• Contents: 2 honkarebushi blocks (approx. 400g total) + 1 Kezurikko (けずりっ子) shaving box
• Shaving Box: Paulownia wood body + white oak blade — no drawer design, making it accessible for first-time users. Endorsed by the Japan Katsuobushi Association（一般社団法人日本鰹節協会推奨）
• Shaving Box Size: W90 × H65 × D245mm
• Ingredient: Single-pole caught skipjack tuna（一本釣り鰹）— single ingredient
• Allergens: Contains fish (skipjack tuna). No wheat, soy, dairy, or nuts — naturally gluten-free.
• Additives: None
• Storage: Cool, dry place. Refrigerate blocks after opening. See our full storage guide.
• Origin: Yamagawa, Kagoshima

Yamagawa, at the southern tip of Kagoshima, is the birthplace of Japan's bonito fishing tradition — the place where fishermen have landed skipjack tuna and craftspeople have transformed it into katsuobushi for centuries. The name has meaning: honkarebushi（本枯節）refers specifically to the fully aged form, distinguished from standard katsuobushi by the six months it spends in the curing house and the careful cultivation of a specific mold — karebushi — that draws moisture from the fish and concentrates its umami to a degree that the shorter process simply cannot reach.

Sakai Shoten has worked this way since 1950. Only the freshest, highest-quality single-pole caught skipjack tuna is selected as the starting point — because no amount of craft can compensate for inferior fish. Every block is smoked, rested, and surface-cultured by hand across the full six-month cycle. No shortcuts. No machines where hands will do. The result has been recognized at Japan's national bonito competition multiple times — earning the highest honor: the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award.

Less than five percent of katsuobushi producers in Japan still make honkarebushi. Most have moved to the shorter, less labor-intensive process. Sakai Shoten has not, and this set — two whole blocks and the Kezurikko to shave them — is the most direct way to experience what that commitment produces.

Draw the Kezurikko slowly across the block, applying light, even pressure, and let the curling flakes fall directly into a pot of just-simmered water — this is ichiban dashi, the foundation of Japanese soup and the reason a great bowl of miso tastes completely different from one made with powder. Scatter freshly shaved flakes over warm tofu with a few drops of soy sauce for a dish that takes thirty seconds and shows exactly what honkarebushi tastes like unadorned — a useful starting point before cooking with it. Use the leftover flakes after dashi to make furikake with soy sauce, mirin, and sesame — a rice seasoning that keeps in the refrigerator for a week and turns everyday meals into something worth eating, which is the kind of practical Japanese kitchen wisdom that food-curious Americans are increasingly looking for.