Meet the skilled craftspeople at Kaneshichi Shoten in Makurazaki, Japan, who meticulously create katsuobushi, also known as bonito flakes — a key ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Made from smoked and fermented tuna, bonito flakes give dashi broth its striking umami flavor. Following the traditional method, the craftspeople treat each step like an art form. Every fish is deboned by hand, smoked for nearly a month, and fermented in a room with Mozart playing in the background. The result is a high-quality product beloved by world-renowned chefs and restaurants like Nobu.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Katsuo-bushi is one of the representative ingredients in Japan.
00:10It's been around for 500 years.
00:15In Japan, it's been used in soup stock for a long time.
00:20Now, it's used in cooking.
00:24I want to preserve the traditional Japanese culture.
00:32That's what I want to do.
00:36Katsuo-bushi is a traditional Japanese soup stock.
00:41It's been around for 500 years.
00:50I'm at the outermost port of Gaiko in Makurasaki.
00:54Katsuo-bushi is brought here by container.
00:57Then, it's watered.
00:59Then, it's selected by a machine.
01:03The most expensive one is selected.
01:18I won.
01:20I won the first 15 tons of 30 tons.
01:25There are only two 180-ton classes.
01:29There are more than 30 katsuo-bushi shops in Makurasaki.
01:34Katsuo-bushi is made from dried katsuo.
01:40Then, it's fermented and dried.
01:48I make about half of the katsuo-bushi in Makurasaki.
01:53If I use katsuo-bushi for a day, the leaves will be round.
01:58Then, I sharpen them in the morning.
02:02I use three kinds of katsuo-bushi.
02:04I cut the head with a head cutter.
02:07Then, I cut the belly.
02:10I cut three pieces.
02:13Then, I cut four pieces.
02:23My boss and I cut the belly.
02:26Then, we cut the tummy.
02:36You're good.
02:38Everyone is fast.
02:40I'm careful.
02:42So, I cut slowly.
02:44Everyone is fast.
02:46Now, the katsuo-bushi is top-class.
02:50It's very expensive.
02:53If I make good katsuo-bushi, I'll be very happy.
02:57If I fail, I'll be very sad and apologize.
03:01I don't apologize because I'll be scolded.
03:04I apologize for the katsuo-bushi.
03:07The katsuo-bushi is full of people's thoughts.
03:12The katsuo-bushi is full of people's thoughts.
03:17This is a katsuo-bushi called aizachi-bouchou.
03:20This is a katsuo-bushi that cuts the back and the belly.
03:23This katsuo-bushi has a small factory.
03:28How do you want your katsuo-bushi to be?
03:31For example, do you want the top of the mountain to be in the middle or a little lower?
03:36That's why the shape is different.
03:39The back of the katsuo-bushi is called a man's katsuo-bushi.
03:42The belly of the katsuo-bushi is called a woman's katsuo-bushi.
03:45If the katsuo-bushi is too wide, it will be too bulky.
03:48The women's katsuo-bushi will be heavy and narrow.
03:51So the women's katsuo-bushi should be close to each other.
03:56The shape of the katsuo-bushi is similar to the turtle shell.
04:00In Japan, katsuo-bushi is said to be used as a drawing tool.
04:06Like this?
04:07Yes.
04:08From the right?
04:09Yes, from the right.
04:10Don't put your fingers like this.
04:12Don't put the knife diagonally.
04:14No, no, no.
04:15Like this.
04:16No.
04:17Like this.
04:22When Riku was born and started helping out,
04:25I didn't know what he was doing, but I was obedient and taught him.
04:29I had something I wanted to change.
04:32There were a lot of other people around, so it was a bit of a struggle.
04:41But even though I was always by his side, he was always there for me.
04:47That's why I was able to do it.
04:50I think it's amazing that my friend's father, who is also a rocker,
04:57is still alive and well.
05:09My generation and his generation are completely different.
05:13But the basics, the love for katsuo-bushi,
05:16and the desire to make katsuo-bushi are the same.
05:21In the old days, we had katsuo-bushi.
05:25As long as there are people who want it,
05:28I think it's our style to make authentic katsuo-bushi.
05:37There are a lot of different katsuo-bushi.
05:39Even if there are 30 different katsuo-bushi, it's not a big deal.
05:42But there are two types of katsuo-bushi,
05:45which are called ara-hon-bushi and hon-gare-bushi.
05:48There are two types of katsuo-bushi.
05:50At Kaneishi Shoten, we focus on making hon-gare-bushi.
