The Kyoto Food Expo was held at Kyoto Takashimaya SC for six days from Wednesday, May 2025th to Monday, May 5th, 14. This event brought together Kyoto's gourmet food, including gourmet food and sweets from restaurants and Japanese and Western confectionery shops throughout Kyoto Prefecture, and bread from popular bakeries. In a special space, there was a dashi tasting experience from three of Kyoto's most representative restaurants, which changed each day, making it a great opportunity to enjoy the skills of chefs who have inherited traditions and the rich food culture.

From the 14th (Wed) to the 16th (Fri), there were lectures by Kyoto chefs. They shared valuable stories about traditional techniques and the future of Japanese cuisine. Kyoto Tsushin will be reporting on these events in three parts.

Sonobe Shingo [21st Generation Owner of Yamabana Heihachi Chaya] – Kyoto Cuisine and the Culture of Dashi

The second session was held on Thursday, May 2th, and featured Sonobe Shingo, the 5st generation owner of Yamabana Heihachi Chaya. He explored the history of Kyoto cuisine and dashi, which has continued from the Jomon period to the present day, and the essential question of "What is Japanese cuisine?"

The origins of dashi go back to the Jomon period

The first topic is about dashi from a historical perspective. Its history is surprisingly old, dating back to the Jomon period.

The Jomon period was a time when cooking became possible with the widespread use of pottery. As people acquired cooking techniques, they discovered that the umami flavor of ingredients could be dissolved in the broth. This is thought to have led to the beginning of the "dashi culture."

The words "nigatsuo" (boiled hard fish) and "katsuoirori" (hard fish soup) appear in documents from the Nara period. Although the word "dashi" had not yet been invented, dishes were made that made use of the umami of these ingredients.

It was during this period that "Shinsen cuisine," which is considered to be one of the origins of Japanese cuisine, was born. Shinsen is food offered to the gods, and is given to the gods after the ritual is over.Naorai (meeting)The "co-eating of gods and humans" takes place.

"The willow chopsticks used at celebratory occasions are also made based on the idea of gods and humans eating together. One end is made thin at both ends for use by humans and the other for use by the gods," says Sonobe.

The appearance of the word "dashi"

During the Heian period, "daikyo ryori" and "yusoku ryori" developed around the nobility. In daikyo ryori, side dishes were arranged around a high serving of rice, and each person would add their own seasonings such as soy sauce, salt, and vinegar before eating.

"The custom of dipping sashimi in soy sauce before eating is a remnant of this custom. The word 'okazu' (side dish) also comes from daikyo ryori. Because many dishes were arranged around the rice, it was called okazu (side dish)."

Yusoku cuisine is elegant cuisine eaten during Shinto rituals and ceremonies at the Imperial Court. One of the most famous is the "shikibōkō." This is not for eating, but a ceremony in which fish is cut using a knife and chopsticks to express an auspicious shape. At the long-established restaurant "Mankiro," one of the schools of this cuisine, the Ikima-ryū style of knife and yusoku cuisine are carried on.

During the Kamakura period, ingredients such as kelp, dried shiitake mushrooms, kanpyo (dried gourd), and soybeans began to be used as soup stock in "shojin ryori" (vegetarian cuisine).

Then, in the latter half of the Muromachi period, when "honzen ryori" was established, the word "dashi" finally began to appear in literature.

Tea ceremony and kaiseki changed the practice of "eat hot food while it's hot"

The "Chakaiseki" of the Azuchi-Momoyama period marked a revolutionary turning point in the history of Japanese cuisine.

"Until then, there was no concept of 'eating hot food while it's hot.' Any food that the Shogun was to eat had to be tasted for poison, so it would often be cold by the time it was brought to him," says Sonobe.

Chakaiseki is a part of the "chaji" (tea ceremony) for enjoying tea, and eating food is not the main purpose. The main purpose is to drink "koicha" (thick tea). However, koicha is highly concentrated and has a strong stimulating effect, so drinking it on an empty stomach can upset the stomach. For this reason, chakaiseki was served as a way to satisfy one's hunger with a light meal beforehand.

"The idea was to eat hot food while it was still hot, so the main dish was a simmered bowl. In other words, dashi was the key to the dish."

In the Edo period, a combination of kelp and bonito flakes finally appeared. It was around this time that a cooking method that took advantage of the synergistic effect of combining two umami flavors to make food even more delicious began.

"In the world of Kyoto cuisine, dishes that combine ingredients that go well together and bring out the best in each other's flavors are called 'deaimon.' For example, 'nishin eggplant', 'tai turnip', and 'imobou' made with shrimp potato and dried cod. All of these are simmered dishes, so dashi is essential."

