Hishiroku koji starters

£12.00

20g of quality koji starters to make 15 kg of koji from Hishiroku, Kyoto. The company has nearly 400 years of experience dealing with koji spores, established even before Leeuwenhoek discovered the existence of microbe in 1674.

 

Read more£12.00

Out of stock

£12.00

Availability: 6 in stock

£12.00

Availability: 4 in stock

Additional information

About Hishiroku

These are genuine high-quality koji starters from Hishiroku, Kyoto. We are a Hishiroku-authorised koji spore distributor and are directly sourcing starters from them and storing them in the optimum condition until they are shipped out to you.

Hishiroku is one of the oldest koji starter producer and having been producing koji spores at least 350 years. Hishiroku is also one of only 6 spore producers in Japan and over 99% of breweries in Japan are totally dependent on them as the quality of spores determines the taste and flavours of final ferments (sake, miso, shoyu, name a few).

Mr Sukeno, the current president of the company is very supportive and we often consult with him whenever questions arise regarding to the koji making. Before Covid-19, Hishiroku hosted annual koji making workshops which is not surprisingly extremely popular and sought after. In the past many overseas attendants thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity.

Available koji spores

  • Kobukuro-funjyo (小袋粉状)- For rice or any amylase-oriented substrates
  • Kinzanji (金山寺)- For legumes or any protein-oriented substrates
  • Soy sauce (醤油用小袋粉状)- For koji to be used to make soy sauce (usually used for soybeans and wheat)

Storage of koji spores

Storage】Avoid moisture. Once opened, keep it in an air-tight container or bag, preferably with a desiccant (silica gel), and store it in a cool place or fridge. The Japanese koji makers association’s recommended used by date is 6 months. After this period, you might find the growth gradually slows down. If this is the case, you can compensate it by using slightly more spores than recommended.

Handling Please do not grow koji for propagation. The propagation requires specialist skills. Koji makers developed the technique through their long history of operation. If you try to propagate them, the functions and most importantly the safety can’t be guaranteed.

Handling koji spores

Please do not grow koji to propagate them. The propagation requires specialist skills and expertise.  Koji makers like Hishiroku developed the technique through their very long history of operation.

The functions (each koji starters have been selectively bred to make them fit-for-purpose) and safety could be compromised if the spores are propagated in home environment.

The Koji Fermenteria Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

The Koji Fermenteria Cookie Policy

This Cookies Policy explains what Cookies are and how We use them. You should read this policy so You can understand what type of cookies We use, or the information We collect using Cookies and how that information is used.

Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about You may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from Cookies. For further information on how We use, store and keep your personal data secure, see our Privacy Policy.

We do not store sensitive personal information, such as mailing addresses, account passwords, etc. in the Cookies We use.

Get in touch

Want to get in touch? We’d love to hear from you.

Latest News

11 May 2021

Will be back in Stroud Green

We will be back in Stroud Green. Koji natto, Pink shiokoji, Spicy soy dressing, Miso sesame dressing, Wild garlic pesto
11 May 2021

Koji for Life 6 copies remaining

Only 6 copies left in stock. Order now to avoid disappointment
11 May 2021

Koji starters restocked

Premium koji starters from Hishiroku restocked - 40 bags for rice and 20 bags for protein substrates
IMG_9388

Koji Making - Online

The online koji making class takes place over the span of 10 days. The class structure is as follows.

Day 1       Guidance session (Zoom 1 hour):

What is koji?   Koji making overview Tools & equipment required

Day 7-9 Practical (Zoom & Facebook Live):

Day 7  Steam Inoculation Zoom 4 hours) Day 8  Mixing (Facebook Live) Day 9  Drying(Facebook Live)

Day 10     Wrap up (Zoom 1.5 hour)

        Review, Troubleshooting, QA         Koji application

Keep up to date for new dates ?

Stay in touch !

Stay up to date with our latest news and get notified with new event?