Yuasa White Soy Sauce — Kurasho Shirosibori

A pale, naturally brewed soy sauce from Yuasa in Wakayama Prefecture — the town generally accepted as the birthplace of Japanese soy sauce, with a brewing history going back roughly 800 years to the Kamakura period. The story is that tamari, the liquid that separated out while the local temple made kinzanji miso, was refined over centuries into soy sauce and spread from Yuasa across Japan. The town's brewing tradition is recognised as Japan Heritage.

This is brewed in cedar barrels with Japanese soybeans, wheat and natural salt, and left to mature slowly. Barrel fermentation is less controllable than a steel tank and takes far longer; what it buys is complexity, both in aroma and in the length of the finish.

The colour is paler than an ordinary light soy. That is the whole purpose: it seasons and adds umami without staining what you put it on, so the natural colour of the food survives.

Why Choose It?

• From Yuasa, Wakayama: the birthplace of Japanese soy sauce, and a Japan Heritage site.
• Cedar barrel brewed: slow natural fermentation, Japanese soybeans and wheat.
• Pale in colour: seasons without darkening — the colour of the food stays its own.
• Delicate and clean: refined umami with a natural brewed sweetness, not added sugar.
• For food you do not want to cover: white fish, shellfish, clear broths.

How To Use It:

• White fish sashimi: where a dark soy would overwhelm both flavour and appearance.
• Shellfish and sea urchin: particularly good with uni — the sweetness meets its own and the colour stays intact.
• Prawns and scallops: raw or lightly seared.
• Chawanmushi and clear soups: seasoning without clouding the broth.
• Western dishes: anywhere you want umami without a brown stain.

Storage:
Store in a cool, dark place away from sunlight. Refrigerate after opening — a pale soy darkens with air and time.

Allergen:
Contains soy and wheat.

Soy sauce from where soy sauce began. Order now.