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Description
Shibanuma, Ohitachi Raw Soy Sauce, 500mlRaw, Unpasteurised Soy Sauce from a 1688 Brewery This is soy sauce as a finishing ingredient, not a workhorse. Shibanuma's Ohitachi Nama Shoyu is a nama, raw and unpasteurised, which keeps the fresh, aromatic top notes that heat drives off, giving a brighter, more fragrant, more nuanced soy than a standard bottle. Brewed in Ibaraki by Shibanuma, founded in 1688 and now in its eighteenth generation, and matured in centuries old wooden barrels, it has a
Raw, Unpasteurised Soy Sauce from a 1688 Brewery
This is soy sauce as a finishing ingredient, not a workhorse. Shibanuma's Ohitachi Nama Shoyu is a nama, raw and unpasteurised, which keeps the fresh, aromatic top notes that heat drives off, giving a brighter, more fragrant, more nuanced soy than a standard bottle. Brewed in Ibaraki by Shibanuma, founded in 1688 and now in its eighteenth generation, and matured in centuries-old wooden barrels, it has a golden depth and a refined umami made for sashimi, sushi and the table. It is on order at Gareth Ward's two-Michelin-star Ynyshir.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Raw and unpasteurised: a nama shoyu, keeping the fresh, fragrant aromatics that pasteurising removes
- Barrel-aged depth: matured in centuries-old wooden barrels for a golden, nuanced umami
- Real heritage: from Shibanuma, founded in 1688 and brewing in Ibaraki across eighteen generations
- Trusted at the top: on order at 2-star Ynyshir
How to Use
- As a dipping soy: for sashimi, sushi and gyoza, where its fragrance shows
- To finish: a few drops over a finished dish or rice bowl rather than cooked in
- In dressings: mixed with mirin over edamame, salads or chilled vegetables
- In delicate marinades: where you want soy depth without heaviness
生醤油 — Nama shoyu, raw soy sauce
Most soy sauce is pasteurised, heated at the end of brewing to stabilise it, which also dulls some of its fresh aroma. A nama shoyu (生醤油) skips or minimises that heat, so it keeps the bright, fragrant, lively character of freshly pressed soy, more aromatic and more nuanced, if more delicate. "Ohitachi" (お常陸) refers to the old province of Hitachi, the historic name for the Ibaraki region where Shibanuma has brewed since 1688. The brewery still matures its soy in old wooden barrels, whose resident microflora add depth that a steel tank cannot. This is soy sauce treated as a fine ingredient in its own right.
Learn more: The SushiSushi Soy Sauce Guide
What is the difference between raw and regular soy sauce?
Pasteurisation. Standard soy sauce is heated at the end of brewing, which stabilises it and gives a familiar, slightly cooked depth. A raw (nama) soy sauce is bottled without that heat treatment, so it keeps the fresher, brighter, more fragrant aromatics of the soy as it comes from the press. The result is more delicate and aromatic, better as a finishing and dipping soy than as a cooking workhorse, and best kept cool and used while fresh. For sashimi and sushi, where the soy is tasted raw, that extra fragrance is exactly what you want.
Product Details
| Type | 生醤油 — Nama shoyu (raw, unpasteurised soy sauce) |
| Brand | Shibanuma (founded 1688), Ibaraki |
| Ageing | Matured in wooden barrels |
| Best For | Dipping and finishing, sashimi and sushi |
| As Used At | Ynyshir (2★) |
| Volume | 500ml |
| Origin | Ibaraki, Japan |
What does "Ohitachi" mean?
Ohitachi (お常陸) refers to Hitachi, the old provincial name for the region that is now Ibaraki Prefecture, where Shibanuma has brewed soy sauce since 1688. It is a mark of origin rather than an ingredient, signalling a soy sauce rooted in a specific place and a long local brewing tradition.
How should I use a raw soy sauce like this?
Use it where its fragrance can be appreciated raw: as a dipping soy for sashimi, sushi and gyoza, as a finishing drizzle over a completed dish or rice bowl, and in light dressings and delicate marinades. It is wasted boiled hard into a long-cooked sauce, where its fresh top notes are lost; for that, an everyday cooking soy is the better choice. Keep this one for the moments where the soy itself is on show.
How should I store it?
Because it is raw and unpasteurised, keep it cool and refrigerate after opening, and use it while fresh to enjoy its aromatics at their best. Keep it out of direct sunlight and heat, which dull soy sauce over time. Treated this way it stays bright and fragrant; left warm and open it will gradually lose the very freshness that sets a nama shoyu apart.
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