Japanese koji-ya Kenji Tsukamoto is one of the few traditional artisans who grow the mold that is an ingredient in the seasoning staple.
By Sonoko Sakai, Special to the Los Angeles Times
November 4, 2010
Reporting from Sado Island, Japan
Of all the things he could have done in life, Kenji Tsukamoto has chosen to grow mold for a living. He is a fourth-generation koji-ya, or artisanal "mold maker," on Sado island on the western coast of Niigata, Japan. It's rare to find a traditional koji-ya in Japan these days.
In fact, to make ends meet, Tsukamoto derives his income from two other sources: teaching math to children and working as a nature guide. He is as expert on calculus and the native wildflowers of Sado as he is on mold.
"Have you ever left cooked rice out and found a white downy growth on the surface?" he asks. "That's koji." Most of us can recount a few encounters with mold growing on a day-old sandwich. These microorganisms live in the natural environment, and some play a beneficial role in the production of food. In Japan, the mold called koji is used for fermenting rice and soybeans to make soy sauce, miso and sake, the three staple ingredients in Japanese cuisine.
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