Journal
Kiri no Asa —
Flavors Shaped by the Mist
from Hyogo
Kiri no Asa - A Name Drawn from the Landscape
Kiri no Asa means “Misty Morning.” The name comes from Tanba Sasayama, a mountain basin in Hyogo, northwest of Kyoto. In the early hours, mist settles between forested hills and across the fields below. The days are warm, the nights are cool, and the seasons arrive with clear changes in temperature.
These conditions, together with the region’s nutrient-rich clay soil and clean water, have supported agriculture in Tanba Sasayama for centuries. Among its best-known crops are Tanba black soybeans and Tanba Dainagon azuki.
Beans Shaped by the Basin
Black soybeans have been cultivated in Tanba Sasayama for more than 300 years. The temperature differences of the mountain basin help the beans grow large and plump, with a natural sweetness and distinctly chewy texture.
Known as Tanba kuromame, they have long appeared on New Year and celebratory tables as a symbol of good fortune. The region is also known for Tanba Dainagon azuki, a large variety with thin skins that holds its shape when cooked.
From the Fields to the Table
Kiri no Asa gives these beans different forms while keeping their character recognizable. Tanba black soybeans become chewy amanatto, aromatic roasted tea, or kinako folded into milk jam. Tanba Dainagon azuki are slowly cooked and balanced with bamboo charcoal salt.
Across the collection, sweetness is kept in balance, roasting draws out aroma, and careful cooking preserves the beans’ size and texture. In this way, the harvests of Tanba Sasayama find a place on the contemporary table while remaining connected to the land, farming history, and people who cultivate them.
Shop Azuki Jam with Charcoal Salt
