Onomichi Vinegar Culture and Japan’s Oldest Vinegar Distillery

Since 1582, vinegar has continuously been produced in Onomichi

Onomichizousu’s Executive Officer is Zenyo Tanakamaru, and the Factory Manager is Yoshito Maruo. “The company became publicly traded 100 years ago, and the current President is the 10th President of the company. I do not know the history before then”, says Mr. Maruo. “It is said that the vinegar production in Onomichi took place when the first head of the Hashimoto family brought over Korean laborers from Sakai, Osaka. Given this, vinegar cultivation actually began earlier in Sakai, but none of the companies that were producing at that time still remains. Therefore, other manufacturers say that we are probably the oldest of the existing companies in this industry.”

One may describe Onomichi’s origins of vinegar production as being due to its status as a strategically located midway port for maritime cargo ships that were following a shipping route to the north (a route from Osaka to Hokkaido that largely traversed the Sea of Japan) during the Edo Period. As the town was thriving from the port, it gathered high-quality ingredients from all over Japan. Superior-grade Akita rice was included among these ingredients, and it is said that rice vinegar using this rice was the origin of production in Onomichi.

“The environmental features necessary for vinegar production are present in Onomichi. This includes a warm climate, and pure water. Thanks to the Seto Inland Sea climate, Onomichi is comparatively warm throughout the year, and wells can be found that collect superior-quality water from aquifers. Even today, we continue to produce our vinegar using water from wells”, says Mr. Maruo.

“Onomichi vinegar was well-regarded. It appears to be the case that at the time, vinegar, with its complex manufacturing process, was actually more highly valued than even alcohol. High-quality rice was imported, processed into vinegar in Onomichi, and exported to areas throughout the country. This is what our industry has looked like, from its original establishment and even today. As proof of this, you can actually find jars and wooden casks that were used to transport vinegar along the shipping route north (photo). In Hokkaido, you can still find the jars from the Hashimoto family, who founded the company.”

Tending to acetic bacteria every day, without a single day off

While being guided through the vestiges that remain from the distillery’s founding, I also inquired about the vinegar production process.

“Modern-day vinegar production is mainly carried out utilizing machinery. With fermentation via machine, highly acidic vinegar can be mass produced. We do utilize this production method for some of our vinegars, but we mainly follow the ‘horizontal continuous fermentation’ method, which requires both time and labor.”

The photo depicts vinegar production taking place via the horizontal continuous fermentation method. The thin, spider web-like membrane that can be seen on the surface is acetic bacteria. The liquid that serves as the raw ingredient for the vinegar will slowly flow down through a channel, and the acetic bacteria will ferment at a natural pace. It takes a minimum of six months before the vinegar is ready. It takes around 20 times the labor that machine-enabled fermentation would, but allowing the vinegar this time to ferment leads to a unique and mellow flavor.

“Can you see the bacteria’s growing? That means that they are in a healthy state. If you don’t take good care of it every day, the bacteria’s condition will worsen. This means you remove the unhealthy acetic acid bacteria, adding in only those that look healthy. On the other hand, overly healthy bacteria can lead to overgrowth and lead to suffocation. Conditions change depending on the season and even individual days. I come here every day to observe.”

Vinegar: the base of Onomichi’s dietary culture

Various vinegars are made in Onomichi, including grape and peach vinegars, etc. ‘Sakazu’ sake vinegar and rice vinegar are also produced. Attempts are also being made at carrying out novel ideas, such as malt vinegars that only use 100% Japanese barley, as well as fig vinegars (photo) that is produced in collaboration with LOG, one of Onomichi’s accommodation establishments.

“Sake lees is ripened here”, says Mr. Maruo, referring to residual yeast leftover from sake production. “Hiroshima is home to many sake brewers, and the sake lees produced from these brewers are used to make sake lees.” Vinegar lies as the base of food culture through ties between these local businesses, for both past and present Onomichi. “Like the Kansai region, Onomichi has had a vinegar-based pickling tradition for many years. These pickles are usually what can be found at household tables, even more so than salt-based pickles. Also, our local cuisines often utilize vinegar.”

‘Hakozushi’ pressed box sushi, a vinegar-based dish

Among the traditional Onomichi dishes that use vinegar, there is “hakozushi”, a style of warm sushi. I interviewed Kunihiro Numata, the 6th generation head of Onomichi’s “Miyatoku”, where hakozushi has been produced for 187 years.

“Hakozushi is a warm style of sushi. Rice with vinegar and other ingredients are pressed into a wooden basket known as a ‘seiro,’ and then steamed. The ingredients include conger eel, shiitake mushrooms, shrimps, and eggs. Vinegar provides a sharp kick, but thanks to it being steamed, it actually ends up as a sweet flavor that spreads throughout the sushi. The end result has a mild and mellow taste.”

Hakozushi first appeared in 1832, the third year of the Tenpo Era. During this period in time, there were many establishments that operated without a traditional shop. Businesses would take orders from restaurants and traditional inns and would deliver the prepared food as last meal of the course. “Onomichi was thriving as a port city. There were many temples, and also many wealthy merchants supporting them. This area may be a small, but there are many businesses that have been operating for over a century now. In addition to vinegar production, the town’s historical industries also include the processing of smaller fish, seaside wholesalers handling marine products, and more. Hakozushi is likely to have become a familiar food for these wealthy merchants”, says Mr. Numata.

“Also, tradition of using vinegar to preserve and store ingredients has been present in Onomichi for generations. Back when people were without refrigeration, ingredients were stored via vinegar-based pickling. Onomichi had abundant fish catches, and vinegar-based food culture surely must have been intuitive for the area and its inhabitants. I think this background is what led to vinegar-based cuisine developing as a part of Onomichi culture.”

Onomichi is blessed in both quality water and climate. From these blessings, vinegar production using high-quality rice transported in from outside prefectures emerged. The merchants and people of Onomichi, who love fish, then further developed vinegar-based cuisine. Indeed, Onomichi’s vinegar is well distilled in the finely rich flavors developed by its history.