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

However Kawakami and Kimura (1985) state that this
diary contains the earliest known reference to natto. They
state: What we now call natto (itohiki-nattô) was written
as itohiki daizu (“string-pulling soybeans”) in the old days.
It was written like that in the entry for 19 Dec. 1405 in the
Noritoki-kyo ki (Diary of Noritoki Fujiwara), which is the
earliest document seen (Jan. 2012) that mentions natto. The
author’s name was FUJIWARA Noritoki, but he was usually
called Yamashina Noritoki because this nobleman’s family,
which lived on land they owned in Yamashina near Kyoto,
kept their diary for fi ve generations. This Yamashina family
was in charge of the supplies department for the Imperial
Court (Chotei), and all supplies that went to the Court had
to pass through this family, which recorded them in detail.
Another diary was kept by the family’s manager (banto),
and it is even more detailed, containing all of the prices of
the goods ordered, and including wages paid to laborers,
carpenters, etc. Therefore it is also a very useful book.
Letter (e-mail) from Naomichi Ishige, Japanese natto
expert. 2007. March 20. This photocopy is from the late
Kozo Kawakami (1995, p. 21). The large section on itohiki
nattô states that the second earliest known appearance of this
food is found in the Noritoki kyo-ki, which mentions itohikidaizu
(“string-pulling soybeans”) in the entry for 19 Dec.
1405. This diary was written by TAMASHINA Noritoki,
who was an aristocrat.
Note 1. This is the earliest document seen (Jan. 2012)
that mentions natto (itohiki nattô), which it calls itohiki
daizu.
Note 2. This is the earliest Japanese-language document
seen (Dec. 2011) that uses the term itohiki daizu to refer to
natto.
Note 3. Kozo Kawakami was born in 1898. Address:
Japan.
5. Nijo, Yoshimoto. 1450. Shôjin gyorui monogatari Shôjin
gyorui monogatari [A comic tale of the great war between
vegetarian foods and animal foods]. Japan. 79 p. Japanese
summary by Kawakami 1978. [Jap]
• Summary: Some say that the author was Yoshimoto NIJO
(lived 1320-88), but Kawakami thinks that the work was
more likely written a little later, in the mid-Muromachi
period (the period ran from 1338 to 1573). The original
handwritten copy has been lost but the published copy (79
pages) still exists.
This is a funny story about foods that are depicted as
people. There are different fi sh people, Suri-dofu (grated
tofu), Natto Taro (or Natto Taro Itogasane; the last name
means “many threads”), etc. The story explains that
vegetarian foods and fi shes got together at the high ranking
samurai’s place. A red snapper that showed up late was
placed at a lower ranking seat below the vegetarian foods.
Natto Taro was placed next to the top samurai. The red
snapper got upset and called on the fi sh, shellfi sh, poultry,
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 25
and meats to attack the vegetarian (shojin) foods. Some
animal names weren’t even foods.
Letter from Naomichi Ishige, Japanese natto expert.
2007. Jan. 17. This monogatari contains the 2nd earliest
known reliable reference to natto in Japan.
Note 1. This is the 2nd earliest document seen (Jan.
2012) and the 2nd earliest reliable Japanese-language
document seen that mentions natto. This is also the
2nd earliest document seen (Dec. 2011) concerning the
etymology of natto. For more details see: M. Hirano. 1990.
Nattô bunka-kô [Thoughts on the culture and history of
natto]. Shoku no Kagaku (Food Science Journal) No. 144. p.
16-22 (see p. 21).
Note: This is the earliest document seen (July 2002)
concerning soyfoods and vegetarianism in Japan.
6. Nôin Eshun. 1568. Tamon-in nikki [Tamon-in diary].
Nara, Japan. See entry for May 21. English-language
summary by Kodama & Yoshizawa 1977, p. 427. Japanese
summary by Kawakami 1978, p. 222. [Jap; eng]
• Summary: This diary was kept from about 1539 to 1596
(58 years) at the Tamon-in monastery inside the Kofuku-ji
temple in Nara City, Japan.
Letter (e-mail) from Naomichi Ishige, Japanese natto
expert. 2007. March 30. The entry for 21 May 1568 mentions
netaru-natto. The entry was written by Nôin Eshun, who
was the chief priest at Tamon-in, a monastery that belonged
to Kofuku-ji in Nara. Kawakami et al. (1978) understood
netaru natto to mean what we now call itohiki natto.
Note 1. This is the earliest Japanese-language document
seen (Jan. 2012) that uses the term netaru natto to refer to
natto.
This diary also describes in detail a heating method
to kill the microorganisms in saké (Japanese rice wine). It
was almost identical with the process invented by Pasteur
in France in 1865 (300 years later) for low-temperature
pasteurization of wine and milk. This work does not mention
soy sauce, but the Japanese process was later used on soy
sauce.
Iino (2003, p. 9): In this diary shoyu made from a
second pressing of the moromi (niban shoyu) is referred to
as tou-miso niban (second tou-miso) and its production is
discussed. This can be seen in several places, including the
entry for the date of the 17th year of Tenmon (1548) Jan. 1.
7. Companhia de Iesus [Society of Jesus (Jesuit)]. 1603.
Vocabulario da lingoa de Iapam, com a declaraçáo em
Portugues, feito por alguns padres, eirmaós da Companhia de
Iesu [Vocabulary of the language of Japan, with defi nitions
in Portuguese, produced by some fathers and brothers of the
Society of Jesus]. Nagasaki, Japan. 403 p. [Por; Jap]
• Summary: At the bottom of the title page is written:
“Com licença do ordinario, & Superiores em Nangasaqui no
Collegio de Iapam da Companhia de Iesus. Anno M.D. CIII.”