Naraijuku is located in the south of Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture. The old post town, which was one of the eleven Kiso inns along the Nakasendo route from Edo to Kyoto, still retains the atmosphere of those days and has been designated as a national important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the town was known as “Narai Senken,” and many people used to come and go. Although it is still a tourist destination that attracts approximately 600,000 visitors annually, inns and restaurants have gradually disappeared from the town as the traditional purpose of using the area for lodging has faded. The Suginomori Sake Brewery, located in a corner of the town and loved by local residents as one of the five best sake breweries in Kiso, regrettably closed its doors in 2012, ending more than 200 years of history since its establishment in 1793.

The newly reborn sake brewery “Suginomori Brewery”

In 2020, however, a project was launched to renovate the dormant sake brewery and a nearby guest house to create a lodging complex that would serve as a hub for visitors touring the Naraijuku area. Hiroshi Sandberg joined the project as a project advisor and was suddenly given the task of revitalizing the sake brewery, an important part of the project. Sandberg is a returnee with mixed roots, having a Swedish-American father and Japanese mother. He was involved in the revitalization of hotels and inns as part of his former company’s operations, and through this experience, he focused on the revitalization business utilizing Japan’s historical resources, and established Kiraku Co. Kiraku has been involved in the revitalization of regions throughout Japan, including the “Kiraku Obi” luxury accommodation facility in a fully renovated old private house in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, the “Nazuna” ryokan-style accommodation facility in a historic building in Kyoto, and the “Kiraku” single building rental facility. He has transformed many idle real estate properties into businesses, but he had absolutely no experience in sake brewing. It was a challenge to break new ground.

However, as soon as he saw the building, his intuition took precedence: “It is rare to find a sake brewery in the middle of a sightseeing area. Many sake breweries are located in the suburbs for reasons of site and brewing environment, but the brewery felt that the building had a story to tell, having accumulated history along with the scenery of Narai-juku since its establishment. Another factor that encouraged him was the fact that the brewery still had its “sake brewing license,” which would normally have expired after the brewery closed and the business was notified of its closure. Today, it is difficult to obtain a new sake brewing license unless you have something to show for it. Of course, he understands that sake brewing is not as easy as one might think. After starting the project, he approached several breweries to see if they would be willing to cooperate with him and help with operations, but he did not receive a positive response from any of them. In the midst of all this, they invited Mr. Hidehiko Matsumoto, whom they had met through a previous project in Kyoto, to serve as an advisor. He was the toji (master brewer) of the Matsumoto Sake Brewery in Kyoto at the time, and was well known and respected in the sake industry for his “Sawaya Matsumoto Morihate” and other famous sake products. The project was launched, but Mr. Matsumoto was a little concerned about one thing. The warehouse was only 250 square meters in area.

As one might expect, few sake breweries in Japan would be able to brew sake on such a small site. However, the traditional business model of sake breweries, which is to “only brew in winter” and “only wholesale to wholesalers,” does not match the needs of the modern age, right? Based on this hypothesis, the company decided that this size was just right, as it would allow for year-round sake brewing under the watchful eye of the toji. In addition, the brewery is located in close proximity to a restaurant in the complex, allowing visitors to watch the sake brewing process up close while they dine. We thought this entertainment value was an important piece to the business, which is why we were so particular about this location.

The birth of the sake “narai”