Today's Kyoto cuisine has been shaped by the intermingling and development of various elements over these changing times.

Kelp and dried bonito flakes

Next, he gave a detailed explanation about kelp and bonito flakes, the main ingredients in the dashi used in Kyoto cuisine.

There are many types of kelp, including true kelp, Hidaka kelp, long kelp, Rausu kelp, and Rishiri kelp. The taste and shape vary greatly depending on the place of origin, which is distributed in Hokkaido and parts of northern Tohoku. Rishiri kelp is often used in Kyoto, and Yamabana Heihachi Teahouse uses Rishiri kelp from Kabukahama on Rebun Island, Hokkaido.

What was interesting was that the kelp we normally eat and use to make soup stock is "second-year kelp." In kelp fishing, the first-year kelp withers and falls off, and the kelp that grows again from the remaining roots is harvested.

"In Kyoto, we often use 'arabushi' dried bonito flakes, which are dried before they are molded. Honkarebushi has a strong aroma and flavor, so aarabushi is more suitable for Kyoto, where the kelp stock comes out well. However, the choice of ingredients and the way of making the stock vary greatly from restaurant to restaurant. Even if the same ingredients are used, the taste will not be exactly the same. The flavor of the stock is the basis of the restaurant's taste."

Why is kelp stock the base of Kansai cuisine? There are two reasons for this. The first is the historical background of Kitamae-bune ships transporting kelp through the Sea of Japan. The kelp that arrived in Tsuruga was transported through Lake Biwa and brought to Kyoto and Osaka. The Pacific Ocean is rough, making it difficult for old ships to travel, so the northern route around the Sea of Japan was the mainstream.

Another difference is the water quality. Kyoto has soft water, while Tokyo has high calcium and magnesium levels due to the influence of the Kanto Loam Layer, and tends to be slightly hard water. "Hard water makes it difficult to produce kelp stock, so in the Kanto region, people add a lot of bonito flakes to make the stock. This gives off a fishy smell, so dark soy sauce is often used. On the other hand, Kyoto produces a strong kelp stock, so bonito flakes are only used for flavoring. Clear stock seasoned with salt and light soy sauce has become popular."

What is Japanese cuisine?

At the end of his lecture, Mr. Sonobe asked the question, "What is washoku?" He went on to explain the essence of washoku from five different perspectives.

1. It is a dish that uses dashi (umami).

2. Seasoned with Japan's unique fermented seasonings

3. Seasonal

4. Deep ties to Japanese culture and traditional crafts

5. The meal format is centered around rice

"Western and Chinese cuisine use fats and oils to bring out flavor and richness, but Japanese cuisine relies on the umami of dashi stock to make the food delicious. And then there are the uniquely Japanese fermented seasonings, such as vinegar, soy sauce, miso, sake, and mirin, which are fermented with koji mold. I think these are the most important parts."

One of the charms of Japanese cuisine is that you can taste the seasons through ingredients, such as the appearance of bamboo shoots, which makes you feel spring, and the appearance of matsutake mushrooms and chestnuts, which makes you feel autumn. Japanese cuisine is also closely related to annual events, such as osechi cuisine and ozoni for New Year's, and chirashi sushi and clam soup for Hinamatsuri.

"Washoku is linked to traditional Japanese crafts such as the chopsticks and bowls we use to eat the food, and the tatami mats, cushions, sliding doors, and shoji screens that make up the space. If you drink miso soup from a coffee cup, the taste doesn't change. But it would lose the 'miso soup-ness'. It is because it is in a bowl and eaten with chopsticks that it feels like miso soup," he said, referring to the relationship with traditional crafts that enhance the flavor of the food and enrich the dining experience.

Washoku is made up of not only the food itself, but also the tableware, presentation, dining space, and seasonal changes. Over its long history, elements of cuisine from different eras have come together to form the Kyoto cuisine we know today. Listening to Mr. Sonobe's story, I was reminded of the profound depth of Japanese food culture.

The next one is scheduled to be released in early to mid-August. This is a report on the lecture by Takuji Takahashi, the third-generation owner of Kinobu, who took the stage on Friday, May 8th.

In this final episode, we will delve deeper into the essence of Kyoto cuisine.

Text by Erina Nomura

Erina Nomura
A writer living in Kyoto. After graduating from university, she worked at a production company involved in a variety of media, including publishing, advertising, and the web. In 2020, she went independent and is now working as a freelancer. Her areas of interest include craftsmanship, traditional culture, lifestyle, and travel. As a Kyoto correspondent for Premium Japan, she reports on the latest happenings in Kyoto through the "Kyoto News" section of the editorial department's blog.