Hatcho Miso, produced by Kakukyu, is made in giant wooden vats using only soy beans and salt as raw ingredients with natural river stones stacked one on top of the other to make a pyramid atop the vats. The miso inside is aged for two summers and two winters—or more than two years—in this traditional way.
Long-standing miso manufacturer Kakukyu has continued its legacy since the Edo period, and with this proud history, its headquarters building and museum are designated national tangible cultural properties. The museum uses the storehouse building and exhibits the tried-and-true miso production methods of yesteryear. And of course, you can enjoy tastings of Hatcho Miso and red miso. The rows of giant, nearly two-meter-diameter wooden vats continuing to complete their duties even today are breathtaking.

Hatchokura-dori Street: Lined with miso storehouses

Hatcho Town (formally Hatcho Village) gets its name from its distance of hatcho, or eight cho—approximately 870 meters—west of Okazaki Castle. The location's "Hatcho Miso" is made with nothing more than soy beans and salt, and with the ability to stay preserved for long periods of time, it was integral to the nutrition of the warriors of the greater Mikawa area where Hatcho Town lies. The miso is the posterchild of Nagoya's and the Mikawa area's cuisine, featured in such distinct dishes as miso stew, deep-fried pork cutlet with miso sauce, miso oden, and more.
The two miso manufacturers Kakukyu and Maruya continue to stand today with slim alleys and traditional black wooden siding with white plaster walls, passing on a taste of yesteryear into the present. The location even served as the stage for the morning serial drama "Junjo Kirari"—meaning something like "Pure-hearted Kirari"—aired in 2006 on NHK. You can see the handprint of Aoi Miyazaki—the actress who played heroin Kirari in the area.