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

1975 – In Natto Kenkosho (The Natto Way to Good Health),
Teruo Ohta notes that natto is now packaged in polystyrene
paper (PSP). This is also the earliest known document to
mention yukiwari-natto, made in Japan by mixing itohiki
natto with rice koji and salt, then aging the mixture. Or to
mention hikiwari natto, made from cracked soybeans.
1976 – “Kenima, ” a misspelling of kinema, is fi rst
mentioned by Batra and Millner. “Kirima,” a misspelling of
kinema, was fi rst mentioned in 1978 by Hittle.
1977 March – An article titled “Isolation and
characterization of four plasmids from Bacillus subtilis,” by
Teruo Tanaka et al. in the Journal of Bacteriology is the fi rst
to mention plasmids in connection with Bacillus subtilis or
with natto. Natto quickly becomes a major player in genetic
research worldwide, and such research helps to unravel many
of the mysteries of natto’s basic properties. A plasmid is a
type of DNA which is separate from the chromosomal DNA
and which is capable of replicating independently of the
chromosomal DNA.
1978 Oct. – Charles Kendall, founder and owner of Kendall
Food Co. (Brookline Village, Massachusetts) and a devotee
of macrobiotics, is the earliest known Caucasian maker of
commercial natto in the United States. He continued to make
natto (as well as mochi and amazake) for more than 30 years.
1980 – Hawaijar, a close relative of natto from Manipur, in
northeast India, is fi rst mentioned by Bilasini Devi et al.
1982 April – Martin Halsey, founder and owner of Soy Joy
(Nyon, Switzerland), is the earliest known Caucasian maker
of commercial natto in Europe. He is an American by birth.
1982 – Kinema, a close relative of natto from eastern Nepal,
is fi rst mentioned by Park.
1983 May – An article by Toshio Hara et al. in the journal
Agricultural and Biological Chemistry is the fi rst to show the
remarkable circular illustration of a plasmid.
1985 – Akuni, a close relative of natto from Nagaland in
northeast India, and Pe-bout, a close relative of natto from
the Shan states of Burma, are both fi rst mentioned by Martin
– in the Wall Street Journal! He notes that ethnologist Shuji
Yoshida of Osaka’s national museum has developed a “natto
triangle” theory; he mentioned these foods in Japanese in
connection with that theory. Akuni is now generally spelled
“Aakhone.”
1987 Oct. – Nattokinase, a fi brinolytic enzyme in natto, is
fi rst mentioned by Sumi et al. Nattokinase was discovered
Copyright © 2012 by Soyinfo Center
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 7
in 1980 by Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi while working at the Chicago
University Medical School.
1994 – Kinema (originally from eastern Nepal) is reported to
be popular among the Lepchas who call it Satlyangser and
among the Bhutias who call it bari (Sarkar, Tamang, Cook
and Owens).
2001 April – An article by M. Kaneki et al. in the journal
Nutrition is the fi rst to point out that natto is one of the most
concentrated sources of vitamin K-1 (MK-7). Conclusion:
“... natto consumption may contribute to the relatively lower
fracture risk in Japanese women.”
2003 April – An article by Kasahara and Kato, published in
the prestigious journal Nature (London) confi rms that PQQ
(pyrroloquinoline quinone), a substance discovered in 1979,
can be classifi ed as a vitamin. More specifi cally, it is a new
B vitamin, joining niacin / nicotinic acid (vitamin B-3) and
ribofl avin (vitamin B-2) – fi rst new vitamin in 55 years. The
most concentrated known source of PQQ is natto.
2005 – Synonyms of kinema (originally from eastern
Nepal) in nearby local languages are reported to be
Kinemba (Limbu). Hokuma (Rai). Bari (Bhutia in Sikkim).
Satlyangser (Lepcha in Sikkim).
2008 – Sieng, a close relative of natto from Cambodia,
is fi rst reported by Tanaka. Interestingly, the name of the
soybean in Cambodia has long been sandek seng (Brenier
1910; Petelot 1952).
2009 – Peruyyan, a close relative of kinema from Arunachal
in northeast India, is fi rst reported by Tamang.
2010 – Dr. Jyoti Tamang of Sikkim proposes a new “Kinema
– Natto – Thua-nao triangle” (or KNT triangle) which is
more complete and more accurate than the “natto triangle”
proposed in 1972 by Dr. Sasuke Nakao.
The many names natto / kinema and their relatives:
aakhone
aakhuni
akhoni
akhuni
akuni
axone
bari
bekang or bekang-um
bekanthu
bhari
chuana