Abstract

In 2013, “Japanese food” was registered as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage. Many of the ingredients used in Japanese food, such as soy sauce, mirin, sake, miso, and vinegar, are fermented foods. Fermentation is now attracting worldwide attention, and knowing about fermentation, which is a representative Japanese technology and culture, is one of the most important educational skills to acquire as a member of the business elite.
The 29th generation head of a seed koji manufacturer that has been in business for 600 years since the Muromachi period (1333-1573) will explain in an easy-to-understand manner what fermentation is, why it is now attracting attention around the world, the history and types of fermentation, and knowledge that will make you stand out if you know about it.

Author’s Information

President and 29th head of Kojiya Sanzaemon Co.
President and Representative Director of Bioc Co.
Graduated from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University in 2004, and obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Thunderbird School of Global and International Management in the United States in 2006. He then joined the family business, Kojiya Sanzaemon Co., Ltd. which has been making seed koji since its establishment in the Muromachi period, and its research and development company, Bioc Co. Since then, he has been involved in the family business as a “fermentation” professional, working with brewers of miso, soy sauce, sake, and shochu, which are his clients. In 2016, he took over the family business and became the 29th head of the family. He is also active in disseminating the appeal of koji and fermentation through various seminars and writing.
In 2022, he graduated from Kyoto University of Arts, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Design (Master of Arts), and from 2023, he will serve as a director of the Japan Brewers Association.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)