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

Statistical Yearbook, Statistical Offi ce of the United Nations,
New York, NY.
Another table shows annual soybean consumption in
million metric tons in 1974, 1984, and 1994, as follows,
in descending order of amount consumed in 1994: China:
5.237, 6.193, 5.350. Indonesia: 0.546, 1.072, 2.105. Japan:
0.716, 0.830, 0.950. South Korea: 0.328, 0.358, 0.410. North
Korea: 0.083, 0.109, 0.117. Thailand: 0.023, 0.092, 0.105.
Malaysia: 0.015, 0.036, 0.090. Philippines: 0.007, 0.013,
0.025. Source: USDA.
A fi nal table shows the amount of soybeans used (in
thousand metric tons) in Japan, by product and total, each
year from 1978 to 1993, as follows: Use of soybeans for tofu
rose from 486 in 1978 to a peak of 531 in 1984, falling to
492 in 1993. Use for natto rose from 71 in 1978 to a peak of
109 in 1993. Use for miso rose from 182 in 1978 to a peak
of 185 in 1980, falling to 173 in 1993. The total rose from
750 in 1978 to a peak of 927 in 1992, falling to 920 in 1993.
Address: Iowa State Univ. Phone: 515-294-0160.
1500. Furuhata, Hideki. 1995. Japanese soyfoods markets.
Paper presented at a conference titled “Producing Soybeans
for the Soyfoods Market.” 9 p. Held 2 March 1995 at Ames,
Iowa.
• Summary: This paper consists of nine very interesting
statistical tables, one on each page. Table 1 shows the
supply and demand for soybeans in Japan from 1984 to
1992 (in tonne = metric tons). The supply of Japanesegrown
soybeans decreased from 126,000 tonnes in 1984
to a low of 73,000 tonnes in 1992, and imports increased
from 4,401,000 tonnes in 1984 to 4,725,000 tonnes in 1992.
The demand for soybeans from crushers has stayed about
steady, ranging from a low of 3,428,000 tonnes in 1991 to
a high of 3,928,000 tonnes in 1985. Demand for food uses
has increased from 786,000 tonnes in 1984 to a high of
927,000 tonnes in 1992 (up 18%). Demand for use as feed
has increased from 55,000 tonnes in 1984 to 95,000 tonnes
in 1992.
Table 2 shows soybean utilization in Japan by type of
food product from 1987 to 1994: Use of soybeans for tofu
and aburage stayed about steady at 498,000 tonnes, by far
the largest food use. Use for miso decreased slightly from
180,000 tonnes in 1987 to 170,000 tonnes in 1994. Use for
natto grew strongly from 97,000 tons in 1987 to 110,000
tonnes in 1994. Use for kori-tofu (dried-frozen tofu) grew
slightly from 29,000 tonnes in 1987 to 30,000 tonnes in
1994. Use for soy sauce grew strongly from 5,350 tonnes in
1987 to a record 25,300 tonnes in 1992, dropping slightly to
23,000 tonnes in 1994. Use for soymilk decreased slightly
from 4,000 tonnes in 1987 to 3,100 tonnes in 9994. Total
use of soybeans for food in Japan grew slowly from 875,350
tonnes in 1987 to 930,000 tonnes in 1994 (up 6%).
Table 3 shows Japanese population and per capita
consumption of soyfoods from 1982 to 1992. Population
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 463
grew from 103,720,000 to 124,452,000 during this period,
while per capita consumption grew from 6.8 to 7.4 kg/capita
(up 8.8%).
Table 4 shows per family expenditures and consumption
per year on tofu, natto, miso, and soy sauce from 1982 to
1992. For example, expenditures on tofu increased from
2,535 yen in 1982 to 7,992 yen in 1992, while consumption
fell from 87.98 cakes to 79.26 cakes. Thus in 1992 the
average Japanese family consumed 1 cake of tofu every 4.6
days.
Table 6 shows imports of soybeans for food from
the USA, Canada, and China from 1982 to 1992. Imports
from the USA are subdivided into IOM, Beeson, and other
identifi ed varieties. In 1992 about 88.7% of food-grade
soybeans imported to Japan from the USA were IOM.
Moreover, of all these soybeans imported for food use in
1992, about 76.6% came from the USA, 21.5% from China,
and 1.85% from Canada.
Table 6 shows the amount spent per capita by people of
different 5-year age-groups on four soyfood products. The
average person in the age 60-64 year group spent ¥2,976 on
tofu, ¥1,539 on miso, ¥1,490 on soy sauce, and ¥1,098 on
natto. The average person in the age 30-34 year group spent
¥1,581 on tofu, ¥603 on miso, ¥508 on soy sauce, and ¥708
on natto.
Table 7 shows the source of soybean used to make
four soyfood products in 1984, 1990, and 1992. In 1992, of
the 498,000 tonnes of soybeans used in tofu and aburage
in Japan, 74.8% of the soybeans were IOM from the USA,
6.0% were Beeson (USA), 8.0% were other U.S. varieties,
3.0% were from China, and 8.0% were grown in Japan. Of
the 30,000 tonnes use to make dried-frozen tofu, 86.7% were
IOM and the rest were from China. Of the 108,000 tonnes
used to make natto, 55.5% were from the USA and Canada,
39.8% were from China, and 4.6% were grown in Japan. Of
the 176,000 tonnes of soybeans used to make miso, 88.0%
were from China, 5.7% were white-hilum beans from the
USA, and 6.25% were grown in Japan.
Table 8 shows that production of soybeans in Japan from
1982 to 1994 has decreased sharply. In 1982 some 262,300
tonnes were produced on 147,000 ha with a yield of 1,782
kg/ha. In 1994 some 98,800 tonnes were produced on 26,500
ha with a yield of 1,620 kg/ha.
Table 9 is two charts showing the distribution system for
(1) Imported soybeans from suppliers to end users, and (2)
Domestic soybeans from farmer to end users. Farmers sell
to the Zenno Nokyo or a collector. Address: Mitsui & Co.
Phone: 515-294-0160.
1501. Iowa State University. 1995. Producing soybeans for
the soyfood market: Conference schedule and registration
(Leafl et). Ames, Iowa. 6 panels.
• Summary: On Thursday, 2 March 1995, Iowa State
University held a 1-day conference titled “Producing