【Reading】さいしこみしょうゆ

【English Name】Saishikomi Shoyu (Refermented Soy Sauce)

In soy sauce brewing, the mash is normally prepared by adding salt water (brine). What distinguishes saishikomi shoyu (twice-brewed soy sauce), however, is that instead of brine, already-brewed raw soy sauce is added and the batch is fermented a second time. As a result of this two-stage brewing, the color is markedly deeper and a dense umami develops.

It originated in 1781 (the first year of the Tenmei era), devised by Takada Denbei in Yanaizu, Kuga District (present-day Yanai City, Yamaguchi Prefecture). It first spread under the name "kanro shoyu" (sweet-dew soy sauce), a designation that remains widespread within Yamaguchi Prefecture today. It is also widely known by the alternative name "sashimi shoyu," a moniker that reflects its excellent compatibility with sashimi.

The JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standards) classifies soy sauce into five categories, and saishikomi shoyu falls under one of them. Both its depth of color and quantity of umami surpass those of koikuchi (dark) soy sauce. In sushi and sashimi settings, it is sometimes chosen as the soy sauce to accompany white-fleshed fish, working to bring out the flavor inherent in the ingredient.

Yamaguchi Prefecture is the central production area, with breweries also scattered across parts of the Chugoku and Kyushu regions.