After that, we spent about a year planning the story of the product release in reverse, launching the website, selecting the most appropriate channels, and other development activities based on our advanced marketing skills. The brewery’s toji, Masayuki Irie, who had studied sake brewing at Matsumoto’s brewery and other breweries around Japan, was invited to be the toji, and finally the “suginomori brewery” was launched, with the first sake production beginning in October 2021. The name of the sake brewed by Suginomori brewery is “narai. Like whiskey, the sake is named after a famous Japanese liquor, and is named after a place. Of course, tracing is not the only reason. By naming it after a place, we thought we could approach it from both hooks, the sake and the name of the place, in this age of widespread web searches. To live up to the name, we also pursued a flavor unique to the area. The mountain water from the Kiso River, which has been used since the time of the previous generation, “I have drunk many kinds of water throughout Japan, but the water from Narai has a top-class, clean texture.” Mr. Matsumoto praised the water so highly. The brewer insists on “Shinshu Shibori,” a method of squeezing the water using local products as much as possible, while staying close to the blessed natural environment. Of course, to avoid being too particular and niche, he is considering the global market and aims to create sake that can be enjoyed by everyone. Being involved in this project and being a returnee myself, I was able to get a bird’s eye view of the challenges of sake brewery management in Japan, such as weak management that relies on experience and the need to improve information dissemination. The introduction of seasonal brewing to improve production efficiency and provide stable employment for employees is another idea that is typical of Sandberg, who has lived abroad for a long time and is able to honestly question traditional Japanese industries. In the future, he would like to use the knowledge he has gained here to actively engage in the revitalization of sake breweries that have fallen into financial difficulties.

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“Hirazumi Honpo”, traditional Yamahai brewing

Located along the Sea of Japan in southern Akita Prefecture, NIKAHO CITY is a northern town rich in nature with a view of the sacred mountain Chokai. Hiraizumi Honpo was founded in 1487, dating back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573). It is the third oldest sake brewery in Japan and the oldest in Tohoku.
Hiraizumi Honpo is characterized by its traditional Yamahai brewing process. Yamahai brewing allows the yeast to propagate over time, making it possible for strong yeast bacteria to ferment the sake. Perhaps this is why Hiraizumi Honpo’s sake has an image of “strong acidity and robustness. This is a robust sake brewed using the Yamahai brewing method, which is the company’s specialty. It is a robust sake with a strong drinking experience, and can be said to be a sake for sake lovers.
Of course, such sake is not bad, but in the future, we want women and young people to enjoy sake in a more casual way. When I thought about it, I decided that our brewery needed to make sake that is easier to drink. Masaaki Saito, the 27th head of the brewery and executive director of the company, said.

New Challenges for “Hiraizumi Honpo”

After working as a salesman for a broadcasting company in Tokyo for about seven years, Mr. Saito returned to NIKAHO City in 2018, and is now seeking a modern sake quality while understanding the appeal of the traditional Yamahai brewing method.
My wife is not much of a sake drinker, but I want to make sake that even she can enjoy,” he says, adding that he is currently working on a change in brewing methods.
However, Hiraizumi Honpo is no ordinary sake brewery; it is a brewery with a tradition of over 500 years and has already gained a reputation among many sake lovers, so it is quite a challenge to take a new approach to creating a new taste. And although Saito-san had seen sake brewing as part of his daily life, this was the first time he had been involved as a sake brewer. Nevertheless, his passion for “sake for the next generation” moved those around him, and he and the toji started a new sake brewing project.

Sake to be delivered to the next generation born

The sake brewed in the brewery’s new direction is the HITEN HIRAIZUMI series, released for the first time in 2019. The “Hina HINA” series uses an original yeast selected by Mr. Saito himself to bring out a mild aroma and refreshing acidity; the “Hina Hibari” series uses a ginjo yeast from Akita Prefecture to bring out a gorgeous aroma and a pleasant mouthfeel; and the “Kubu Hakucho” series combines white malted rice, No. 77 yeast (malic acid), and the Yamahai yeast (lactic acid) to produce a unique sake that offers a changing acidity. The three varieties are “Kubu HAKUCHO,” which combines white malted rice, No. 77 yeast (malic acid), and Yamahai yeast (lactic acid) to create a unique sake with changing acidity. All of them are made using Yamahai brewing methods, but they are not overly robust, aiming to create new flavors. Saito says, “We made this sake with women and the younger generation in mind, who normally don’t drink sake. Two Junmai Daiginjos, “Kin Konjiki” and “Gin Shirogane,” are also available in the series. It will be interesting to see how this lineup will be accepted in the market.

