio, as a steak sauce, or on steamed or grilled vegetables. They also taste great when tossed with some pasta!
Soy Sauce for Eating Olive & Garlic combines two-year aged moromi with extra virgin olive oil and grated garlic from Kyoto. Goes great with french bread!
Soy Sauce for Eating Japanese Pepper & Rapeseed Oil combines two-year aged moromi with extra virgin rapeseed oil and hand-picked sanshō (Zanthoxylum piperitum, Japanese pepper) from right here in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture. Use it as a steak sauce or on hors d'oeuvres!
Soy Sauce for Eating Chili Pepper & Sesame Oil combines two-year aged moromi with extra virgin sesame oil and finely ground chili pepper from Kyoto. Goes great with morokyū (cucumber with miso paste), stir-fry, or alcoholic beverages!
What our customers say:
Just sprinkle it on top for an easy and trendy dish on busy days. Ready to use and tastes great over anything.
Addictive on bread!
It turned my child into a vegetable-lover; she is addicted to eating it on cucumbers. My husband likes the chili pepper, I like the sanshō (Zanthoxylum piperitum, Japanese pepper), and my daughter likes the garlic.
It's an easy, tasty, and healthy accompaniment to rice!
Ikiteru Shōyu (Extra Virgin Soy Sauce)
At Imashibori, we recommend eating fresh, unpasteurized, and unfiltered kiage (raw soy sauce). As such, we deliver our soy sauce with the beneficial microorganisms still alive. By doing so, new enzymes are constantly being created, and you can always enjoy the true flavor of freshly pressed soy sauce.
Our Ikiteru Shōyu (Extra Virgin Soy Sauce) is made from only the best part of the first pressing of the moromi, pressed under its own weight. Full of umami flavor, it exudes a wonderful aroma without being overpowering. When it arrives, place it in the fridge, where it will continue to age and become even more delicious over time. This unpasteurized soy sauce, something which is inconceivable for ordinary products, is available in limited quantities at Imashibori.
〒623-0351 Konisi-5, Shinodacho, Ayabe Shi, Kyoto Fu, 623-0351, Japan
☎︎ 0773-21-6831
