Collection: Isegura(伊勢藏)

Isegura – Preserving Tradition, Embracing Innovation

Isegura (Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture), founded in 1914, has been brewing soy sauce and miso using traditional wooden barrels and natural fermentation, relying entirely on the power of nature.

Today, the brewery is run by Kazuhiro Shikii, the fifth-generation successor, who inherited the methods passed down from his grandfather (third generation) and father (fourth generation.

Guided by the spirit of “Fueki Ryūkō”—which values both tradition and innovation—using Isegura’s one-of-a-kind equipment, refined by the previous generation, he carefully listens to feedback from customers and continues to craft the brewery’s original products while simultaneously exploring new brewing methods that respond to the changing times.

A Rare Brewery in Japan

Isegura is one of the few breweries in Japan that carries out the entire process in-house—from handling raw ingredients to koji-making, brewing, and final product preparation. The brewery produces four types of soy sauce—white, light, dark, and tamari—each with distinctly different ingredients and methods.

For example, soybeans may be whole or defatted, while wheat is treated differently depending on how it is ground, roasted, or steamed. The ratios of ingredients, fermentation periods, and processing steps also vary widely. Managing these contrasting techniques under one roof is extremely rare, and the fifth-generation brewer bears full responsibility for this complex process, which has become one of Isegura’s defining characteristics.

White Soy Sauce in the Land of Tamari

Mie Prefecture is famous for tamari soy sauce, rich in umami from soybeans, and its bold flavor is deeply loved throughout the region. By contrast, while there is demand for white soy sauce, very few brewers produce it.

Isegura is the only brewery in Mie making white soy sauce in wooden barrels. Many restaurants—especially those serving udon and kishimen noodles—rely on Isegura’s white soy sauce to create their crystal-clear broths, making the brewery an essential part of the local food culture.

Soy sauce and miso, brewed with the help of local koji, are also sold in the shop attached to the brewery. Many loyal customers continue to visit, saying:
“Nothing else tastes quite the same.”
“My children refuse to eat anything but Isegura’s miso.”

For generations, Isegura has remained close to the dining tables of local families, continuing to give back to the community.

Preserving the Wooden Barrels Tradition

Until the Edo period, all essential Japanese seasonings, including soy sauce and miso, were brewed in wooden vats. However, with the push for efficiency, demand for wooden barrels declined, and today only one cooperage in Japan remains capable of crafting large-scale barrels, with soy sauce and miso brewed in wooden barrels now accounting for only about 1% of total production.

In response to this crisis, brewers across Japan launched the “Revival of the Wooden Barrels Craftsmen” Project on Shodoshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture, where they work together to rebuild vats. Isegura has been a dedicated participant for over ten years, striving to preserve and pass on this wooden barrel culture.

At the heart of this effort is the conviction that “a soy sauce brewer cannot survive by only making soy sauce.” Brewers must also care for the vats that sustain their flavor and take responsibility for sharing the charm of wooden barrels with future generations.

The wooden barrels that Isegura has used since its founding are home to yeasts and lactic acid bacteria that have settled over generations. These living microbes create the brewery’s unique kura-kuse (cellar character), nurturing flavors that stainless steel or plastic tanks can never replicate.

This irreplaceable taste, born from the wooden barrels, is the pride of Isegura.

A closer look　Visiting the Brewery→