Six months of craft in every pinch — Japan's most decorated katsuobushi, ground to powder so the umami is instant and complete.

Highlights

• Multiple National Award Winner: Ground from honkarebushi that has won Japan's national bonito competition — including the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, the highest recognition in the craft.
• Six Months, Not Three: Standard katsuobushi takes three months. Honkarebushi takes six — the extra time concentrates umami and builds a depth that ordinary flakes cannot match. Single ingredient: skipjack tuna only.
• Instant Umami, No Salt Added: Dissolves on contact — stir into soup, eggs, rice, or a marinade and the flavor is immediately there. 

Details

• Net Weight: 100g (3.53 oz)
• Ingredient: Skipjack tuna (Honkarebushi) — single ingredient
• Allergens: Contains fish (skipjack tuna). No wheat, soy, dairy, or nuts — naturally gluten-free.
• Additives: None
• Storage: Cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening.
• Origin: Yamagawa, Kagoshima

Producer's Story

Sakai Shoten has made honkarebushi in Yamagawa, Kagoshima since 1950 — the fishing town where Japan's bonito tradition began. Their six-month aging process and the careful cultivation of karebushi mold have earned multiple wins at Japan's national bonito competition. This powder is ground from those same prize-winning blocks.

Cooking Ideas

Fold half a teaspoon into scrambled eggs before cooking — the powder disappears into the egg and raises the flavor in a way that no spice blend quite replicates, which is why this has become a quiet staple for home cooks who are serious about umami without sodium.

Stir into hot rice with a few drops of soy sauce for a bowl that tastes like something a Japanese grandmother would make — the simplest possible meal, and one of the most satisfying.

Dissolve into broth at the end of cooking for instant depth without the simmering time that katsuobushi flakes require — a shortcut that professional cooks in Japan have long used when speed matters.

Blend into softened butter and spread on toast, steak, or roasted vegetables — a Western-friendly application of Japanese umami that the American food media has been circling for years, and one that requires no Japanese cooking knowledge to enjoy immediately.

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