Amabito no Moshio : Seaweed Salt
In 1984, Nobuhide Matsuura, a Buddhist priest devoted to the protection of Japan’s cultural assets, led an archaeological dig at Kenmin no Hama Beach on Kami Kamagari Island, the second island in the Tobishima Kaido Island chain, to learn more about Japan’s early Pacific Island sea culture. Kenmin no Hama is a broad expanse of golden sand beach on the southwestern side of the island facing out to open sea and sheltered in back by an arc of low-lying hills. Today it is ranked as one of Japan’s “100 Most Beautiful Beaches.” Millennium ago it was the ideal home for the island’s early sea people, or “amabito.”
During the dig, pot shards were found dating from the 5th century AD that revealed that the amabito were making seaweed salt by boiling seaweed and seawater together until a complex salt crystalized that combined the flavor and nutrition of the vegetal seaweed with the mineral-laden sea salt. Called moshio, seaweed salts were part of the way of life all along the islands and coasts of the Seto Inland Sea until about the 7th century when they were replaced by enden salts, which were made by evaporating salt only from seawater using tidal ponds and salt pans. As a result, moshio salts were largely forgotten other than for obscure references in ancient books.
Once home to the Kami Kamagari Island’s ancient sea people, Kenmin no Hama Beach today is ranked as one of Japan’s “100 Most Beautiful Beaches” and is a popular summer resort.
At the eastern end of Kenmin no Hama Beach the “Kamagari Ancient Salt Making Remains Restoration Pavilion” is a small museum housing a section of the original 1984 archaeological dig and displays of the ancient salt-boiling pots that were uncovered. If you make a reservation three days in advance, the museum will also arrange for you to experience making moshio seaweed salt the ancient way nearby on the beach.
Matsuura’s discovery was important not only because it gave clues as to how moshio salts were made. It also revealed the level of culinary sophistication of the amabito and the early development of the mild, balanced essence of flavor that is characteristic of Setouchi cooking. The pot shards and seaweed ashes found on the site indicated that the amabito tried other types of seaweed in previous centuries, including hijiki and wakame, before settling on hon’dawara by the 5th century AD to make their moshio salt. When modern experiments were conducted making moshio salt using these other types of seaweeds, they resulted in sharp-tasting moshio salts. When hon’dawara was used, the result was a mild-flavored salt due to the higher level of umami in the seaweed. It seems that the amabito were aware of the ability of umami to enhance and balance flavor and also appreciated a salt that did not taste too salty.
In 1998, as soon as the Japanese government eased regulations on salt-making, Matsuura recreated Japan’s first modern moshio salt using his discoveries to guide him. Named Amabito no Moshio, which means the seaweed salt of the ancient sea people, it is made today at a small salt works across the road from Kenmin no Hama beach by a team of four people led by master salt maker Hirokazu Ishii. The process combines the best local ingredients with both old and new salt-making methods. The seawater used is piped in from the sea in front of the salt works and is a pure form of the nutrient-rich brine that the Seto Inland Sea is known for. The seaweed is hon’dawara, the same as that used by the amabito. When freshly harvested it has a deliciously sweet, salty, savory flavor. In addition, hon’dawara has distinct health properties, including antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory. These attributes support the legends that hon’dawara was at times the only food eaten by ancient sailors to sustain them during their long voyages to Korea and China.
Freshly-harvested hon’dawara seaweed being dried on racks before being used to make Amabito no Moshio.
Hon’dawara seaweed has a deliciously sweet, salty, savory flavor and, also, distinct health properties, including antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory.
The amabito made their moshio salt by burning the hon’dawara, mixing the ashes with seawater, and then boiling everything together in small clay pots. At Amabito no Moshio, the seaweed is instead dried naturally in the open air and put in large bags, which are suspended in concentrated seawater in evaporators designed to replicate the effects of the ancient salt-making clay pots. This seaweed-seawater tea is boiled rapidly at a high temperature for four hours. When done, the crystals are removed and centrifuged to eliminate the bittern. The salt is then gently heated in a flat pan, with salt makers mixing all the while using large wooden paddles to partially dry, not roast, the salt in order to maintain as much of the seaweed’s natural nutrients and flavor as possible. The finished salt is sieved by hand to create uniformly articulated salt grains.
Master salt maker Hirokazu Ishii leads a team of four people who make Amabito no Moshio in evaporators designed to replicate the effects of the ancient salt-making clay pots.
While most boiled sea salts are pure white and 99% sodium (i.e., salt), Amabito no Moshio has a warm biscuit color and high levels of calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iodine and a light umami seasoning extracted from the hon’dawara. The result is a salt with uncommon flavor and complexity that captures the richness of the sea—its saltiness, minerals, and mouth-satisfying umami. The Japanese word for Amabito no Moshio’s mellow, rounded flavor is “maroyaka,” which implies sensations of both balanced taste and pleasing satisfaction.
As a replica of the moshio salts made nearly 2,000 years ago, Amabito no Moshio is a testimony to the ancient origins of Japan’s complex, nature-oriented seasonings. In 1999, Amabito no Moshio won Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry’s prize for best local product. In 2018, Amabito no Moshio was included in “The Wonder 500,” a government-sponsored program that identifies and promotes a select group of “local products that are the pride and joy of Japan.”
Amabito no Moshio (海人の藻塩)
7407-1 Oura, Kamagari-cho, Kami Kamagari Island, Hiroshima Prefecture 737-0402
Tel: +81 (0823) 70 7021
Web: moshio.co.jp
The salt works at Amabito no Moshio are open during weekdays to visitors from 10:00 to 17:00. If you want to see how the salt is made, it’s best to arrive before 11:00 when the boiling process is completed. A small shop sells Amabito no Moshio, several high-quality flavored salts, such as a delicious and versatile wasabi salt that is mixed with flakes of dried organic wasabi, and a variety of food products in which the salt is featured.
Where To Buy
Amabito no Moshio salts for sale at the salt works on Kami Kamagari Island.
Amabito no Moshio is widely available in department stores, speciality food shops, and supermarkets across Japan. Because it was featured in the “Salt” episode of the Netflix series “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” it has also become available around the world through online retailers.
How To Use
As a dry, fine-grain, natural, and healthy salt, Amabito no Moshio can serve the all-around needs of today’s kitchen and table. It’s a true seasoning salt in that it will enhance the flavor of foods and not get in the way of their taste with its own saltiness. It’s the natural seasoning for any food that comes from the sea and is especially helpful when cooking tender seafoods and any vegetable—the core ingredients of the Setouchi pantry. It’s also excellent with sweet, juicy fruit when making jams and pies or to finish fresh fruit where a scattering of it will bring out their aroma and highlight their sweetness.