Take-no-i Shuzo, with a history of over 160 years, created a new brand, Seiko, in 2007. This sake is brewed with the flower yeast and rice that impressed the brewer during his apprenticeship, as well as Yatsugatake subterranean water drawn from a hand-dug well, from which the company’s name is derived. The toji is proud to pass on his unwavering sake brewing skills to future generations.
A long-established sake brewery that has been in business for over 150 years
There is a long-established sake brewery in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, that has been brewing sake since the end of the Edo period (Keio era) more than 160 years ago. The name “Take-no-i Sake Brewery” is derived from the character “Take” of Buzaemon Shimizu, the founder of the brewery, and “I” of a 10-meter hand-dug well fed by subterranean water from the Yatsugatake Mountains. It was 18 years ago (2007) that a new brand called “Seiko” was born at the family-run brewery, which had been producing the “Take-no-i” brand for generations. It has a refreshing and easy-to-drink taste. It is recommended to drink it chilled. The brand’s senior managing director and chief brewer, Koichiro Shimizu, is the driving force behind the Seikou brand.
The New “Seikou” Brand
Today, Take-no-i Sake Brewery is making its own unique sake while responding to the needs of the market by rebranding and trying out the latest brewing methods. However, until 18 years ago, when Mr. Shimizu returned to Hokuto City after completing his training, he was making low-priced sake, unlike today. At that time, beer and wine were on the rise, and the demand for sake was gradually decreasing with the times. So we started brewing a new type of sake to differentiate ourselves from the competition. The name of the new brand, “Seikou,” was chosen to symbolize the image of clear, clean water and the desire for the sake industry to “sparkle” in the world. The name “Seikou” was chosen to reflect the image of clear, clean water and the desire for the sake industry to “sparkle” in the world.
Tsurubara Yeast and Omachi, both of which impressed him during his apprenticeship
Yeast is an essential part of sake brewing. Yeast is a small microorganism, invisible to the naked eye, that is responsible for the alcoholic fermentation process, converting the sugar in the rice used to make sake into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yeast is usually isolated from the sake’s unrefined sake, but Take-no-i Sake Brewery uses “hana-kobo” (flower yeast), which is isolated from flowers that bloom in the natural world. Mr. Shimizu originally studied floral yeast while a student at Tokyo University of Agriculture. He says that his experience in brewing sake with various types of flower yeast at the Raifuku Sake Brewery in Ibaraki Prefecture, where he trained after graduation, was the starting point for his current style.
He says, “It was the Tsurubara yeast that I felt was most suited for the sake I wanted to make. Tsurubara yeast is a yeast that has been successfully isolated from the vine by the Sake Brewing Laboratory of the Tokyo University of Agriculture’s Department of Brewing and Fermentation. Mr. Shimizu was impressed by the combination of Tsurubara yeast and Omachi when he was in training. He says, “Sake made with Omachi and Tsurubara yeast is unique in Japan. I think it has a taste that can only be produced here. These words reveal his unwavering confidence. When Mr. Shimizu took over as toji (master brewer), he focused on “Junmai Ginjo Omachi,” which uses Omachi sake rice produced in Okayama Prefecture, as the core product of the brand. Currently, the Seikou brand is differentiating itself by brewing with Tsurubara yeast and offering a variety of products using different varieties of sake rice.
The Growing Appeal of Seikou
When the Seikou brand was released, it was very well received by buyers for its innovative taste. On the other hand, he realized that flower yeast is still not generally recognized. He says, “I think there are many people who don’t know what yeast is in the first place,” and he doesn’t put much emphasis on promoting the distinctive flower yeast as the main ingredient.
We place importance on having people experience the taste by drinking it. I think that if people feel that this is what flower yeast is after drinking it, then the goodness of the yeast will gradually spread.
An unexpected gift from Yatsugatake
The quality of the water is very important in creating a clean, refreshing taste. Mr. Shimizu says that he places great importance on water, and that all of his sake is brewed with water from the Yatsugatake Mountains. Hokuto City, where the brewery is located, is rich in Yatsugatake subterranean water, which is pumped from a 10-meter hand-dug well that gives the brewery its name. The water is classified as soft, medium soft, medium hard, or hard depending on the concentration of calcium and magnesium in the underground water. In Japan, where the land is narrow and the slopes are steep and the water flows out to the sea quickly, the calcium and magnesium in the ground are absorbed in a short time, so the water is often soft with a low concentration. However, the subterranean water here in Yatsugatake is influenced by the complex geological strata, so it is not soft water, but medium-hard water. Tsurubara yeast has a relatively weak fermentation power, but the hardness of the water helps it, like a “source of energy,”” says Shimizu. He recalls how he felt when he first started brewing sake in this area, saying, “I was very happy that the ingredients I wanted to use and the characteristics of the region happened to match, and I was able to create the flavor I was aiming for. The land of Yatsugatake responded in an unexpected way to the craftsman’s repeated research to create delicious sake.
Unchanging, unwavering sake brewing
Mr. Shimizu’s commitment is not to change the taste of the brand. He is committed to “never changing the taste of the brand,” which means “never blurring. After many years of sake brewing, the quality of the rice and environmental factors of the year can cause the taste of the sake to gradually deviate from the ideal. The difficult point is how to keep it within the framework of “Take-no-i” and “Seikou”. In order to maintain a consistent flavor, he says, the “strong points” of the ingredients, such as the aroma, are sometimes suppressed. Why does he insist on “not changing the flavor of the brand” to such an extent? The reason is the “customers” who look forward to drinking his sake.
He says, “There are many sake brands with the same name that have completely different tastes, and if you look around the world, there are many sake brands that have changed in taste. Of course, different sake breweries have different ideas, but I believe that the first taste is the one that leaves the biggest impression on the drinker. So I don’t want to betray that impression.
Preserving the Taste for Future Generations
In 2017, there was a new change in the Take-no-i brand, which has been well-loved for many years. In addition to the existing product lineup, new “Tokutei Meisho-shu” (special name sake) such as “Junmai Ginjo” and “Tokubetsu Honjozo,” which can only be named after sake rice that meets strict conditions such as the rice polishing ratio and ingredients used, have been added to the lineup. Despite these changes, however, the company continues to make locally-oriented sake, such as using Hitogokochi, a sake rice grown in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture. Shimizu’s steadfast sake brewing style is still alive and well, not only in the “Seikou” brand, but also in the “Take-no-i” brand, where the taste has remained unchanged.
As for the future outlook, Shimizu is determined to improve the current products to increase public recognition, but he has no plans to change the flavor of the brand. The refreshing and easy-to-drink taste of Qinghuang will surely continue to be accepted in the future. I believe it will be loved for a long time and remain as a sake. Mr. Shimizu’s words are imbued with a sense of responsibility to the customers who look forward to his sake and a solid confidence in the sake he is brewing. With the trust and experience he has built up, the unchanging taste of Seikou will be passed on to future generations.
