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

Junsei Yamazaki came to the USA in 1963. Ohsawa
told him to help Americans grow brown rice. First he tried
in New York, but there was not enough sun. He originally
graduated with a degree in fermentation from a major
Japanese university, but he then became a rice farmer. Then
in New York City he went to work with Michio at Musubi
near Takashimaya–for little pay. The Chico group invited
him to Chico. He worked on the rice cake machine–again
poor pay. Like Herman he also worked with orchids.
In 1971 Herman invited Noboru Muramoto to be on his
lecture trip. His fi rst guest was Alcan Yamaguchi in 1970.
Herman read Muramoto’s articles in a Japanese magazine.
He had family problems in Japan and was happy to stay
here. Herman was his guarantor, and he became a permanent
resident.
Chico-San began baking in March 1962 in an upstairs
store; Herman was the fi rst baker.
Herman talked with Michio Kushi this summer. They
have a friendly relationship but both are very busy.
Junsei Yamazaki’s plans with Chico-San are not clear;
he may end up working on his own.
A good Japanese-language biography of George Ohsawa
is Kakumei-ji, by Matsumoto Ichiro. He interviewed Lima
Ohsawa.
Herman likes the term “a macrobiotic” better than “a
macro” or “a macrobiotic student / follower.”
Cornellia arrived in the U.S. in 1955.
The Ohsawa Foundation did not move from Chico to
Los Angeles; it never existed in Chico–only in Los Angeles.
Overview of macrobiotic contribution. Typical
Americans overemphasize the importance of protein (even
though nutritionists may not agree). Most people who
stop eating meat start consuming more dairy products.
Macrobiotics avoid dairy products and go straight to grains
plus legumes–with little mention of protein.
Mari Metz has a good color photo of Herman and
Cornellia together.
Erewhon was hurt by high interest rates and infl ation.
In 1960 the handbound book Zen Macrobiotics was
made in Herman’s apartment in New York City. In it Ohsawa
used the word “syoyu” [shoyu]. He changed to tamari
because when he introduced soy sauce to Europe he initially
called it “shoyu.” He then gave exclusive distribution rights
to a European to distribute Ohsawa’s selected shoyu. The
man called it “Ohsawa Shoyu,” but then in about 1960-61 he
started importing low-quality shoyu from Japan and selling
it under the same brand name. Ohsawa could do nothing to
stop him. That was when Ohsawa started using the word
“tamari” to refer to natural shoyu. Herman heard this story
directly from George Ohsawa–whose name in Japanese is
pronounced OH-sawa.
Herman says a healthy person may eat 12-16 ounces of
tofu a week, but it is not recommended for cancer patients
who need a diet that is more yang.
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 299
Herman came from Kyushu, moved to Tokyo at age 9.
He likes natto. Address: Oroville, California.
917. Kushi, Michio. 1982. Cancer and heart disease: The
macrobiotic approach to degenerative disorders. Tokyo:
Japan Publications, Inc. 224 p. Nov. Illust. Index. 26 cm.
[50* ref]
• Summary: Contents: Foreword, by Michio Kushi.
Foreword by Edward Esko. 1. The macrobiotic approach, by
Michio Kushi. 2. Cancer and diet. 3. Diet and heart disease.
4. Macrobiotics, preventive medicine, and society. 5. Case
histories. Appendixes: Food policy recommendations for the
United States, by Michio Kushi. East West Foundation–Diet
and health related activities, 1972-1982. Bibliography.
Many of the subchapters in this book are written
by physicians. For example, William P. Castelli, M.D.,
contributed a 5-page original article titled “Lessons of the
Framingham Heart Study.” There are also articles by Robert
S. Mendelsohn, M.D., Keith Block, M.D., and Christiane
Northrup, M.D. Miso, tempeh, natto, tofu, and soy sauce
are all discussed as foods that can be used to help in the
prevention and cure of these two major diseases. Address:
Brookline, Massachusetts.
918. Manna Bulletin (Amsterdam, Netherlands).1982.
Fermentatieprodukten essentiële aanvulling op plantaardige
dieet [Fermented products, an essential supplement to a
vegetarian diet]. 4(3):9-11. Autumn. [Dut]
• Summary: Mentions tamari soy sauce (Tamari-sojasaus,
fermented for 2 years), miso (Miso-sojapasta, fermented for
2 years), tempeh, and natto.
919. Hara, Toshio; Aumayr, Andrea; Fujio, Y.; Ueda, S. 1982.
Elimination of plasmid-linked polyglutamate production by
Bacillus subtilis (natto) with acridine orange. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 44(6):1465-58. Dec. [21 ref]
• Summary: Natto is a traditional Japanese fermented
food produced from soybeans by Bacillus subtilis (natto).
It consists of a polysaccharide (levan-form fructan) and
a polyglutamate (PGA). The composition of its viscous
material is mainly gamma-PGA, containing D- and L-
glutamate in varying proportions.
Three known strains of Bacillus subtilis (natto) are
Asahikawa, F, and M. Address: Dep. of Food Science and
Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University,
Hakozaki, Fukuoka 812, Japan.
920. Kim, Kil Hwan. 1982. Kohng, dubu wa kohng nah mul
eh kwah hak [The science of soybeans, tofu and soy sprouts].
Seoul, South Korea: Korean Science Foundation. 211 p. Dec.
Illust. Index. 21 cm. [200+ ref. Kor]
• Summary: Contents: I. Soybeans. Introduction. World
soybean production: Areas of production, quantities
produced, amount produced in Korea, amount imported