Blue/Green Japanese Soy Sauce Bottles

I'm finding large blue/green with thick glass bottles that I think are Japanese soy sauce bottles in the forest on Rota, CNMI (a micronesian island).

I'm just looking for any more information anyone might have or tips on how to age them. I think they range in ages. Some look very worn some look almost new. I'm interested to know if these bottles continued coming to Rota after the second world war, or if they all arrived here prior to 1945 and made their way into the forest with Japanese soldiers in WWII.

Some of them say YAMASASHOYUCO LTD TRADE (two lines symbol) MARK
Some say NODA SHOYU CO TRADE (hexagon symbol) MARK

Some say nothing at all but are an identical shaped and sized bottle.

As far as I can tell, the Noda Shoyu name was used from 1925 to 1964.

Any information will be appreciated!

Those are sake bottles. 1940's.

pretty common.

Hello Jen,

Welcome to the A-BN, and thanks for bringing the shoyu.

"An important innovation in shoyu marketing began in 1914 when Saheiji Mogi in Noda introduced commercial shoyu in 1.8-liter glass bottles. Actually, shoyu is said to have first been bottled by Japanese in the late 1850s by the lord of Shimazu domain, who shipped it overseas. In 1872 Kokubo Shoten sold 250 bottles of shoyu to the lord of Nabeshima, who took them with him to Russia. In 1873 Kikkoman displayed its shoyu in bottles at the famous exhibition in Vienna, Austria. In 1898 in Noda, Seihachi Matsumoto bought three brands of the Takanashi family's shoyu, bottled them in beer bottles, and sold them in Noda only, largely for use as gifts. Yet Mogi's bottled shoyu in 1914 was the first to be widely sold on a large scale; the bottling, in black bottles, was subcontracted at first, but was done at the plant after 1922. At this time, sake was also first sold in bottles, rather than the traditional wooden kegs like shoyu. At first, Japanese apparently did not like the new bottled shoyu or sake as well as that sold in kegs; they said it had a funny bottled taste. But marketing efforts persisted and gradually the bottled products were accepted. In 1930 who?? opened its first factory making ?? shoyu bottles." From.

"Noda has been well-known for its soy sauce production since the Edo period (1603-1867). In December 1917, eight family companies merged to form the predecessor of Kikkoman Corporation, Noda Shoyu Co., Ltd., with capital of 7 million yen.

1925 April Noda Shoyu Co., Ltd., merges with Noda Shoyu Jozo Co., Ltd., Manjo Mirin
Co., Ltd. and Nippon Shoyu Co., Ltd." From.

Could you take photos of the base and the lip, please? Is there a stopper? Don't forget to check the "Embed" button so that the picture appears on the page.

From.

This is a pretty good one. Do you have any of them?

TOGO MASAMUNE.

Very cool - I hunt for and collect Japanese bottles next door to you on Guam. I have never found any Japanese soy sauce bottles, but have found a couple Taiwanese soy sauce bottles from the early 50s.

I suspect the ones you are finding are from WW2 or earlier. Unlike Guam, Rota was a Japanese possession prior to WW2. After the war, most Japanese in the Marianas returned to the home islands. Japan certainly was not in a position to export much of anything in the immediate post war years.

I most often find Dai Nippon Beer Company bottles, and somewhat less frequently find Kirin beer bottles. Here, on Guam, they are all clearly WW2 era as the Japanese were only here from Dec 1941-August 1944. Sometimes they look new - but in the limestone jungle of the Marianas, there is nothing to bury them with - they just sit on top of the limestone where they were dropped 70 years ago. They are scattered all over in the jungle on Northern Guam, most I've found are along an old dirt road that was abandoned immediately following the war and since forgotten (much is on military property that has left the area undeveloped).

Re: RE: Blue/Green Japanese Soy Sauce Bottles

I have this kind of bottle. And other 2 that looks similar but with lighter shade of blue-green.

Re: RE: Blue/Green Japanese Soy Sauce Bottles

cool bottles when they are embossed but pretty plane other wise.one or to would be enough for me.