The Birth of Marusho Vinegar – The Power of Prayer
Established in 1879, Marusho was born in Tenma, Nachikatsuura, surrounded by the sacred Mount Nachi where the fresh spring water is abundant.
A big well situated in the Marusho brewery is the source of unlimited spring water from Mont Nachi to produce their products, well-guarded by the ofuda and nagi leaf obtained from Kumano Sanzan.
A sea breeze travels through our Kura (brewery) made with earth floor (doma) & earth walls (tsuchikabe) where you find the traditional wooden barrels (kioke) handed down over generations. The kura is a home for the acetic acid bacteria, the microorganisms responsible to produce vinegar.
Each barrel is named after famous sumo wrestlers and looked after just like our own children, we place straw vest around the barrel when it is cold.
The microorganisms are at the center stage of our life at Marusho. We have dedicated to the traditional making of vinegar for 140 years and we will continue to produce in the same way. We hope our products encourage the healthy lifestyle.
- *Kumano Sanzan: a trio of revered Shinto shrines situated in the Kumano region of southern Japan.
- *Ofuda: In Japanese religion, an ofuda (お札 or 御札, honorific form of fuda, "slip (of paper), card, plate") is a talisman made out of various materials such as paper, wood, cloth or metal. Ofuda are commonly found in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
- *Nagi leaf: The leaf from the Sacred Nagi Tree of Kumano Hayatama Taisha, one of the Natural Monuments of Japan and is situated in Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu city, Wakayama, Japan.
- *Kura: a traditional Japanese storehouse or brewery.
- *Microorganisms: In breweries where production has gone on for generations, various microorganisms which have survived during the brewing process are found on floors and walls due to splashes from starter culture or moromi, and so on.
Souce: wikipedia