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A report published Oct. 20 describes how Kanesa Katsuobushi Shoten in Nishi-Izu makes katsuobushi, or dried bonito, using a hand-fired smoking method. The process includes boiling, repeated smoking, koji mold fermentation and months of sun-drying; the workshop’s account says its method has been used in the area for about 300 years.
A report published Oct. 20 documents how Kanesa Katsuobushi Shoten, a workshop in Nishi-Izu, Japan, makes katsuobushi, or dried bonito, using a hand-fired smoking technique. Fifth-generation craftsman Yasuhisa Serizawa oversees a process that includes boiling the fish, smoking it repeatedly, fermenting it with koji mold and drying it for months.
The workshop, founded in 1882, uses a method called tebiyama, in which firewood is burned in a deep pit to smoke and dry the fish. Kanesa’s description says the method uses local woods, including oak, sawtooth oak and cherry. The report describes it as a hand-tended fire process preserved by only a small number of bonito makers in Japan.
Production begins with fresh bonito that is filleted and boiled for about 90 minutes. The fish is then smoked more than 10 times, with the pieces repaired using bonito paste as needed. They are fermented with koji mold and sun-dried over a period of months. The report says the full process takes more than half a year, producing a hard, polished block of fish that can be shaved into flakes.
Kanesa’s account says the tebiyama method has been used in the Tago district of West Izu for roughly 300 years, dating it to the Edo period. It describes the method as the oldest existing smoking method, but that historical characterization comes from the workshop’s own account. The report also relays Kanesa’s explanation that high heat from an open flame gives the product a rich flavor by smoking the surface quickly and retaining umami.
A Long Process Behind Bonito Flakes
The report shows why traditionally made katsuobushi is not simply fish that has been dried: its production requires repeated handling, controlled smoking, mold fermentation and months of drying. The labor and time involved help explain the distinct production methods behind an ingredient used in Japanese cooking.
The account also draws attention to a technique that the workshop says is practiced by only a few producers. If that description is accurate, the method’s continued use depends on craftspeople and workshops maintaining specialist skills across generations. The report does not establish how many producers still use tebiyama or how the workshop’s output compares with other methods.
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Kanesa’s Tebiyama Method
Kanesa Katsuobushi Shoten was founded in 1882 and is now run by fifth-generation craftsman Yasuhisa Serizawa, according to the report. Its process uses a vertical pit about two metres deep, with firewood burned at the bottom to smoke and dry the bonito above. Kanesa says this approach has a history of about 300 years in the Tago district.
The source is an Oct. 20 post by Jason Kottke, which points readers to the workshop’s website for more information. The historical timeline, the method’s rarity and the explanation of its effect on flavor are presented as claims from Kanesa’s description, translated into English by Google, rather than independently verified findings.
“The history of this method is said to date back about 300 years.”
— Kanesa Katsuobushi Shoten, in a website description translated by Google
What the Workshop Account Cannot Verify
The source material does not independently verify the workshop’s claims about the method being the oldest still in existence, its roughly 300-year history, or the number of producers that continue to use it. The flavor explanation is also Kanesa’s account, not a finding supported by comparative testing in the report.
It is not clear how many batches the workshop produces, how much time each stage takes in practice, or whether the schedule varies by fish or conditions. The report provides no production volumes, prices or comparison with bonito made using other smoking and drying methods.
Further Details From the Workshop
The report points readers to Kanesa Katsuobushi Shoten’s website for additional information about its process. No new production announcement, policy change or upcoming milestone is identified in the source; the development is a report documenting a traditional method still used at the workshop.
More detail about the method’s current reach would require information from other producers or independent historical research. Until then, the workshop’s description remains the principal source for claims about tebiyama’s age, rarity and effect on flavor.
Key Questions
What is katsuobushi?
Katsuobushi is Japanese dried bonito. Once made, it is hard enough to be shaved into thin flakes for use in cooking.
How does Kanesa make its dried bonito?
The report describes bonito being filleted, boiled for about 90 minutes, smoked more than 10 times, fermented with koji mold and dried for months.
What is the tebiyama method?
It is a hand-fired smoking method described by Kanesa in which firewood burns in a deep pit to smoke and dry the fish. The workshop says the technique has been used in the Tago district for about 300 years.
How long does the process take?
The report says the process takes more than half a year, including repeated smoking, fermentation and months of sun-drying.
Are the claims about the method independently confirmed?
The report documents the process and relays the workshop’s account, but it does not independently verify claims that tebiyama is the oldest existing method or that only a few Japanese producers still use it.
Source: hn