05:55It's an old-fashioned classic katsuo-bushi.
05:57It's the original name, but we put a lot of effort into it.
06:05This has risen to a high temperature,
06:09so we lower the temperature to about 70 degrees to put in the next pot.
06:18If you make a mistake, the katsuo-bushi will crack or bend
06:23if you put it in too high or too low.
06:25If you put it in too low or too low,
06:29it will take a long time to lock in the flavor.
06:34By raising the temperature,
06:37we can stop the inoshin-san from falling.
06:43Inoshin-san is the main ingredient.
06:47Inoshin-san has the effect of elevating the umami of the katsuo-bushi.
06:57After we cut the katsuo-bushi and boil it,
07:00we remove the bones one by one.
07:07If you forget to remove the bones,
07:10the katsuo-bushi will be too small,
07:14and the katsuo-bushi will bend.
07:16The shape of the katsuo-bushi is important,
07:20and if the katsuo-bushi bends,
07:22the inside of the katsuo-bushi will crack and the katsuo-bushi will be hollow.
07:25So it's important to remove the bones one by one.
07:32My great-grandfather came here about 60 or 70 years ago.
07:38My father, for example,
07:42taught my father how to make katsuo-bushi.
07:47My grandfather taught me a lot of things.
07:54He taught me things that my father, my grandfather,
07:58and my son couldn't teach me.
08:02I learned a lot from my father.
08:07This is also made from katsuo-bushi.
08:11This is the process of kneading the katsuo-bushi.
08:24After kneading the katsuo-bushi,
08:27we put on make-up.
08:29After removing the bones,
08:31we put on make-up and put on putty to remove the scratches.
08:35We make the katsuo-bushi beautiful.
08:42We apply putty to prevent the katsuo-bushi from cracking.
08:46We protect the katsuo-bushi with leather.
08:48The leather will shrink, so we put it on the katsuo-bushi.
08:52After the katsuo-bushi is finished,
08:55we put the katsuo-bushi on the katsuo-bushi.
09:01In this room, the katsuo-bushi is put on the katsuo-bushi.
09:03The katsuo-bushi is put on the katsuo-bushi once, twice, and three times.
09:06Each time, the katsuo-bushi has a net underneath.
09:08It's like a big chimney.
09:10The smoke comes out of the chimney.
09:12The smoke goes up.
09:14We use the smoke to put the katsuo-bushi on the katsuo-bushi.
09:31After boiling the katsuo-bushi,
09:33we remove the water from the katsuo-bushi.
09:35This increases the storage capacity.
09:37When we use the katsuo-bushi as a soup stock,
09:39we can increase the percentage of inoshin,
09:41the smell of the smoke,
09:43and many other factors that contribute to the deliciousness of katsuo-bushi.
09:47It's a very important task.
09:54There was a time when I was really selfish.
09:57I thought, if I did this, it would be better.
09:59I didn't have much experience.
10:01I rebelled against my grandfather and father.
10:03I was trying to change things like this.
10:06At that time, I had a big fight with my father.
10:09I decided to leave.
10:12My son was in kindergarten,
10:14so I thought I had to talk to him properly because I was going to break up with my friend.
10:17He said, if you don't stop me, I won't stop you.
10:19I said, it's okay, Kaede.
10:24Instead, he said there was a condition.
10:27He said he wanted me to be a firefighter or a ninja.
10:31At the moment when I thought I wanted him to be a cool person,
10:36he told me to go back to being a katsuo-bushiya.
10:41My father, who was a katsuo-bushiya, said it was cool.
10:45At that moment, I was very confident.
10:48I thought I should do my best.
10:51The next day, I bowed my head to my father and said,
10:56I want you to let me do it again.
11:01The katsuo that I'm cutting today will be ready in about 24 days or a month.
11:16This is the ara-hon-bushi that I just made.
11:19This black smoked part is the fat that came out of the katsuo.
11:23I'm going to scrape off the fat that came out of the katsuo.
11:27This will make it easier for the mold to grow.
11:34In today's Japan, this may seem like a meaningless task.
11:37But in the past, this small task was the proof that
11:41the craftsman was a great craftsman.
11:47So I value this shape.
11:49The shape of the katsuo is important.
11:53When the katsuo and the ara-hon-bushi are lined up,
11:57they are the best couple.
11:59These two have already been shaped.
12:03All I have to do is wear a beautiful dress, so I'll put mold on it.
12:09Spray the mold for the katsuo-bushi.
12:12After a week, the katsuo-bushi will look like this.
12:19The green katsuo-bushi.
