Vinegar Juu, the Beginning of a New History
Located in the eastern part of Nagano Prefecture, Komoro City is a historical town where Hidehisa Sengoku, who became widely known for his manga works, served as the first lord of the domain, and novelist Toson Shimazaki spent half of his life. In 1872, a miso brewery called “Suju” was established as a branch of the Koyama family, which was a wealthy merchant in this town and had received an order from the Komoro domain since the Edo period (1603-1868). For more than 200 years since then, the company, along with its main family, Suju, has worked hard to develop the local brewing culture, but as Western food began to spread in Japan, the demand for miso stagnated. However, as Western food began to spread in Japan, the demand for miso declined, and various circumstances led Vineju to close its brewing business in the middle of the Showa period (1926-1989). About half a century later, in 2004, Masashi Koyama, a direct descendant of the Koyama family, took the name of the first generation head of the family, Masayuki Shigeemon, and revived the company under the name of ” Vinegar Masayuki Shoten ” to mark a new chapter in Vinegar’s history.
When he was a high school student, Mr. Koyama studied in Canada as an ice hockey player, and when he saw that the appeal of Japanese food was not well communicated in his study abroad program, he wondered how he could best communicate the appeal of Japanese food, which he usually found “delicious. I have been thinking about how I can best convey the appeal of Japanese food, which I usually find “delicious,” in the best possible way. In 2000, he launched FONZ Inc. to realize the ideas he had been accumulating since then. Focusing on the world of soba, a representative of Japanese food culture, he launched “Kawakamian,” a modern expression of “soba-ya-shu,” a chic culture of the Edo period where people enjoyed sake and snacks and finished with soba, which was well accepted by consumers. The next step was the launch of “Vine Shige Masayuki Shoten,” a select store selling miso, soy sauce, and other seasonings that are indispensable to the dining table. This is the identity of Mr. Koyama’s roots, Vinegar Shige, and the uniquely Japanese food that he wanted to widely promote overseas. Vinegar Masayuki believes that the basis of “deliciousness” in Japan lies in soy sauce, miso, rice, and other ingredients, and he has continued to promote the appeal of seasonings and side dishes that enrich the daily dining table by displaying products carefully made in accordance with tradition, rather than those that are out of the ordinary.
Enjoying food with the best partners
In this way, he succeeded in increasing the number of fans of his own brand, and in 2007, he opened ” Restaurant Masayuki Vinegar Shige ” in Karuizawa, where you can enjoy dishes for lunch and dinner using the seasonings developed by Masayuki Vinegar Shige Shoten. The main products sold at “Vinegar Masayuki Shoten” are miso and soy sauce, but it is difficult to have customers taste them by themselves. That is why we thought that we could convey the appeal of our products even more by offering a meal in which white rice, the ideal partner to receive them, plays the leading role. This idea was also born from the desire to provide delicious food, warm space, and service that would make people want to come back again, even though the food and ingredients are not special.
The “copper kettle” used to make this happen conducts heat better than earthenware pots, and cooks food at high temperatures in one go, shortening the cooking time. As a result, “delicious freshly cooked rice” can always be served with each pot. The main reason for the adoption of the copper kettle was Mr. Koyama’s own unforgettably delicious experience of eating freshly cooked rice in a copper kettle at a copper artist’s house in Karuizawa when he was a junior high school student. Thus, he developed a copper kettle in collaboration with a craftsman, and the “deliciousness” he experienced at that time became the main focus of Restaurant Masayuki Vinegar. The restaurant offers a simple but never boring Japanese menu of freshly cooked rice and miso soup made with Vinegar’s own miso, which is made from rare soybeans, so that customers want to eat it every day. This freshly cooked rice and miso soup has become the cornerstone of conveying “authentic Japanese food” overseas, even as the restaurant expands overseas.
Spreading Japanese Food Culture to the World
After these two brands, Mr. Koyama has continued to develop many other food and beverage brands, such as “Sawamura” bakery and restaurant and “Ginza Sanada,” with a strong desire to convey the appeal of Japan and the rich natural environment of Nagano Prefecture in the best possible way. In the midst of all this, Mr. Koyama decided to take over the business of the original Vinegar Hisashi Shoten, which was looking for a successor. Thus, in 2021, the two families, once divided, will be united again and weave their future history together. This has opened up new business possibilities. Mr. Koyama’s vision of “introducing Japanese food culture to the world” has become more concrete, and he now has plans to open stores not only in Asia, where he currently has stores, but also in the United States and Europe. The dream of a young man who loves the excellence of Japanese food and wants to share it with the world has taken a giant leap forward and has grown into a brand that has made food connoisseurs all over Japan gasp in delight. The day may soon come when people all over the world will enjoy sake and conversation over Masayuki Vine Shige’s Japanese cuisine, and “Japanese sophistication” will become a global standard.