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

of fi gures. Map. Part I: Background. 1. The soybean: Birth
and spread (legend, botanical inception, Nagata’s theory of
origin, spread to Japan and beyond, the American story).
Part II: Japan’s production and supply of soybeans. 1.
Japan the country and supply of domestic soybeans (Japan
the country, domestic soybean production, planting and
harvesting, marketing domestic soybean). 2. Importation of
Red Chinese soybeans (background, mechanics, advantages,
and prospects). 3. Importation of U.S. soybeans (history,
method and mechanics of importation, the American
shippers, concluding comments on importation). 4.
Distribution (use in brief, super-wholesaler, wholesaler,
retailer wholesaler, Japan’s grain exchange).
Part III: Soybean utilization in Japan. 1. Utilization of
soybeans for oil and meal (oil crushing history, soybean
source, delivery of soybeans, the crushing industry,
liberalization of soybean oil and meal, oil utilization in
Japan, meal utilization in Japan). 2. Tofu (history, use
of soybeans, manufacture, the tofu factory, marketing
tofu products, recently developed tofu products, tofu as
food, concluding comments). 3. Miso (importation, home
production of miso, quantity of miso produced, soybean
used for producing miso, kinds of miso, fermentation
time, comparison of miso fi rms, manufacturing, packing
and marketing, price, instant miso, use of miso, miso
consumption outlook). 4. Shoyu (introduction, production
and manufacturers, manufacture, raw materials, preparation
of raw materials for natural shoyu, preparation of materials
for chemical method shoyu, preparation of materials for
mixed method shoyu, fermentation, fi ltering and pressing,
sterilization, bottling, price, use of shoyu, miscellaneous
shoyu products, concluding comments). 5. Natto
(description, history, Daitokuji natto, the natto industry,
consumption, natto soybeans, processing, making cost and
price, marketing, use of natto, problems, new ideas and natto
products). 6. Frozen tofu (history, development, frozen tofu
soybeans, processing, freezing, defrosting, drying, treatment
with ammonia and packing, marketing, preservation, use). 7.
Kinako. 8. Yuba (history and development, the plight of the
yuba industry, soybeans for yuba, manufacture, classifi cation
of yuba, use). 9. Tsukudani and nimame (description,
soybean tsukudani, nimame). 10. Hamanatto (history,
manufacture, use). 11. Edamame. 12. Moyashi (manufacture,
use). 11. Miscellaneous products (fermented soybean curd,
MSG, confectionary products, other products). Conclusion.
Sources (numerically arranged). Sources (alphabetically
arranged).
Tables: 1. U.S. soybean production, 1924-1963. 2.
United States, Red China, and world production of soybeans
(bushels), 1950-1963. 3. U.S. soybean importation,
exportation and amount processed for oil and meal, 1924-
1963. 4. U.S. exportation of soybeans (1,000 bushels)
total, by continent, and to six largest importing countries,
1958-1962. 5. Japan’s soybean acreage, production, and
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HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 171
merchandising rate. 6. Japan’s importation of soybeans,
total, and Red China’s portion, 1945-1963. 7. Japan’s total
importation of soybeans and U.S. portion, 1945-1963. 8.
Soybean usage in Japan, 1963. 9. Japan’s processing of
oilseeds, 1963. 10. Crushing capacity of selected Japanese
oilseed crushers. 11. Eight largest crushers of soybeans
and amount of soybeans crushed per month in 1963. 12.
Total quantity of soybeans crushed in Japan, 1950-1963.
13. Japan’s daily per capita intake of edible fats and oils.
14. Japan’s consumption of edible fats and oils, 1945-1961.
15. Use of soybean meal. 16. Chemical composition of tofu
and aburaage. 17. Quantity of soybeans and soybean meal
used for tofu-aburaage productions (all Japan), 1950-1963.
18. Miso production and quantity of soybeans and soybean
meal used, 1950-1963. 19. Composition of miso. 20. Daily
per capita consumption of miso in Japan, 1950-1963. 21. All
Japan production of shoyu and use of soybeans and soybean
meal, 1950-1963. 22. Composition of shoyu. 23. Yearly per
capita consumption of shoyu, 1950-1963. 24. Composition
of natto. 25. Production of frozen tofu and use of soybeans.
26. Composition of frozen tofu. 27. Yearly per capita
consumption of frozen tofu. 28. Composition of kinako. 29.
Composition of yuba. 30. Monosodium glutamate production
and use of soybeans and soybean meal. Continued.
This typed manuscript was sent to Soyfoods Center in
July 2004 by Tomoko Brandemuhl, the wife of the author.
About the author (based on several interviews with Tomoko,
July 2004): William Victor Brandemuhl was born on 30 Nov.
1940 at Iron Mountain, Michigan. He grew up in Florence,
Wisconsin, then attended the University of Wisconsin at
Madison. He roomed for 3-4 years with various Japanese
cancer researchers at the university. He also became close
to Tomoko Arai (born 12 Dec. 1937 in Tokyo), a Japanese
woman, who was doing graduate studies in social work
there as a Rotary International Fellowship student. William
initially intended to graduate in June 1962, but stayed an
extra year in order to pursue independent studies in Japanese
language and soybeans. He became interested in the soybean
and its history in an anthropology class taught by Dr. R.J.
Miller; William fi nished his excellent research paper on
soybeans in Jan. 1963. He also took one year of Japanese
language instruction (night classes). William graduated in
Jan. 1963 with a BSc degree in economics.
William obtained a grant (no strings attached) from
Honeymead Products Co. of Mankato, Minnesota, to study
soybean utilization in Japan. Only one American had studied
this subject in Japan after World War II–Alan K. Smith of
the USDA, who visited Japan and wrote short but detailed
reports in 1948-49 and 1958. In Jan. 1963 Brandemuhl
arrived in Japan and became a research fellow at the
Department of Agricultural Economics, Kyoto University,
Kyoto, Japan. Between Feb. 1963 and May 1964 (15
months) he conducted fi eld research on soybean utilization
in Japan. In June 1963 (after William had been in Japan for 4