Japanese BBQ sauce · No additives · Gold & silver washi label · Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi
01 Built on a generations-old secret tare — deepened with Okinawan apple banana, Shikoku wasanbon sugar, and aged additive-free shoyu from a brewery founded in 1772.
02 No chemical seasonings, no preservatives — fruit, vegetables, koji, and fermentation doing all the work.
03 Matte black bottle, gold and silver washi paper label, handcrafted wooden box — a sauce that arrives as a gift before it's tasted.
A BBQ sauce that thinks differently about what a BBQ sauce can be
YAIBA — the name means "blade" in Japanese, a reference to the way a well-made knife draws out the best from an ingredient rather than overpowering it — was developed from a generations-old secret tare (a Japanese seasoning base) by a brewery in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The brief was simple and demanding: no chemical seasonings, no preservatives, no shortcuts. Every ingredient chosen for a specific reason.
What's inside the bottle
The flavor is built in layers. The foundation is additive-free koikuchi shoyu from a brewery founded in 1772 — fermented, complex, with the kind of umami that only comes from time. Wasanbon, a refined Japanese sugar produced in small quantities in Shikoku, contributes a delicacy of sweetness that refined cane sugar cannot replicate. Apple banana from Okinawa — a small, intensely flavored variety rarely seen outside Japan — adds a rounded, tropical note without the sharpness of conventional banana. Junmai sake from Gokyo, one of Yamaguchi Prefecture's most respected breweries, is brewed with the soft water of the region, adding a clean, subtle fragrance.
Beyond these: mango, peach, apple, and persimmon for fruit complexity; onion and ginger for savory depth; kombu seaweed and shiitake mushroom for glutamate-rich body; toasted sesame oil and organic sesame for a finish with warmth and fragrance. These are not a list of additions — they are a composition.
The presentation
The bottle is matte black. The label is washi — traditional Japanese handmade paper — decorated with gold and silver foil, applied by hand. The bottle is housed in a handcrafted wooden box. The presentation is not decoration for its own sake: it reflects what the product is — something developed with particular attention to every component, including the one you see before you open it.
How to use it
YAIBA works as a marinade, a basting sauce, a dipping sauce, and a table condiment. At a barbecue, one 360 ml bottle is sufficient for approximately 15 servings. It works with beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. It also works as a finishing glaze for grilled vegetables, or alongside cheese and charcuterie. The sauce is thick enough to coat but balanced enough not to dominate — the blade draws out the ingredient, it does not cover it.
Because of the presentation, it also works as a gift — for a housewarming, a wedding, a business occasion, or any moment where something with genuine craft and a clear story is more appropriate than a bottle with a familiar label.
Specifications
Volume: 360 ml (12.2 fl oz)
No chemical seasonings · no preservatives
Packaging: Matte black bottle · gold and silver washi paper label · handcrafted wooden box
Yield: approximately 15 servings per bottle (BBQ use)
Ingredients
Soy sauce (Japan) · wasanbon sugar (Shikoku, Japan) · mango · peach · apple · onion · banana · persimmon · miso · hon-mirin · garlic · junmai sake · sesame oil · ginger · organic sesame · dried chili · kombu powder · black pepper · shiitake mushroom powder
Contains: wheat · soy · sesame · banana · peach · apple
Nutrition per 15 g serving (approximate):
Energy 31 kcal · Protein 0.7 g · Fat 0.4 g · Carbohydrate 6.1 g · Sodium equivalent 1.0 g
Storage
Store away from direct sunlight in a cool, dark place.
Refrigerate after opening and consume promptly.
Shake well before use.
Best before: 12 months from date of manufacture. We ship bottles with a minimum of 3 months remaining before the best-before date.
Shipping
Ships within 2 weeks · Shipping cost included in price
Note
Please note that import duties, taxes, and customs clearance fees are the responsibility of the buyer. We cannot guarantee customs clearance in all countries. Products are shipped from Japan as personal imports.
This product contains soy sauce, miso, and other fermented ingredients and is subject to food import regulations in some countries. Australia requires declaration of all food products at the border, and items may be subject to inspection. Buyers are encouraged to check the import regulations applicable to their country before placing an order.
Please note that all product labels and packaging are written in Japanese only. Ingredient information and storage instructions are listed on this product page.
