MARUSHO Vinegar Brewery
Pure vinegars brewed in traditional wooden barrels
Fun fact: All the wooden vats are named after Sumo (Japanese traditional wrestling) champions, as the founder was a sumo trainer, and the second and third generation are sumo lovers too!
MARUSHO is a traditional rice vinegar brewery since 1879. Located in Wakayama prefecture, their workplace is surrounding by beautiful nature in an area with a long, spiritual history, both of which contribute to their unique production process.
Vinegar is not just delicious, but also has a long list of health benefit, including improving immunity and relieving fatigue. As it is made with only a couple of key ingredients. Therefore, the production method is extremely important to make a memorable, high quality product.
Superior Ingredients
MARUSHO is committed to selecting the very best ingredients that are not only tasteful, but also good for the body. For the rice, they use locally grown glutinous steamed rice from the Kumano region. The plums and Japanese citrus fruits used for their ‘ponzu’ also come from local farmers in the Wakayama area.
Using this production method since the beginning, MARUSHO guarantees that the traditional production method is superior to modern, faster ways of production – and results in an authentic, unmatchable flavor.
Right after the Second World War, during which the production was stopped completely, they experimented with plastic vats, which were less breakable, but the difference in quality was so big, they vowed to always stick with their superior wooden vats.
Pure & Soft Water
Wakayama prefecture is home to Japan’s tallest, single drop waterfall. MARUSHO’s vinegars are made with fresh, underground water coming from the same source as these “Nachi Falls” – the Kumano mountains. The water has a year-round temperature of 16 degrees and is extremely soft.
Country of Trees
Next to its rivers, Wakayama is renowned for its beautiful mountains. Sometimes referred to as “the country of trees”, Wakayama has a great supply of high quality, natural wood. MARUSHO has 12 wooden tubs in their brewery, made from the best quality of Kumano cedar. Inside the vats, the temperature is 40°year-round, which is perfect for fermentation!
Traditional Methods
The fermentation process takes from 90 to 500 days to give each ingredient the time to slowly process in a complex, deep-flavored vinegar. MARUSHO became famous in the 1980s when they succeeded making delicious vinegars brown(!) rice, which are now requested all over the world.
HOW MARUSHO VINEGAR IS MADE
Steaming Rice
White rice, the raw material for vinegar, is steamed in a steamer. Rice vinegar is made from white rice, while black rice vinegar is made from brown glutinous rice.
Rice steaming is the most important process in vinegar making. Steaming rice is the most important step in the vinegar making process. It is a delicate process where even the slightest difference in the amount of water absorbed by the rice is not allowed.
To cook brown rice fluffily, boiling water is added during the steaming process. The aroma of the steaming rice fills the air as the steam rises.
Steamed rice, seed vinegar, and subterranean water from Mount Nachi are mixed in a wooden vat. The mixing is done by pushing and pulling, just like rowing a boat on the sea.
The yeast contained in the skin of the brown rice converts the sugar in the brown rice into alcohol. Then, the acetic acid bacteria that live in the wooden vat form a film on the surface of the rice, and vinegar is gradually produced.
The stationary fermentation process takes about 45 days in winter and about 70 days in summer. During this time, the temperature is periodically measured and adjusted to remain at about 40 degrees Celsius. In winter, the temperature difference from the outside allows for convection currents to occur and fermentation progresses well. Once the fermentation reached a certain level, the vinegar is transferred to a maturing vat to mature for another four to five months.
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Since 2012, NIHON ICHIBAN has been cultivating Japanese traditions by developing international markets for Japanese craftsmen and traditional companies.
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