Soybean Miso (Mame Miso) (豆味噌)
Miso made from soybeans and soybean koji alone, with no rice or barley - the dark, concentrated miso of the Tokai region.
| Koji base | Soybean koji (mame-koji) grown on the beans themselves |
|---|---|
| Home ground | Tokai region - Aichi, Mie and Gifu |
| Character | Dark reddish-brown, dense and strongly savoury, with slight astringency; aged longer than most miso |
Soybean miso removes the grain entirely: the koji mould is grown directly on steamed soybeans, which are then formed into balls, salted and aged. Without grain sugars the result is less sweet and more concentrated than rice or barley miso.
Its best-known named form is Hatcho miso of Okazaki, and its everyday forms season the Tokai region's signature dishes - miso-katsu, miso nikomi udon and red-miso soup (aka-dashi). Exported soybean miso is sometimes labelled simply 'mame miso' or sold as Hatcho style; the label page explains the difference.
See also
Hatcho misoRelated page in this guide.Red and awase miso
Related page in this guide.
Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), 'Traditional Foods in Japan'; JAS soy sauce standards; Umami Information Center; Kikkoman official information; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Checked 6 November 2026.