Fully fermented tea “Gosekicha” for good health

There are many types of tea in Japan, but a rare fermented tea is produced in Otoyo-cho, Nagaoka-gun, Kochi Prefecture, in the middle of Shikoku. Goishi tea, a fully fermented tea that has been attracting attention in recent years as a health food rich in lactic acid bacteria, has been produced for more than 400 years in this mountain town rich in nature.

It is said that Goishi tea was introduced from China about 400 years ago. It is characterized by its unique flavor produced through a two-step fermentation process. At its peak, more than 100 tons were produced, but by the end of the Showa period, only one house was producing it, and it was in danger of disappearing for a while. But a cooperative was formed to preserve this traditional tea, and now four farmers and one corporation make Goishi tea.” (Yuji Yoshimura, Otoyo Town Goishi Tea Cooperative)

Take a sip of Goishi tea and a slightly peculiar sour taste fills your mouth. It tastes similar to pu-erh tea, a fermented Chinese tea, but it has a mellower taste, and as you get used to the sourness, the deeper taste becomes addictive. The vegetable lactic acid bacteria contained in abundance by the two-step fermentation is said to be 23 times more than that in Pu-erh tea, and since vegetable lactic acid bacteria work in the body without losing out to other microorganisms, it has a beneficial effect on intestinal regulation, hay fever, flu prevention, hyperlipemia, inhibition of arteriosclerosis, and lowering of blood pressure. The effects of plant lactobacilli have been announced at academic conferences and other occasions.

Tea that can only be made in Ootoyo Town, Kochi Prefecture

While black tea, a type of fermented tea, undergoes oxidation fermentation, Goishi tea is fermented using microorganisms. First, tea leaves are placed in large barrels along with their branches, steamed, then the branches are removed, and the leaves are spread out on mats to allow air to circulate and mold to form. In the second stage, the leaves are placed in wooden barrels for fermentation. The tea leaves layered in wooden barrels resemble “tea pickles.” These are then cut into small pieces and sun-dried to complete the Goishi tea. Due to the fermentation process using microorganisms, Goishi tea can only be made using the mats and wooden barrels from Ootoyo Town in Kochi Prefecture.

“Goishi tea is made from June to August. We choose sunny days for sun-drying, and the name comes from its pitch-black appearance when dried. When viewed from a distance, the sun-dried tea resembles a row of go stones.”

Fermenting tea using microorganisms is rare worldwide, with only a few places like Yunnan Province in China and the border region between Thailand and Myanmar known for it. Yet, in Japan, there are four production areas, and three of them are in Shikoku, which is quite intriguing.

Like many agricultural and traditional industries, the production of Goishi tea is facing an aging population, making it difficult to pass down the craft. However, once people discover its taste and benefits, I believe more fans of Goishi tea will emerge. It’s delicious and healthy. I hope more people around the world come to know about this tea that exists in Japan.

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Located in Tosa City, Kochi Prefecture, this bonito flakes manufacturing company has won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, and is well known to those in the know.
It is said that the tradition of making dried bonito flakes spread from Tosa City.
They preserve the taste of Tosa-bushi in the original place of dried bonito flakes making.

Takeuchi Shoten’s traditional dried bonito flakes compete with high quality.

When one thinks of bonito, one thinks of Kochi, and when one thinks of Kochi, one thinks of bonito, so we went to Takeuchi Shoten in Tosa City. Takeuchi Shoten is a well-known manufacturer of dried bonito flakes that won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award at the 2012 National Dried Bonito Flakes Fair. The company’s name is well-known throughout Japan, and many chefs come to the store to buy their dried bonito flakes for the taste of the soup stock they produce.

Kochi and Kagoshima are famous for katsuobushi, but Kagoshima is by far the largest producer. Kagoshima produces 74% of all bonito flakes in Japan, and Shizuoka 25%. Only 0.6% is produced in Kochi,” says Taichi Takeuchi, senior managing director of Takeuchi Shoten.

Quality over quantity. While preserving traditional techniques, Takeuchi Shoten pursues high quality and taste. You can feel their pride as the originator of katsuobushi production.

Traditional dried bonito flakes and its making process

The tradition of making dried bonito flakes spread from Tosa. Many people moved to Makurazaki and passed on their skills, and until a short time ago, Tosa dialect was sometimes used in Makurazaki,” says Executive Director Takeuchi.

If the quantity of Tosa-bushi is small, there is no other way but to produce quality Tosa-bushi, so Takeuchi Shoten continues to produce katsuobushi with the traditional flavor, color, and shape. The recipe is the very essence of their commitment.

