History of Natto and Its Relatives (1405-2012 - SoyInfo Center

value in the United States from southern Virginia southward.
Especially North Carolina, Tennessee, and the upper delta of
Mississippi. Mr. Hashigawa promised to send us samples of
seed of all the varieties being grown at the station.”
Page 3341 (24 Dec. 1929). “Today Morse and Suyetake
went to call upon soy sauce and natto manufacturers for the
purpose of getting acquainted and also if possible arrange for
getting still and motion pictures of their plants, equipment
and operations.”
Page 3479 (8 Jan. 1930). Tokyo, Japan. Soja max.
soybean. Photo of: “Three specimens of ‘String Natto’
[itohiki natto], one package (made of rice straw) unopened;
one opened; and the natto without the package (see previous
page, top). These were purchased at a Natto factory, Tokyo,
Jan. 6, 1930. The [rice-straw] packages are 15 inches long
and 2½ inches wide. String natto is eaten after having mixed
it with a mustard paste” (neg. #44739).
Note: This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Jan. 2012) that uses the term “String Natto” to refer
to natto or itohiki natto, or that uses the word “string” in
connection with natto.
Pages 3925, 3929 (18 Feb. 1930). “It is one year ago
today since we left Washington for Japan... We have found
much of interest in connection with our special line of work,
much more even than we expected, and therefore the time
has passed all too quickly...”
“Morse and Suyetake searched for soybean products
today, and were successful in bringing in a collection of
two dozen things slightly or entirely different from those
previously secured.”
Page 3929. Photo shows: “Small triangular packages,
one as purchased, the other unwrapped. They contain string
Natto. The native name is ‘Hygienic Miyako Natto.’ There is
at one side a small triangular paper containing dried mustard;
this is inclosed [sic] with the Natto. Purchased in Tokyo,
Feb. 16, 1930. Soybean dish measures 3 inches across” (neg.
#44937).
Pages 6822-23 (22 Dec. 1930). Kyoto, Japan. Mr.
Morse’s notes. At the Imperial Agricultural College they met
Isawo Namikawa, Professor of Horticulture, who said that
Kyoto is noted for several special soy products such as white
miso, soy sauce, and natto.
Page 6937 (10 Jan. 1931). Tokyo. Notes by Mr. Morse.
Spent most of the day in the Shinjuku district looking up
soybean products. “More String Natto in rice straw packages
was observed in this section than any we have visited.”
Address: Agricultural Explorers, USDA, Washington, DC.
197. Morse, W.J. 1929. Letter from Dr. [sic] Morse. Tokyo,
Japan, July 20, 1929. Proceedings of the American Soybean
Association 2:50-52. Tenth annual fi eld meeting. Held 22-23
Aug. at Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
• Summary: This letter from W.J. Morse was read before
the 1929 convention of the American Soybean Association
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 112
at Guelph, Ontario, Canada. This is the fi rst annual ASA
meeting he has missed. He begins with a brief description of
the “Oriental Agricultural Exploration Expedition” headed
by Mr. P.H. Dorsett and himself. They plan to study soybeans
in Japan fi rst. “The largest soybean section is the Island
of Hokkaido which has an acreage of 215,212 [planted to
soybeans] and produces 3,184,245 bushels of beans” [yield =
14.8 bushels/acre].
“On our arrival and after establishing headquarters in
Tokyo, we fi rst began to look up varieties which we might
send back to the United States for the 1929 planting. We
succeeded in packing up about 100 lots which are now
growing in the variety plots at Arlington Farm [Virginia].
In hunting out this seed, we were very much surprised
to fi nd the soybeans listed with the garden beans and as
garden beans. For the most part these are grown as green
vegetable beans. These sorts are black, brown, greenish
yellow, and yellow seeded varieties of early, medium, and
late types. Some of the yellow seeded varieties are listed
as most suitable for bean curd, soy sauce, miso, natto, and
confectionery purposes, such as sweet bean paste, candied
beans, roasted beans (like our peanuts), and sugared beans.”
Note: Azuki beans, rather than soybeans, are usually used to
make “sweet bean paste” in Japan.
“It is amazing, the extent to which the soybean is used
for food in Japan. Whether or not it can be used in the United
States in all of the ways used here is extremely doubtful,
that is for human food.” There is no doubt that American
soybeans will be used mostly to produce oil and oil meal. “It
may interest you to know that the beans produced in Japan
are used entirely for human food, green manure, and planting
purposes. The grain varieties have seed of higher quality than
those produced in Manchuria and are not used for oil and oil
meal production as [are] the beans of Manchuria. The great
soybean oil and meal production of the Orient is confi ned
almost entirely to Manchuria.
“Another thing which surprised us greatly was the extent
to which soybeans are used for green manure purposes in the
rice paddies.” The plants are turned under in the mud after
water has been run into the paddies.
“Another extensive use of the soybean is for bean
curd, or tofu, which is manufactured only... in small shops
scattered about the cities and country villages. This curd is
used in many ways, being the meat of the poorer classes. It
is used, however, quite generally in making bean-curd soup
[miso soup with tofu] which is sometimes served at breakfast
and nearly always at supper. The bean curd is peddled about
from house to house by men with two tubs suspended from
a bamboo pole over their shoulders. The sound of the little
horn of the bean curd man as he announces his coming has
become quite a familiar sound to our ears as we go along the
streets or hear him pass under our offi ce windows.
“Soy sauce is manufactured on a very large scale and
is universally used by the Japanese, rich and poor. We have