Higashimaru Shoyu

What Higashimaru Shoyu does

Higashimaru Shoyu Co., Ltd. is a privately held Japanese sauce manufacturer headquartered in Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, tracing its brewing heritage to approximately 1580 and formally incorporated in 1942 through the merger of Asahi and Kikuichi soy sauce companies. Recognized by the Japan Soy Sauce Association in 1963 as one of Japan's top five major manufacturers, the company is the national leader in light-colored (usukuchi) soy sauce, with its wholly owned subsidiary Higashimaru Food Co., Ltd. (established 1965) handling production of liquid and powdered seasonings. The company maintains six regional sales offices (Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) plus two Tatsuno-based factories and a research institute.

Name

Higashimaru Shoyu

Legal name

Higashimaru Shoyu Co., Ltd.

Website

https://higashimaru.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Higashimaru Shoyu is a privately held Japanese sauce manufacturer specializing in light-colored (usukuchi) soy sauce, dashi-based liquid seasonings, and powdered convenience seasonings, serving both household consumers and foodservice businesses nationwide across Japan since 1580.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Soy Sauce & Seasoning Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (311930)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Soy Sauce, Tamari & Asian Condiments Manufacturing (AFAKADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing (AFAKADAM), Fermented & Specialty Condiments Manufacturing (Kimchi Base, Gochujang, Miso-Based Sauces) (AFAKADAO)

Keywords

• Light soy sauce production
• Japanese condiments manufacturing
• Seasoning products wholesale
• Dashi soup bases
• Fermented food production

Headquarters

HQ city

Tatsuno

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Soy Sauce Sales: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling various types of soy sauce including light-colored (usukuchi), regular (koikuchi), and specialty soy sauces under brands like 超特選丸大豆うすくち吟旬芳醇 and 特選丸大豆うすくちしょうゆ.
2. Liquid Seasoning Products: Revenue from liquid seasoning products including dashi, ponzu, hot pot soup bases, and dipping sauces such as 京風割烹白だし, 牡蠣だし醤油, and various udon soup products.
3. Powder Seasoning Products: Revenue from powder-based seasonings including udon soup, ramen soup, and various 'ちょっと' instant soup and donburi rice bowl products. These include products like ちょっとぞうすい and ちょっとどんぶり series.
4. B2B Food Service Products: Sales to restaurants and food service businesses through dedicated business product lines including 割烹関西 series, 惣菜名人 series, and bulk packaging of regular products.
5. E-commerce Direct Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through official online shop (shop.higashimaru.co.jp) featuring exclusive products like 龍野乃刻 and specialty items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Higashimaru Shoyu manufactures and sells light-colored (usukuchi) soy sauce, liquid seasonings (white dashi, ponzu, hot pot soup bases, dipping sauces), and powder seasonings (udon soup, ramen soup, donburi and convenience seasoning mixes) under brands such as Ginshunjohun, Kappou Kansai, Sosai Meijin, and Chotto Donburi. The company operates two factory sites in Tatsuno, Hyogo, and distributes products through retail grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, its own e-commerce shop, and dedicated B2B field sales offices across Japan.

Product overview

Higashimaru Shoyu is a traditional Japanese food manufacturer specializing in light soy sauce (淡口醤油) and related condiments. Founded in 1580, the company operates as a single unified brand offering a portfolio of core soy sauce products (うすくちしょうゆ, 超特選丸大豆うすくち, 特選丸大豆うすくち, 牡蠣だし醤油) alongside complementary product lines including soup bases (うどんスープ, 京風割烹 白だし, 鍋つゆ), condiments (まろやかぽんず), convenience seasonings (揚げずにシリーズ, お好み焼名人, ちょっとどんぶり), and baby food seasonings (赤ちゃん用調味料). The professional/business segment offers 割烹関西 and 惣菜名人 product series. The portfolio ranges from premium artisan products to everyday convenience seasonings, serving both consumer retail and food service professional markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 京風割烹 白だし (Kyōfū Kappō Shirodashi): 最高級の丸大豆淡口しょうゆにたっぷりのかつお節と混合節、真昆布で取っただしを合わせた白だしシリーズ。
• 牡蠣だし醤油 (Kakidashi Shoyu)
• うどんスープ (Udon Soup)
• ちょっとどんぶり (Chotto Donburi)
• まろやかぽんず (Maroyaka Ponju)
• свежевыжатый бульон
• 揚げずにシリーズ (Agezuni Series)
• 割烹関西シリーズ (Kappou Kansai Series)
• 惣菜名人シリーズ (Sōzai Meijin Series)

