Shigure Hamaguri - Traditional Foods in Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

MieShigure Hamaguri

Classification (Large)

Seafood products

Classification (Small)

Seasoned preserved foods

Main ingredients used

clams, tamari soy sauce, ginger

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Region of inheritance

Kuwana City

Product overview (special characteristics and types)

Kuwana City, located in northern Mie Prefecture, has a history of being a prominent inn town as the eastern entrance to Ise Province, as can be seen by the first torii gate at the city’s Ise Shrine. From the beaches of Kuwana to off its shores, the fresh waters from the three rivers of Kiso mix well with the sea water resulting in an abundance of shellfish, seaweed, and whitebait. Clams in particular were called the [chestnuts of the beach] due to their beautiful color, luster, and plump, large meat, and were known as a delicacy from the Edo period.
Shigure hamaguri is a famous dish of Kuwana City, in which large clams are selected before they spawn and boiled in a special tamari soy sauce with minced ginger. It is also called nihamaguri, or simply shigure. The original special tamari soy sauce, with rich amounts of clam extract, has been handed down through the generations per production and sales outlets by continuing to add ingredients to the mixture.

History and culture

Shigure hamaguri has a long history. It is said that simmered clams were already eaten as preserved food among the shellfish stores in Kuwana during the time of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
There are many theories about the dish’s name. One theory says that the name was coined by Kagami Shiko, who was a poet and senior disciple of Matsuo Basho, because the dish is most delicious when made during the shigure rains that fall from fall to winter, around the month of October. In modern times, preserved foods boiled down in soy sauce with ginger tend to be called [shigureni].
Currently, in Kuwana City, along with [Sohonke Shinnosuke Kaishin], which was established in the Tensho era (around 1573), multiple companies that manufacture and sell shigure hamaguri still exist, continuing the tradition and passing on the taste of this delicacy.

Production method

Ginger is added to a special tamari soy sauce and brought to a boil within a large pot with a diameter of one meter for simmering. Usually, clams are boiled with their shells intact, as it is said that a flavor like chicken bones dissolves from the shells. This broth has been handed down through generations of producers while adding new seasonings. The whole clams are strained and shelled before being put back into some of the original broth to simmer for a long time. At long-standing establishments, such as Shinnosuke Kaishin, the float-and-simmer technique has been handed down through the generations. This technique allows shelled clams to float while being simmered in a large pot. It is said that this technique maximizes the clam’s texture rather than simmering until the broth evaporates. In recent years, products that incorporate the needs of the times are being developed, such as wakadaki, in which clams are simmered at low heat for a soft texture, along with low-sodium versions.

Conservation and succession efforts

Although clam harvesting has seen a decrease due to postwar development, such as land reclamation and embankment construction, local fishing cooperatives are making efforts to manage these resources by setting strict limits on the size, quantity, and days these clams can be harvested.

Main consumption method

This delicacy goes very well with rice, so it can be enjoyed as a topping on rice, in rice balls, or as ochazuke. New ways of using this food have also been developed, such as using it as an ingredient in pasta, making most of the texture and flavor of the shigure hamaguri.

At-home recipes：Rice mixed with shigure hamaguri

Ingredients

Shigure hamaguri

60 g

Cooked rice

360 g

Fresh leaves of Japanese pepper

As needed

How to make

Put cooked rice and shigure hamaguri in a bowl and mix well.

Put them in a bowl and garnish with fresh leaves of Japanese pepper.