Yugeta Shoyu Collection

Yugeta Shoyu was founded over 100 years ago in Saitama Prefecture, just outside Tokyo, and today produces some of Japan’s finest artisanal soy sauces. Using only Japan-grown soybeans and wheat, their shoyu are naturally brewed and aged in traditional cedar barrels, some more than a century old, allowing time and craftsmanship to create remarkable depth and complexity.

Yugeta-san, the fourth-generation owner, holds a special place in our story. We first met him in 2015 as The Japanese Pantry was beginning to take shape, and he quickly became our soy sauce sensei. In fact, Yugeta was the first soy sauce we ever imported. When we visited him in 2023, as his company approached its 100th anniversary, his focus had shifted toward the next hundred years. He proudly showed us a new cedar kioke barrel he and his team were building by hand as part of that legacy. We’re proud to share his exceptional soy sauces and excited for what lies ahead for Yugeta Shoyu.

Yugeta-san (left), handcrafted kioke cedar barrels, and his father (right).