There are three types of dried bonito flakes: “Ara-bushi,” “Kare-bushi,” and “Hon-kare-bushi. Ara-bushi” is made by removing the bones one by one from boiled bonito and smoking it for about a month, which gives the bonito a charred black color. This “ara-bushi” is what is usually sold. Kare-bushi” is made by fermenting and aging the dried bonito in a room called “muro,” and then drying it in the sun. The kare-bushi produced at Takeuchi Shoten, however, is made by repeating the process of kabi-ing and sun-drying, which takes nearly half a year to complete. The result is “honkare-bushi,” which is full of flavor and richness.

The company ‘s mission is not to preserve tradition, but rather to produce the best tasting bonito flakes possible. We don’t think that just because it’s “authentic” and we put a lot of time and effort into making it, that’s enough, ” says Takeuchi.

Japanese food is now attracting attention from around the world. The flavor of dried bonito flakes is at the core of the history of Japanese food. The people who preserve the “real” taste support the foundation of Japanese food.

More than preserving tradition, we place importance on how to make delicious dried bonito flakes. We don’t think that just because it is authentic and we put a lot of time and effort into making it, that makes it okay. We are happy if you can enjoy the pure taste of our dried bonito flakes.

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This workshop makes Tosa knives, a traditional craft that has been passed down in Kochi for over 400 years.
While 90% of Japanese kitchen knives are made in Osaka and Sakai, 60-70% of these knives are actually made in Kochi.
The workshop is constantly improving its skills to “raise the value of Tosa kitchen knives even higher.

Tosa knives have been handed down for more than 400 years.

The traditional Kochi craft of “Tosa cutlery ” is said to have started when Motochika Chosokabe, the lord of the time, brought back sword smiths when he participated in Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s conquest of Odawara. Thus, the history of Tosa cutlery is long, and it has been carefully passed down through the years to the present day.

Makoto Tadokoro of Tosa Kitchen Knife Studio Tadokoro Cutlery, one of the best sharpeners in Japan, says that he first trained at an “edging shop” in Susaki City.

At first, I just watched and was not allowed to touch the knives. I hated to lose and felt frustrated, so I began to think that I should learn the technique too, and before I knew it, I was hooked. The harder I worked, the more skill I acquired, so it was much more fun than studying or playing.”

Incorporating Sakai’s knife technology into the new Tosa cutlery

After 17 years of training in his hometown, Mr. Tadokoro traveled around the country to various knife production areas in order to further enhance the value of Tosa knives. There, he met his current master in Sakai, Osaka, the home of kitchen knives.

He said, “I wondered what I had done in Kochi, and my previous skills and knowledge were not applicable. If we were to do the same work in Kochi, there would be 10 processes, but at my master’s place, there would be 20 or 30. Anyway, he puts in a lot of time and effort to sharpen the work. I really felt that I had to learn this technique.

The sharpening process is divided into “rough sharpening,” “medium sharpening,” and “finish sharpening. Mr. Tadokoro, who was shocked at Sakai, spends a whole day carefully sharpening his knives in order to breathe new life into Tosa knives.

He grinds by feeling everything: the vibration, the sound, and the color of the sparks transmitted to his hands. As I gain more experience, I acquire a sense of these things.

The sharpness of the knife makes the food tasty.

Tadokoro’s knives, the result of his careful work, are beautiful and have excellent sharpness.

A knife that sharpens well does not put pressure on fish, meat, vegetables, etc., so the food tastes better,” he says.

In fact, if an ingredient is cut with a knife that is difficult to cut, it may taste bitter and cloying, and the flavor may be lost. A sharp knife is not only beautiful to look at, but also has great power to change the taste of food.

It is said that 90% of Japanese kitchen knives in Japan are produced in Sakai, but in fact, 70% of them are made in Kochi.

We cannot continue to be a “subcontractor” to Sakai forever. I think we must somehow raise the value of Tosa kitchen knives.

Mr. Tadokoro continues to pursue sharpness today in order to enhance the value of Tosa kitchen knives.

Japanese kitchen knives are attracting attention not only from Japanese chefs but also from all over the world, so much so that French chefs sometimes come all the way to Japan to buy kitchen knives. If you use a good kitchen knife, your food will taste better. Please try a good knife and see how sharp it is.

You can find more information here.

The post Traditional kitchen knife sharpening makes cooking more delicious Tosa Kitchen Knife Workshop Tadokoro Cutlery Makoto Tadokoro / Tosa City, Kochi Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.