Sophisticated systematization of workmanship

Ever since olden times, fermented foods and beverages, such as soy sauce, miso, sake, and shochu (Japanese liquors), have been an indispensable part of Japanese cuisine. The manufacture of these products requires koji, or Aspergillus oryzae, a mold used to ferment the raw materials of rice, wheat, or soybeans. The production of koji is apparently the most important process in the manufacture of fermented foods and beverages.

Traditionally, skilled workmen worked around the clock under severe conditions to manually produce koji. It was our flagship product, Rotary Type Automatic Koji Making Equipment that automated this process. The biggest challenge we faced in the development of the plant was how to reproduce the quality of koji that had been made by traditional craftsmanship. It would have been meaningless if the logic of koji production and the essence of taste were not reflected in the automated method of koji production. We spent many days with the workmen in the koji production room to feel and analyze koji making production, and formulate all the skills and sensibilities of these craftsmen including the knowledge of koji cultivation, plant design and control system. For example, we introduced fuzzy control into koji making process to program human sensibilities that cannot be expressed in exact figures.

In this way, we succeeded in fully automating koji production, which had previously relied upon the experience and instinct of the makers. This unique technology gained wide acclaim, and we now hold a share of about 65 percent of koji-producing equipment in Japan in terms of the number of machines and about 80 percent in term of capacity. To reduce the burden on the working staff and to help compensate for the decline in their numbers, and to preserve and develop the traditions of Japanese cuisine into the future, we will continue to offer a superior level of technology to meet our customers' expectations.