Noto Quake Leaves Makers of Age-Old Fish Sauce at Loss

   Noto, Ishikawa Pref., Feb. 6 (Jiji Press)--The Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake in central Japan has left local makers of an age-old fish sauce at a loss, with the prospect of resuming production completely up in the air.
   The "ishiru" sauce, recognized as a registered intangible folk-cultural property by the government in March 2023, has been passed down from generation to generation in the Oku-Noto area, or the northern point of the peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.
   The 7.6-magnitude quake left roads cut off and production facilities damaged in the town of Noto, one of the major ishiru-producing areas.
   Ishiru is made by mixing seafood together with salt and leaving the mixture to naturally ferment for at least a year.
   According to the town's chamber of commerce, ishiru has been made in the Okunoto area since the mid-Edo period, mixing in local specialties such as sardines, mackerel and squid. Oku-Noto is the only fish sauce-producing area in Japan that puts squid guts in, the organization said.

(2024/02/06-20:24)

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