The Jar, the Cedar Tub, My Son, and the Miso
Our homemade miso, lovingly prepared in both a cedar tub and a ceramic jar, was opened this February after a winter of quiet fermentation. Though made from the same ingredients, the two vessels revealed subtle differences in flavor.
The jar—an old one that’s been in my mother’s family since her childhood—has a mysterious sparkle to it, despite its age. I couldn’t resist bringing it home. I’ve always had a soft spot for these timeworn tools, steeped in quiet history.
The cedar tub was a new addition last year, purchased from Kuzusawa Lumber in Akita, specifically for miso-making.
When we opened both, I tasted them side by side. Just a quick lick was enough to tell: the miso from the jar had a deeper, rounder flavor. It didn’t require thought—just one taste and I found myself saying, “Ah, delicious!”
Cedar tubs are living tools. They grow with time, and the miso they hold is expected to become more flavorful with each passing year.
Since the opening, my eldest son has taken to tasting a little miso with his rice. Apparently, he finds it delicious. He’s planning to live on his own next spring, and I’d love to send him off with a jar of miso—but at this rate, it might be gone before then. I believe that tasting traditional Japanese flavors daily nourishes not just the body, but the heart. His new life will surely be busy, so I want to pack a small vessel of “emotional nourishment” for him.
Here are the two miso batches:
The color difference is partly due to lighting during photography, but also because the cedar tub’s miso continued to mature while we were enjoying the jar’s batch.
Once opened, I transferred the miso into airtight containers, wrapped them tightly, and stored them in the fridge.
As for the cedar tub, I washed it with water and left it to dry in a well-ventilated spot. Even after a week, tiny beads of miso-like liquid kept appearing, which I gently wiped away with kitchen paper. It took quite a few days to fully dry, but once it did, the scent was wonderful—a blend of cedar and a faint whisper of miso.
At the end of last month, I made 4 kg of miso at Ishimago Honten, so we should be fine for the rest of the year. But I’m already thinking about next year’s batch.
It’s one of my quiet joys—choosing the beans, the koji, the salt, and deciding on the proportions. I think the cedar tub and the smaller jar will be just right.
What kind of flavor will next year bring?
For a peek into last year’s process:
https://ochanokosai-sai.com/miso-cedar-jar-tale-part1/
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