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

prices and there was a furor among consumers. So the former
owners of Tomoe (Mr. Tomoe and probably a partner) started
Hinode Tofu Co. in March 1947 at 6th St. and Towne Ave.
They made 1,500 cakes of tofu a day.
Then the owner of Tomoe Tofu Co. got sick. Shoan
Yamauchi’s younger brother, Shojin (“Jin”), had visited
Hinode in May 1946, then returned to Hawaii and told Shoan
to go to Los Angeles, as described above.
In November 1947 Shoan and Shizuko began to run
Hinode Tofu Co. at 6th St. and Towne Ave. They made only
three products: Japanese-style soft and Chinese-style fi rm
tofu, plus agé (deep-fried tofu pouches). The early years
were tough; it was a small company with no reputation, and
almost no machinery or capitalization. The tofu wholesaled
for $0.20/lb and was sold only in bulk. Again the work was
hard and the hours long. In 1952-53 he moved the business
to 4th St. and Towne Ave (Why??), where he bought his own
building. Most of Mr. Yamauchi’s customers were Chinese
and Japanese, with very few Caucasians. Hinode Tofu Co.
grew steadily, and in 1956 Mr. Yamauchi bought out his
competitor, Matsuda Tofu Co., the only other Japanese tofu
maker in the area. The new company, named Matsuda-
Hinode Tofu Mfg. Co. was now the biggest on the mainland
United States. In 1964 (1962) the company established three
milestones: (1) It became the fi rst company on the West
Coast (and perhaps in the world) to package tofu; (2) It
became the fi rst U.S. company to get tofu into a supermarket
chain (Boy’s Market in Los Angeles); and (3) It became the
fi rst U.S. company to make natto.
In 1969 the company built and moved into its present
location at 526 S. Stanford Ave. That same year the company
introduced several new tofu products that Yamauchi had
learned to make in Hawaii, which were not yet widely made
on the mainland: Kinugoshi (silken) tofu, nama agé (deepfried
tofu cutlets), and yaki-dofu (grilled tofu).
In about 1976 he added ganmodoki (deep-fried tofu
burgers). In 1978 the company expanded into a milliondollar
automated factory, which made the fi rst pasteurized
tofu in the western world. In 1981 the company’s name was
shortened to the original name, Hinode Tofu Co. That year
tofu production was 81,000 pounds a week, rising to an
estimated 140,000 lb/week in 1982–27% more than the next
largest tofu manufacturer in the western world, Azumaya.
Mr. and Mrs. Yamauchi have three children, all adopted.
John Yamauchi, the second oldest, is very involved with the
tofu business. Rodney does sprouts. Address: 526 S. Stanford
Ave., Los Angeles, California.
905. Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko. 1982. Soyfoods
industry: directory and databook. 2nd ed. Lafayette,
California: Soyfoods Center. 56 p. June. 28 cm. [24 ref]
• Summary: A detailed study of the rapidly emerging
soyfoods industry and market. Contains original statistics
compiled by the Soyfoods Center through interviews with
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 292
companies. Contents: 1. Terminology: The many types of
soyfoods. I. Traditional low-technology soyfoods. 1A–
Nonfermented soyfoods: Fresh green soybeans, whole dry
soybeans, soynuts and soynut butter, soy sprouts, whole
soy fl our & grits, roasted soy fl our [kinako] & soy coffee,
soymilk and dairylike soymilk products, tofu (eight types),
okara or soy pulp, yuba.
1B–Fermented soyfoods: Tempeh, miso, soy sauce,
shoyu & tamari, natto & thua-nao, fermented tofu &
soymilk, soy nuggets (Hamanatto & tou-ch’ih).
II. Modern soy protein foods: Defatted soy fl our, grits
& fl akes, soy protein concentrates, textured soy protein
products, soy protein isolates.
III. Soy oil products: Soy salad oil & cooking oil, soy oil
margarine & shortening, soy lecithin.
2. Soyfoods industry directory: Names and addresses of
over 850 soyfoods manufacturers in the Western world, plus
major soymilk, miso, shoyu, and yuba manufacturers in East
Asia. 3. Analysis of the soyfoods industry in the U.S.
4. Trends in U.S. and world soybean production: Graph
of world soybean production (1922-1979) including graphs
for the world total, USA, Asia total, and Latin America.
Graph of U.S. soybean production, yields, and exports
(1924-1979).
5. Analysis of the tofu industry in the West: The U.S.
tofu market: overview and outlook. Graph of the number of
tofu (and tempeh) manufacturers in the West from 1975 to
1982. Four-year analysis of the tofu industry in the West.
Listing of North America’s largest tofu manufacturers and
their weekly tofu output. Japan’s largest tofu manufacturers
and their daily output. Favorite tofu, soymilk, and tempeh
recipes as served at U.S. soyfoods, delis, cafes and
restaurants, or marketed as ready-to-serve products. Books
on tofu published in America.
6. Analysis of the tempeh industry in the West: Graph of
number of tempeh manufacturers. Recipes. Listing of North
America’s largest tempeh manufacturers and their weekly
output.
7. Analysis of the worldwide soymilk industry: Analysis
of the soymilk industry in the United States. Analysis of
the soymilk industry in Japan. Major Japanese soymilk
companies and their products.
8. Analysis of the soy sauce / shoyu and miso industries
worldwide. Statistics on fermented soyfoods in East Asia.
The shoyu / soy sauce market in Japan (1886-1980). The
miso market in Japan (1930-1980). Overview of the miso
market in the United States. Miso exports from Japan (1981).
Japan’s ten largest miso manufacturers and their output.
9. Other: Analysis of the soynuts industry in the U.S.
North America’s larger soyfoods delis, cafes & restaurants.
The soybean crushing industry; overview.
10. Soyfoods terminology and standards (Glossary of
soyfoods terms): I. Traditional nonfermented soyfoods: Fresh
green soybeans, okara, roasted soy fl our (soy coffee, soy