A Yu Nakajima Film

KATSUO-BUSHI
Running Time: 25 Minutes
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/shortdockatsuobushi
Contact Information
Director Yu Nakajima
Producer Mika Nishide
yunakajima.islay@gmail.com nishide@beethoven.co.jp

KATSUO-BUSHI - Long Film Synopsis
Traditional Japanese cuisine “Washoku" was officially recognized as a UNESCO
Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.
However, the circumstances surrounding modern Japanese cuisine are undergoingdrastic changes today.
These ripples of changes are affecting the people who make and use “Katsuo-Bushi”
Bonito flakes, the foundation of Japanese cuisine, and with this the taste of JapaneseCuisine is inevitably changing.
Amidst the turning tides of the food culture, there are so many people investing theirtime and craft into bringing Katsuo-Bushi to the consumer’s tables. From the craftsmen
who continue to take the traditional route of Katsuo-Bushi making, the Katsuo-Bushi
graders who sort through the products everyday feeling the shift in its qualities, thefishermen who lament what little they can leave behind for the next generation, thechefs who create Michelin 2 star dishes bringing the Katsuo-Bushi directly to theconsumers.
Through the world’s tiniest Katsuo-Bushi manufacturer’s craftsmanship, and his efforts
to conserve tradition whilst adapting to the changing surroundings, we explore thequestion of what is sustainable food culture.

Katsuo-Bushi (Dried Bonito) in Japan
Katsuo-Bushi is known in the world as the world’s stiffest food(Guinness Certified) and it acts as
the most basic foundation of Japanese Cuisine, a defining factor of the fragrance and flavor
It has many usages other than making Dashi, the stock, and can been seen in many different
dishes as the garnish or topping.
With the steady increase of Japanese restaurants worldwide, the consumption rate of KatusoBushi is growing. However, the consumption rate in Japan along with the production of thehighest grade Katuso-Bushi that goes through the “Honkare-Bushi” molding process, aredecreasing every year.
One of the main causes of the decline in Honkare-Bushi Katsuo-Bushi is the growth in thenumber of Bonito flake processed products. Bonito for processed food is cheap and requiresvery little human labor, appearance of the product is not an issue and it is suitable formechanical mass production.
Meanwhile the Honkare-Bushi Katsuo-Bushi undergo a series of highly complicated processes

that are hard to recreate mechanically and it takes human hands and labor which calls forhigher pricing. However, the rich flavors of Honkare-Bushi is an essential factor in creating thedelicate and complex tastes of Japanese cuisine.
There used to be many Katsuo-Bushi manufacturers all over Japan but now the industry has
shrunk to mainly three areas. This change is deeply connected to the evolution in Bonito fishingitself. Traditionally Bonito fishermen used inshore net fishing and pole fishing which over time
shifted to large scale Roundhaul Fishery. With this came the change in the location and qualityof Bonito and the need for manufacturers’ to adapt accordingly.

Director’s Statement
The manufacturers in Tago do most of the work by hand with almost no help of machinery at all.
The most special process, characteristic to this manufacturer is the smoke drying section where
they dry out the bonito with the heat and smoke of burning firewood.
The firewood pieces are put in place carefully and once they are lit they must be attended at all
times to adjust the heat, the placement of the trays affect the degree of how well the bonitos are
dried so it has to be switched out once in a while all by hand. The firewood used in this process
are all from local forests and purchased from local lumberjacks.
After that comes the molding in the wooden barrels, which takes place in the basement, where
the temperature is stove controlled.
Then comes the sun drying where they line up the bonitos on a rack.
Tago Katsuo-Bushi made with this traditional technique has a distinct flavor and aroma,comparable to the significance Islay malt has among Whiskeys with it’s unique flavor of peat.
This is something that only these Tago craftsmen are able to achieve.
Ninben Co., Ltd, the main sponsor of our film is a long established Katsuo-Bushi speciality store
with a history of over 315 years.
They have strong ties to the manufacturers and they play an important role in the preservationof the traditional techniques.
As the Katsuo-Bushi shavers that were essential to every Japanese family dinner table havedisappeared over the years, with the emergence of convenient powder Dashi and shaved
Katsuo-Bushi which now has become mainstream, Ninben has always had one wish that wewant our customers to know what real Katsuo-Bushi looks and tastes like, and enjoy the true
essence of Washoku. With this in our hearts, we thoroughly support the message of this film
and thus have joined hands with this documentary short film “KASTUO-BUSHI”.
When I visited this tiny Katsuo-Bushi shop in the middle of a small town in the mountains ofNishi-Izu town in Shizuoka, even though it was the first time I had ever seen this place, I
somehow felt nostalgic.
Seeing the family who worked their, and how their traditional manufacturing was deeply in sync
with not only the fishing industry but the local lumberjacks as well, I felt that this might be a key
factor in exploring what "sustainable food culture" is.
One thing that surprised me when they showed me the whole Katsuo-Bushi making process isthat these craftsmen do not throw away any part of the Bonito, the intestines, bones and heads
all become fertilizers and feed without exception.
In Makurazaki in Kagoshima prefecture we found a Bonito mound that worshipped Bonitos. We
humans take the lives of other creatures and we pay our respects to those lives, which mademe aware of how animalistic our culture is.

