Yuasa, the Japan’s Birthplace of Soy Sauce

Soy sauce holds significant cultural importance in various regions of Japan. While Tatsuno in Kansai and Noda and Choshi in Kanto are renowned for their soy sauce production, Yuasa in Wakayama Prefecture is widely recognized as the birthplace of soy sauce. Despite not being a bustling city, Yuasa has managed to preserve its esteemed reputation for soy sauce, and the tradition continues to thrive even today.

The Birthplace of Soy Sauce, Yuasa

Yuasa is about 30 minutes south of Wakayama City by train. The Kumano Kaido runs through the town, and just to the north is Arida, famous for its Arida Mikan (tangerine). Both the sea and the mountains are very beautiful in Yuasa. 

During the Kamakura Period, soy sauce was first made in Yuasa. A Zen monk named Kakushin visited Kinzan-ji Temple in China, where he learned about Kinzan-ji miso. This type of miso is made by pickling grains such as rice, soybeans, and vegetables available in summer, and is known as Kinzan-ji miso in Japan today.

When making Kinzan-ji miso, excess water is removed from the vegetables and floats up. This water is the source of soy sauce. Through many improvements to this process, this process was the first method people used to create soy sauce.

Walking in Yuasa

Yuasa Station is a surprisingly large station where some limited express trains, such as the Kuroshio, stop. The station building has been recently renovated, possibly to attract more tourists. A 10-minute walk from the station takes you to the historic district, where you can see one of the still-working soy sauce factories. Today, there are only a handful of soy sauce factories left. In its prime Yuasa was easily one of Japan’s most prominent soy sauce producers. Soy sauce factories were extremely commonplace and the city embraced this industry. However, large mass-production soy sauce companies quickly shuttered those smaller factories. Thankfully, some companies were able to survive. Yamasa Soy Sauce, one of the most famous soy sauce companies, now has a production facility in Choshi, Chiba but originally operated in Yuasa. 

To the east of the historic district is an inner port called Daisenbori. It was from this port that soy sauce was exported to large cities by ship a long time ago. Additionally, the Arida Railway carried tangerines from Arida to this port, so they could be exported to large cities. Although the port is no longer in use, and things have probably completely changed, it is interesting to imagine how thriving this city once was. 

Yuasa Shoyu

If you come to this small town for a day trip, “Yuasa Shoyu” is a must-visit place.

The factory is a 10-minute walk from the historic area. The factory has walking and guided tours that detail the traditional soy sauce-making process. They also have a gift shop where you can buy various kinds of Kinzan-ji miso and soy sauce, and if you feel a little adventurous you can try a cone of their unique soy sauce flavored soft-serve ice cream, topped with soy sauce, of course.