Kidai Shoran (detail) © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art Museum, National Museums in Berlin), former collection of Hans-Joachim and Inge Küster, gift of Manfred Bohms 2002, photography: Tadao Kodaira

32Dry goods stores

Dried seaweed, seafood, and vegetables were valuable preserved foods. Kombu (kelp) and bonito were widely available during the Edo period, and it was in Edo that bonito became a popular ingredient for dashi. Many long-established dry goods stores line the streets of Nihonbashi, including Yamatoya and Yagicho Honten. Ninben, which still operates in Nihonbashi’s Muromachi district, gained a reputation for its new business practices and contributed greatly to the widespread popularity of dried bonito.

Ninben
Yagicho
Yamatoya