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the hope of increasing sales, Ichitarō attempted to process the tomatoes
into tomato purée. He was aided in this endeavour by cooks from Westernstyle
restaurants in Nagoya, to whom he supplied his vegetables. In 1903
the first batch of tomato purée packed in empty beer bottles sold like hot
cakes. In view of this success, mulberry fields were abandoned altogether,
and growing and processing tomatoes was turned into the main activity of
the Kanie family. 11
The following year the Russo-Japanese War (1904–5) broke out and
Ichitarō, being a reservist of the Nagoya regiment, was drafted again. This
bloody war, in which Japan suffered nearly a 100,000 casualties, proved
lucky for Kanie. He not only managed to escape injury but was awarded
with 180 yen for his brave conduct on the battlefield. The money was
invested in the construction of a tomato-processing factory and the enterprise
began to thrive. In 1908 Kanie started to develop two products that
would become emblematic for his business – tomato ketchup and the socalled
sōsu (deriving from the English word ‘sauce’), a domestic product
that replaced imported Worcestershire sauce used copiously on most items
on the yōshokuya menu. In 1912 the ketchup and sōsu constituted 91 per cent
of sales of all of the Kanies’ produce, including rice and barley that the
family still continued to grow. 12
A glimpse into Kanie Ichitarō’s life provides a perfect starting point
for the analysis of the role that the Japanese armed forces played in the
construction of Japanese national cuisine. The conscription experience
60
The Kanie family
manufacturing
tomato purée,
c. 1910