Kizunaya Co., Ltd., based in Kitsuki City, Oita Prefecture, has launched a new product called "Tonosama Kurodai Mazegohan no Moto" (Lord's Black Sea Bream Mixed Rice) starting February 2026. The product is now available through Kizunaya's official online shop and souvenir stores throughout the prefecture. The company has developed this easy-to-use mixed rice product using fresh black sea bream (locally known as chinu) caught in Kitsuki City, which was previously underutilized. The product features the traditional Oita regional dish "ryukyu" flavor profile.
Product Features
After extensive trial and error to determine how best to bring out the texture and umami of black sea bream (chinu), the company decided to season it in the style of their signature product, Oita's regional dish "ryukyu-zuke." Rather than creating a frozen or refrigerated product, they developed an easy-to-eat "mixed rice base" that can be enjoyed generously as a room-temperature product.
Product Details
①Product Name: Tonosama Kurodai Ryukyu Mazegohan no Moto
Price: ¥864 (tax included)
Website: https://kizunaya.shop/?pid=190378508
②Product Name: Saba Mazegohan no Moto (Oita Miso Style)
Price: ¥864 (tax included)
Website: https://kizunaya.shop/?pid=190387292
③Product Name: Bungo Beppu Bay Shirasu Mazegohan no Moto (Yuzu Kosho Style)
Price: ¥864 (tax included)
Website: https://kizunaya.shop/?pid=190387651
④Product Name: Tonosama Hamo Mazegohan no Moto (Sesame Oil Spicy Dashi Style)
Price: ¥864 (tax included)
Website: https://kizunaya.shop/?pid=190405817
Sales Locations
- EC Site: https://kizunaya.shop/
- Bon Marche inside JR Beppu Station
- Kitsuki Furusato Sangyo-kan
- Beppu Transportation Center
- Oita Airport shop "Tabibito" (scheduled)
- Other locations to be announced
Product Development Background
Morie Bay in Kitsuki City, Oita Prefecture, has long been a prime fishing ground for Manila clams. In recent years, oyster farming has become a local specialty, with several oyster huts lining the coastal road known as "Oyster Road." However, the Manila clam population has declined sharply in recent years. Despite efforts by the local fishing cooperative to increase numbers by planting juvenile clams, results have been minimal. While pollution and environmental changes were considered as potential causes, the main culprit was identified as predation by black sea bream (chinu). The black sea bream were consuming both juvenile and mature Manila clams, and also damaging the farmed oysters, reducing production volumes. Research by the fishing cooperative showed that when nets were placed over areas where juvenile clams were planted to prevent predation, many plump clams grew successfully. The company decided to develop this underutilized black sea bream into a Kitsuki City specialty product, processing it into an easily consumable form. While black sea bream has a slightly different flavor profile compared to red sea bream—which can be considered a distinctive characteristic of the fish—the company created it as a mixed rice base to make it more appealing to women and children while still allowing consumers to appreciate the delicious qualities of black sea bream.
About Kizunaya
Kizunaya Co., Ltd. is a seafood processing company located in Kitsuki City, Oita Prefecture. The company utilizes the abundant marine resources of Oita Prefecture to provide delicious, easily consumable products. Their main products include "ryukyu (marinated fish)," a regional dish from Oita Prefecture, and seafood shabu-shabu sets. Their yellowtail ryukyu was selected for JAL's first-class and business-class in-flight meals, with approximately 50,000 servings provided. The company works daily to spread the deliciousness of ryukyu (marinated fish) throughout Japan.
