Miso making and earthenware making, although different fields, both have one thing in common: they are diverse and made through the collaboration of human handiwork and the forces of nature.
In traditional miso making, ingredients such as steamed soybeans and wheat are rubbed together with koji and salt by hand. Indigenous bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria and yeast present in the hands play an important role in fermenting the miso well and giving it a unique flavor. Earthenware, on the other hand, is also kneaded and shaped by hand to complete its function as a cooking vessel, and decorated. After preparation and molding, the process is left to “natural forces” such as “fermentation and firing,” which take time to complete.
Miso and earthenware are made from locally available ingredients, and fermentation and firing techniques suited to the local climate are used to create unique miso and earthenware that reflect the culture of the region and its people.
The fascination and diversity of the miso culture is expressed in the window, imagining the creators of ancient earthenware in the act of plasticizing miso balls and the sensation of carving the first spoonful of miso on the surface of the finished product when it is used in cooking.

Art director: Yasuko Sato