photo #3341058

Miso and Samurai.Miso was often carried by samurai armies, and the ashigaru in particular, as military rations during the Sengoku period battles. Miso, and hatcho-miso in particular, was long lasting, high in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, easy to carry, readily edible and can be boiled in water to make a warming soup. Most importantly for armies on the march, miso is nutritious. During the production of miso, the daizu (soy beans) water and salt are carefully prepared and then loaded into giant barrels. The huge wooden barrels then have about 300kg of stones placed on top of the lid. The way the stones are placed, use the very same techniques as castle ishigaki (stone wall) building. The piles of stone are so well placed, that they will not topple, even in a strong earthquake. The skills required to achieve this take 10 years to master. In fact, the best people to call in the rebuilding of castle ishigaki, are now the miso manufacturers! One place still making miso in the traditional way is in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, birthplace of the famed Mikawa Bushi, and the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.