Brewery loved mainly by locals goes national
Gojome-machi, Akita Prefecture, is a small town with a population of about 9,000 located in the center of Akita Prefecture, about 30 km north of Akita City. Walking through the center of the town, you will find old houses and an old marketplace with a cultural flavor, while in the distance, you will see the green forested mountains and the sound of the Babamegawa River. The city’s long history may have been fostered by the fact that this area was already established as a village in the mid-Heian period (794-1185).
In the Edo period (1603-1868), Gojome became a supply center for the Ani Mine and prospered greatly. In 1688, when the town was beginning to come alive, Fukurokuju Shuzo was founded. In the beginning, the main business was the production of doburoku. The upper and lower storehouses were designated as National Tangible Cultural Properties in 1996, and the earthen storehouse-style upper storehouse, built at the end of the 18th century, has only a few parts, but the wood is thick and strong. It is a rare building that is regarded as the prototype of Akita Prefecture’s sake brewery architecture, and is still used today as a storage facility for tanks just before bottling. The brewery’s representative brands include “Hikobei” and “Fukurokuju,” and it has long been a popular sake brewery, especially among the locals. The current head of the brewery, Yasue Watanabe, is the 16th head of the brewery. After studying brewing at a university in Tokyo, he immediately returned to the brewery, where he has been promoting a number of reforms in order to create sake with an emphasis on quality and product value. The “Ippaku Suisei” sake that Mr. Watanabe created in 2006 was a clear departure from the Fukurokuju Brewery’s previous focus on sake that could be easily mass-produced, and his insistence on producing pure rice sake, even at lower production volumes, was well received and gained nationwide popularity. The company’s sake brewery now accounts for more than half of the company’s total shipments.
Sake made with ingredients from Gojome
The year 2021 marks our 333rd anniversary. We started selling a limited edition commemorative sake in November as a token of our gratitude. With a smile on his face, Mr. Watanabe was holding a Junmai Daiginjo “333,” brewed with 33.3% Akita Sake Komachi sake rice. The last step of the brewing process, tome-brewing, was done on March 3, 2021, and the brewery was very particular about the number “3,” with a limited number of 333 bottles of “Nakadori” and 3333 bottles of “Normal Pressing” being shipped. While the first impression is fresh and juicy, there is nothing flashy about the taste. The calm and gentle aftertaste is somewhat familiar, as if it reflects Mr. Watanabe’s personality.
There are many factors that determine the taste of sake, including the brewing water, rice, and yeast, and Mr. Watanabe says he is always worried about them. The brewery has been using abundant spring water since its establishment. It is medium-hard water with high calcium and magnesium content and a good ion balance. The rice used for the brewing is sake rice grown by the “Gojome Sake Rice Research Association,” which was established more than 10 years ago. They use four main varieties of rice: Miyamanishiki, Misanishiki, Gin no Sei, and Akita Sake Komachi. In 2018, the brewery opened the Shimotacho Brewery HIKOBE, a café and social gathering place, diagonally across from the brewery. The café is a place where visitors to the brewery can relax. The menu includes sake-kasu cheesecake, brewed water coffee, and a Fukurokuju sake tasting set,” says Watanabe. Renovated from a former chest store, the space is spacious with high ceilings. Coffee cups are fired at San’on Kiln in Gojome. The kiln, which has been in operation for about 30 years, uses glaze made from plant ashes to produce pottery with a rustic texture.
Fukurokuju Brewery was born and raised in Gojome. The 16th head of the brewery, Yasue Watanabe, continues to look to the future of his town with wide-open eyes and a love of his hometown.