Products and services

• Usukuchi Soy Sauce (うすくちしょうゆ) Light-colored (usukuchi) soy sauce made with domestic soy, wheat, rice, and salt. The company's signature product designed to preserve the natural color and flavor of ingredients while delivering authentic umami taste for household cooking.
• Super Premium Marudaizu Usukuchi Ginshunjohun (超特選丸大豆うすくち 吟旬芳醇) Ultra-premium light soy sauce made with 100% domestic whole soybeans, double-aged with whole soy and rice koji to deliver rich, mellow umami flavor.
• Special Selected Marudaizu Usukuchi Soy Sauce (特選丸大豆うすくちしょうゆ) Premium grade light soy sauce made with 100% domestic ingredients, carefully brewed for a mellow, rich umami taste.
• Oyster Dashi Soy Sauce (うなぎのだし醤油) Specialty soy sauce combining Setouchi oysters with bonito and kombu dashi for rich, deep flavor suitable for eel and similar dishes.
• Udon Soup (うどんスープ) Powdered udon soup base featuring Hokkaido kombu and katsuobushi, sold in regional variants (8-bag West Japan and 6-bag East Japan packaging).
• Kyoto-style Shiradashi White Dashi (京風割烹 白だし) Premium white dashi made with top-grade whole soybean light soy sauce combined with generous amounts of katsuobushi, mixed fish flakes, and kombu.
• Maroyaka Ponzu (まろやかぽんず) Smooth ponzu sauce made with domestically sourced ripe yuzu citrus juice combined with bonito and kombu umami for a mellow citrus-soy balance.
• Nabe Soup Hot Pot Bases (鍋つゆ) Hot pot soup bases including yosenabe, yuzu shio chanko nabe, and light sukiyaki variants.
• Pan-Fried Karaage Seasoning (揚げず本格からあげ 調味料) Seasoning mix for frying chicken in a pan with minimal oil, featuring crispy texture and aromatic spices under the Agedeni (no-deep-fry) brand.
• Fluffy Okonomiyaki Meijin (ふんわり お好み焼き名人) Powder mix for making fluffy okonomiyaki with added yamaimo for light texture, containing katsuobushi, kombu, and light soy sauce.
• Baby Udon Soup (赤ちゃん用 うどんスープ) Gentle udon soup powder formulated for babies from 7 months, made with Hokkaido kombu and Satsuma katsuobushi.
• Chotto Donburi Series (ちょっと丼ぶりシリーズ) Series of powder seasoning mixes for easy donburi rice bowls including usukuchi, koikuchi, and gyudon variants.
• Kappou Kansai Professional Series (割烹関西シリーズ) Professional-grade B2B seasoning series for restaurants and food service, including white dashi soup, konbu white dashi, clam and scallop white dashi, beef dashi, and chicken dashi soups.
• Sosai Meijin Professional Series (惣菜名人シリーズ) Professional B2B seasonings for deli food and prepared-meal production, including obanzai cooking soup, sauces for frying and braising, and tenatsu sauce.
• Tatsuno no Toki Limited-Brew Light Soy Sauce (限定醸造淡口醬油 龍野乃刻) Reservation-exclusive limited-edition light soy sauce sold directly through the company's e-commerce shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Anti-allergic activity: Significant reduction in allergy symptoms with 600mg daily SPS intake in double-blind clinical trials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NARO (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2025Higashimaru Shoyu collaborated with NARO to develop new soybean variety 'Tatsuhime' and new wheat variety 'Tatsukirari' specifically for soy sauce brewing. This partnership represents significant agricultural technology advancement for domestic ingredient sourcing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kikkoman: World's largest soy sauce manufacturer and Japanese condiments leader. Directly competes in soy sauce across retail and foodservice, but operates globally at vastly larger scale and a much broader sauce/seasoning portfolio, including koikuchi as its flagship.
• Mizkan Holdings: Major Japanese vinegar, soy sauce, and liquid seasoning producer under brands like Mizkan and Kaku. Overlaps directly in usukuchi and tsuyu but operates a broader condiment portfolio across vinegar, mirin, and prepared sauces.
• Ajinomoto: Japan's largest packaged food and seasoning conglomerate with extensive foodservice and retail presence. Competitor through dashi, soup bases, and processed seasonings but with much broader portfolio (umami seasonings, frozen foods, amino acids).
• S&B Foods: Japanese spice, curry, and packaged seasoning maker. Compares via its dashi and processed seasoning retail/foodservice offerings, though its identity is anchored in curry and spices rather than soy sauce.
• House Foods Group: Major Japanese spice, curry, and processed seasoning company. Comparable as a packaged seasoning and soup-mix producer serving similar retail and foodservice channels, though its core focus is curry, stew, and spice blends.

Direct peers

• Yamasa Corporation: Long-established Japanese soy sauce and fermented seasoning manufacturer based in Chiba. Closely comparable in heritage, brewing-led approach, and product mix spanning soy sauce, dashi, and tsuyu products for retail and foodservice.
• Marukin Shoyu: Specialty soy sauce producer in Chiba focusing on premium koikuchi and tamari styles. Comparable as a heritage Japanese shoyu specialist selling through retail and foodservice channels with deep brewing expertise.
• Yugeta Shoyu: Heritage Japanese soy sauce maker from Chiba recognized as one of Japan's major shoyu producers. Direct comparable in scale tier, brewing tradition, and product mix (koikuchi, usukuchi, dashi-adjacent seasonings).

Emerging players

• Kishibori Shoyu: Artisan single-origin soy sauce brand focused on premium and aged koikuchi styles. Comparable as a quality- and heritage-positioned soy sauce specialist, though at much smaller scale and with different category emphasis (koikuchi vs. usukuchi).

Regional players

• Nakano Foods: Japanese producer of vinegars, dressings, and liquid seasonings. Overlaps in the dashi/tsuyu and dipping-sauce segments where Higashimaru competes, particularly in retail bottled dressings, though primarily vinegar-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/higashimaru_ss
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwd6zacJjZ1f1Eg9wSdwqlw
• Instagraminstagram.com/higashimaru_soy.sauce

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Higashimaru Shoyu