I feel that our awareness towards food has been changing drastically these days. In thehumongous food industry that is produced and consumed, sustainable food culture holds animportant key to what we can leave behind for the future generation.
The Katsuo-Bushi craftsmen prefer the more sustainable methods of pole fishing, they utilize
every bit of the Bonitos and perfect a product in a 6 month span. It is not the most economicalway, but I found this to be one valid form of sustainable food culture production that must not beoverlooked.
Director Yu Nakajima

FILM MAKERS
Director YU NAKAJIMA
Producer MIKA NISHIDE
Editor YUI AOKICinematographer YU NAKAJIMA and KOICHI TAKAGI
Composer ONE hundred MONT BLANC

CREW BIOGRAPHIESYU NAKAJIMA, Director / Cinematographer
Nakajima started film production in Tokyo. He was involved in TV and independent film projects,
both in front of and behind the camera.
He moved to New York in 2010, working in production at Fine Line Media Inc, a documentary
production company. He was part of the production HERB & DOROTHY 50X50(Dir: MegumiSasaki). The film made headlines as the most successful crowdsourcing film project ever inJapan, and kicked off a countrywide theatrical release in Spring 2013.
In 2013, his film “Remind” was screened at the historical Anthology Film Archives NY as anofficial selection of NewFilmmakers.
(The Anthology Film Archives, one of the leading theaters in New York City and the only theater
truly dedicated to independent, underground and experimental film)
Other works include cover different medias including many short and feature films, music
videos, commercials, he was also a director for a documentary TV show shot for TV-Asahi in
2014. He has relocated to Berlin in 2015 and is now in pre-production for his new documentary.
MIKA NISHIDE, Producer
Beethoven Inc President, Producer.
As a representative of a PR production company, Mika has extensive knowledge andexperience in managing PR and promotion campaigns for various corporations.
She also runs a nation wide traveling school “School for Grown Ups” where her motto is“supporting busy adults!”. She also gives lectures at school and universities for students
aspiring to work in the events management industry.
<Theatre>
The following two plays were produced by Mika Nishide“Kunitomi Three Sisters” Written/Direction by Yu Shibuya
black box #1 “Visual Poetry” Written/Direction by Yu Shibuya
The following three plays were produced by Beethoven inc.
Monologue Theatre ”Hole", “Kunitomi Three Sisters" and black box #1"Visual Poetry"

Yui Aoki, Editor
2010 TV-Asahi Editor at Sports Editing Room
From 2010 he worked as an editor on many sports related shows such as “Yabecchi FC”“Houdou Station” “GET SPORTS”. 2014
He branched out as a freelance editor. He has expanded his expertise from his sports
background and works on commercials, corporate PR, music videos and short films.
He made his feature film debut on “Mou Shimasen” starring Lepro Entertainment’s Yuta Nakano,which was screened at the Yubari Fantastic International Film Festival.
He has collaborated with many corporations including TV-Asahi, Hakuhodo, Kodansha, HP .
Koichi Takagi, Cinematographer
From Osaka, Japan.
Takagi started filmmaking in high school with friends.
After graduation he moved to Tokyo and studied photography. After some freelancing he started
working for Iino Mediapro Studio, Japan’s largest fashion and advertisement studio.
Upon leaving his studio job in 2010, he won the Canon New Cosmos of Photography prize anddebuted as a photographer. His works were exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum ofPhotography.
In 2011 he moved to Berlin for a year for various production activities.
He came back to Japan in 2012, and is now a Tokyo based photographer and has also started
film making. He is expanding his medium from magazines, documentaries, films, advertisement,music, fashion, art to drone filming. His first solo exhibition is coming soon in Tokyo 2015.
ONE hundred MONT BLANC, Composer
A world class music unit consisting of twin brothers DAI-STAR and GEN.
With their musicality that refuses to fit into a specific criteria, the duo has garnered attention in
and outside of Japan and in 2010 became the first Japanese artists to be awarded the COOL
FOREIGNERS AWARD in the “IN THE CITY” festival in Manchester, UK. They also received
praise from Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.
The following year they appeared on “Liverpool SOUNDCITY”. The reckless duo who recorded
their “soon to be released”album claim to have found the roots of their creation in the music they
were listening to whilst skateboarding through empty countryside roads.
2010 “IN THE CITY(UK)”First Japanese Recipients of COOL FOREIGNERS AWARD
2012 TOYOTA Concept Car “Camatte" Theme Music Songwriting credits
2013 TOYOTA Concept Car "Camatte 2" Theme Music Songwriting credits
2013 docomo Phone Application”4D” Theme Music Songwriting credits
2013 Limited Release Single�EXS24�The world’s first collaboration with the originalillustrations of Keith Haring in their music video. Nakamura Keith Haring Museum Officiallyapproved.