Yawataya Isogoro’s Famous Shichimi Togarashi Spice Mix

I live in Niigata adjacent to Nagano Prefecture, and some groceries in my city carry specialties of Nagano.

The other day when I went shopping at a supermarket near my house, I came across that kind of product from Nagano.

When I was looking for a canned Shichimi Togarashi (traditional Japanese seven-spice blend) in the seasoning/condiment section, I found refill bags for a famous Shichimi Togarashi from Nagano.

Since I had an empty Shichimi Togarashi tin can for the refill bag at home, I decided to buy that.

Shichimi Togarashi from Yawataya Isogoro in Nagano

The Shichimi Togarashi tin can pictured above and the refill bag I bought this time are both from “Yawataya Isogoro (八幡屋礒五郎)”. 

As I wrote in this article, Yawataya Isogoro is a long-established spice shop located in Nagano City and is famous nationwide for its Shichimi Togarashi spice mix.

The shop originated from a merchant named “Kanemon (勘右衛門)” who began selling his 7 spice blend in the precincts of Zenkoji, a nationally famous Buddhist temple in Nagano, in 1736. 

The Shichimi Togarashi blended and sold by Yawataya Isogoro is somewhat spicy and aromatic compared to other traditional Shichimi Togarashi spice mixes and is characterized by a pronounced taste of ginger.

7 Ingredients (Spices)

According to the ingredient list on the back of the refill bag, the 7 spices used in the Shichimi Togarashi blended by Yawataya Isogoro are as follows.

1. Red chili pepper
2. Ginger
3. Sansho pepper
4. Shiso (Perilla)
5. Sesame seeds
6. Chinpi (陳皮: dried citrus peels)
7. Hemp seeds

Tin Can

This Shichimi Togarashi tin can from Yawataya Isogoro consists of 2 parts; a can body and a removable lid.

Each has a small hole from which the spice inside is sprinkled on food. If you want to know how to use Shichimi Togarashi, this article will help.

Shop Information: Yawataya Isogoro (八幡屋礒五郎)

Address: 83 Daimon-Cho, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture (MAP)
Open: 9:00 am to 18: 00 pm
Open throughout the week

(Reference Page: Wikipedia 八幡屋磯五郎 )