12:21It's best to make the katsuo-bushi as powdery as possible.
12:26It shouldn't be sticky.
12:36Okay, let's go over there.
12:39No. 4.
12:40No. 4 is next.
12:46The katsuo-bushi is more like a mold for the sun.
12:59By drying the katsuo-bushi,
13:01the mold will grow stronger and stronger.
13:05Look at the katsuo-bushi and dry it for an hour or two depending on the temperature and humidity of the day.
13:14For example,
13:16look at the mold.
13:22It's fluffy.
13:24Mold like powder is a good sign of good mold.
13:29If you put the katsuo-bushi back in the room,
13:33the mold will grow again.
13:35It's not dead.
13:37It's been powered up.
13:47This is where we experiment.
13:51Pumpkin-bushi, pumpkin-bushi, corn-bushi, and corn-bushi.
13:57This is what Noma uses.
14:00It's also used in pop-ups in Kyoto.
14:03I collaborated with Noma in Copenhagen.
14:08When I went there,
14:11I felt that it was a new taste and dish
14:16that didn't stick to the conventional concept of cooking.
14:21Rather than when the katsuo-bushi is gone,
14:24I used the power of smoking to create a new possibility.
14:32This is the most important room in my company.
14:36This is where the katsuo-bushi is born.
14:39This is where the katsuo-bushi is born.
14:51As you can see, music is playing in this room.
14:54It's classical music composed by Mozart.
14:58That's when the fermentation begins.
15:01When the mold absorbs the water in the katsuo-bushi
15:06it dissolves the oil inside.
15:09It removes the excess oil
15:13and increases the percentage of umami.
15:16Because the other ingredients are reduced.
15:18You hit it like this.
15:21The katsuo-bushi is this hard, so it ferments well.
15:27The line between the katsuo-bushi is very beautiful.
15:34This is the most advanced line.
15:38I think that the katsuo-bushi grows
15:42when you relax and grow vigorously.
15:46This is the room where the katsuo-bushi is raised.
15:57It sounds good.
15:59It sounds good.
16:02It smells really good.
16:04It's like I'm in a factory.
16:08In Nepal, there are basic spices like sourness and spiciness.
16:14But I always think that Japan is missing something.
16:18In the end, it's all about the umami.
16:20Today, I'm going to make a Kinmedai green curry.
16:27Okay, let's put it in.
16:30I'll turn off the heat once.
16:33Then leave it for about 5 minutes.
16:36Of course, there is umami from the ingredients.
16:42But if you use the soup stock and spices,
16:47you can get a next-level flavor.
16:55There are only spinach, beer, and coriander.
17:02I'll add some soup stock.
17:06My mother's kitchen always has this as a base.
17:10Basically, it's turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili pepper, and salt.
17:16Today, I'm going to use the whole coriander, cumin, and chili pepper.
17:29I'm going to grind it.
17:33I need to know more about the ingredients.
17:37In that case, I think it's important to know more about the person who makes it.
17:52It took me two or three months to make it.
17:55I want to treasure the way everyone works.
18:03I want to convey the value of katsuobushi in our culture.
18:18He is very talented in cooking.
18:24He puts katsuobushi on Nepalese food and uses it as a soup stock.
18:29If he puts katsuobushi on Adi or other restaurants,
18:35people will eat katsuobushi again.
18:39You can try it.
18:43It's delicious.
18:45It's really delicious.
18:55To be honest, when my grandfather taught me how to make katsuobushi,
18:59I used to work with gloves.
19:01My grandfather worked without gloves.
19:04His hands were black, oily, black, and dirty from smoking.
19:08I felt sorry for him.
19:10I told him,
19:11I have a good pair of gloves.
19:13I lent them to my grandfather.
19:15He said,
19:16I don't need them.
19:17If I wear gloves, I can't feel the edges.
19:19When my grandfather gave me the place,
19:21I didn't wear gloves.
19:23I didn't feel the dirt.
19:28I think it's a beautiful job if I can change my eyes.
19:33Beautiful and cool values
19:36can be created by the same people.
19:39I wanted to convey the feeling of beauty and the value of beauty
19:42to myself, my family, and the staff.
19:48You can change the way you make katsuobushi
19:51by touching it with your hands.
19:54I think that's why I value it.
19:58I sometimes get lost.
20:03I'm glad I was born with a cool katsuobushi.
20:07I want to believe that when I'm lost.
20:13That's why I make katsuobushi.
20:19Please subscribe to my channel.
20:21See you next time.