Company GuidanceE x pressing True Flavor

本物の味を正直に1

Expressing True Flavor
A creator strives daily to always

In the half century sincethat we must rigidly protect ourbe genuine, and to stay true.

establishing this company intraditional production methods

Both goals are connected by

1956, we have strived to express

and provide our customers

the words “thank you”. We learntrue flavor. We started out aswith products that are safe,

from the wisdom of the past,and the sweat of today, to aim

wholesalers of dried bonito, butreliable and satisfactory. Ifor the taste of tomorrow. Inin 1975, in an effort to meet ourstrongly believe that this is ourcustomers’ needs, we began

duty to our customers and weto make our own bonito packs

will keep this in our hearts as

and other dried bonito-related

we earnestly undertake theproducts under the brand nameproduction of fine products.

steadfastness we will carry on.

Futamaru. Literally “DoubleCircle,” Futamaru is intended

Shinya Matoba

as a playful reference to thePresident and Managing Director“Mato,” meaning “target,” in myfamily name.
We have also introduced a
new brand called Katsuo-ya,
a line of products particularly
suited for high-quality gifts. In
recent years, in the pursuit ofexpediency, true taste has been
largely neglected by the foodindustry. It is in times like these2

Contribute to foodculture while keeping
our foundation
rooted in passed
down traditions.

How many people truly know how muchcalled honkarebushi , mature under a layer

the inner surface gives off a beautiful shine

time and effort is required to produce aof mold and require anywhere from thre

like that of a precious stone. It would not besingle dried bonito? Even now, we at Matoba

e to six months to produce. As no step

an exaggeration to say that dried bonito isFisheries continue to protect painstaking

in the process is particularly well-suiteda treasure from the sea that, through hard

production methods that date back some

to automation, this work is performed bywork, has been transformed into a jewel.

300 years. Bonito that have been quick-hand and relies heavily on the expertise andThis would not be possible without artisansfrozen out at sea are thawed and sectioned

experience of skilled artisans. One tense

who have learned traditional methodsby hand. They are then boiled, boned andmoment follows another, and a momentaryhanded down across time. We at Matoba

shaped by applying a bonito paste to any

distraction can adversely affect theFisheries will continue to contribute to foodcut or crevice. Next, they are slowly smokedoutcome.

culture while keeping our foundation rooted

for two weeks. The driest of our products,

When a honkarebushi product is cut in half,in passed down traditions.

3

Cleaning The Fish

1

After cutting off thebonito’s head andgutting it, it is cut inhalf and the spine isremoved.

Filleting The Fish

2

Bone Removal

5

After cooling, the smallerbones are carefullyremoved by hand. Half ofthe skin is then removed
from the two back sections
and 1/3 from each of thetwo belly sections.

6

The fish is then cut
in half again. The twoback sections arereferred to as “male”
sections and twobelly sections are“female.”

The Making of
Honkarebushi

Placed In Baskets

3The sections are
lined up carefully intrays taking care not
to alter their shape.

4Mending

Before continuing on to the next partof the process, the bonito needs to bechecked for any damage or cracks. If
any damage is found, the bonito willneed to be mended.
A bonito paste is used to fill in cracks
Stewingand smooth out any irregularities.
These trays
This improves the ultimate shape ofof bonito are
the finished product and prevents
submerged forany mold from forming beneath the60-90 minutes insurface.
water that is 90After mending, the bonito will be
95 degrees Celsius,
sterilized with hot (90℃ )steam forjust below themore than 10 minutes.
boiling point.

4Fire Roasting

7

The bonito sections
are then smokedusing the woodfrom oak and otherhardwood trees.

Bare Honkarebushi

8

The Making of
Honkarebushi

Drying

10

Sections that havebeen dried 10-15 times
are called arabushi or“rough timbers.” Anytar or fat is carefully
scraped off thesurface.

The pieces are thendried before being
placed in humid
storage once again.
This cycle is repeated
3 - 4 times.

119

Completed Honkarebushi

After a minimum of 6 months of work,
the honkarebushi is ready to eat.

Molding

Stored in a very humid environmentfor 2-3 weeks, a layer of blue-green
mold forms. This mold is harmlessand results from a breakdown offats that renders the final productall the more tasty.

5A Production Line With Safety In MindIn December 2016, a new factory built to international

advanced facilities for the slicing, grating“clean zones”, was completed and certified. We believe

making use of and transmitting traditional

sanitary standards, equipped with both “dirty zones” andthat we must not only protect our tradition and flavor,
but also our customer’s safety and security.

Here at Matoba Fisheries, while contributing to Japanesefood culture with the production of honkarebushi andother dried bonito products, we have also procured

Finely-tuned to meet yourneeds - customizableshaving & grinding line

and packaging of dried bonito. Thus, while
technology we are also applying advanced
technology to the development of a large
number of new foodproducts as we strive to be an active, all-aroundfood producer.

Shaving Line

Grinding LineWe are able to shave as thinly as 0.01mm, or cut
as thick as 1.0mm.

On the grinding line we are able to grind as coarse
as 5mm or fine as 0.001mm.

We have both shaving and grinding lines in
our factory that can be customized as per
the client’s request.

Meiwacho 6 Makurazaki-city Kagoshima Japan 〒898-0036
TEL：0120-72-0437
FAX：0993-72-5188
info @futamaru.jp
URL：https://futamaru.jp/