The Gifts of Technology and Time
Very few people know the time and effort required in the production of a single dried bonito. Without fail, those who witness the process first hand express a sense of wonder.
Even now, we at Matoba Fisheries continue to protect painstaking production methods that date back some 300 years. Bonito that have been quick frozen out at sea are thawed and sectioned by hand. They are then boiled, boned and shaped by applying a bonito paste to any cut or crevice. Next, they are slowly smoked for two weeks. The driest of our products, called honkareboshi, mature under a layer of mold and require anywhere from three to six months to produce. As no step in the process is particularly well-suited to automation, this work is performed by hand and relies heavily on the expertise and experience of skilled artisans. One tense moment follows another, and a momentary distraction can adversely affect the outcome.
When a honkareboshi product is cut in half, the inner surface gives off a beautiful shine like that of a precious stone. It would not be an exaggeration to say that dried bonito is a treasure from the sea that, through hard work, has been transformed into a jewel. This would not be possible without artisans who have learned traditional methods handed down across time.
Here at Matoba Fisheries, while contributing to Japanese food culture with the production of honkareboshi and other dried bonito products, we have also procured advanced facilities for the slicing, grating and packaging of dried bonito. Thus, while making use of and transmitting traditional technology we are also applying advanced technology to the development of a large number of new food products as we strive to be an active, all-around food producer.