To create the next generation of sake, while following the good qualities of a brewery with a long history. Mr. Saito’s new approach has just begun. Will he continue to brew using the traditional Yamahai brewing method, or will he try a completely different approach? Either way, we look forward to the future of sake brewing at Tohoku’s longest-established sake brewery.

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Sake from Hida recognized around the world

Furukawa Town in Hida City is located in the northernmost part of Gifu Prefecture. Surrounded by mountains over 3,000 meters high, Furukawa-cho in Hida City is also called the “back seat of Takayama,” with the Setogawa River flowing through the center of the town with 1,000 colorful carp swimming in the water, and a row of town houses and white-walled storehouses where the skills of Hida craftsmen are still alive, giving the town the atmosphere of a good old castle town. The clean water and tasty rice in Furukawa-cho and Takayama-shi, which are ideal for sake brewing, have been popular among tourists visiting the area. However, as is the case throughout Japan, the number of sake breweries has been on the decline in recent years. The Watanabe Sake Brewery has won more awards than any other sake brewery in the world and is expanding its sales channels overseas.
The Watanabe Sake Brewery began brewing sake in 1876. Until then, the Watanabe family had been engaged in the money exchange business and raw silk trade, but when Kyuemon Akira V was fascinated by the delicious sake he tasted on a trip to Kyoto, he started brewing his own sake. The representative brand name is “Horai,” which is named after an auspicious “sake word” that brings people happiness and good fortune, and after the peach garden of longevity where hermits are said to dwell. It has been 20 years since Hisanori Watanabe, the ninth generation of the brewery’s founder, took the helm of the brewery. In order to rebuild the brewery, which was in financial crisis at the time, Mr. Watanabe took a “market-in” approach. In other words, instead of selling sake that the brewer wanted to make, he listened sincerely to the voices of potential customers, analyzed the reasons why his sake was not selling, and proposed sake that the customers wanted to drink. Based on these ideas, he developed products and thoroughly considered how to sell them.

Ideas for “hidden sake” that are special and appealing

For example, the “brewer’s hidden sake” product, which became a big hit, involves the sale of sake that is entered in a competition or reserved for VIPs visiting the brewery. The idea came from a consumer who happened to come into the store and see the sake stored in the store’s refrigerator wrapped in newspaper and asked for the sake to be given away. Watanabe Shuzoten had been keeping these not-for-sale sake in the best possible condition by wrapping them in newspaper to block out the light, but when Watanabe realized that the rarity of this “special sake that cannot be drunk normally” and the indescribably special feeling of having newspaper wrapped around it would appeal to consumers, he decided to commercialize the product. Marketing research on the taste also revealed that, in contrast to the dry sake popular in the market, there was a demand for a crisp sweet sake, and the concept was to create a genuine dry sake with the original umami of rice, mellowness, and a refreshing sharpness. The catchy name “hidden sake” and the unexpectedness of the project were well received, and it has become a core product of the Watanabe Shuzo Brewery. Another hit product is the “Garigari Gyokogenshu,” which can be stored at room temperature and drunk on the rocks. This product was created after listening to customers who said that the ostentatious storage requirements of refrigerators were bothersome and that they did not have space to keep sake cool.
Behind the creation of these ideas one after another lies the underlying spirit of “Sake Is Entertainment” that Mr. Watanabe upholds. In the sake industry, which is becoming increasingly polarized between inexpensive industrial products and artistic luxury products, Mr. Watanabe wants to make it easier for people to enjoy delicious sake and bring a smile to their faces from the bottom of their hearts. After carefully listening to the voices of our customers, we have learned that sake has always been appreciated not only for its taste, but also for the experience of tasting and conversing with other people. We would like to create a sake wonderland here in Hida, so that people from all over the world can visit this region and enjoy sake. I want to create sake fans all over the world. Mr. Watanabe says with a twinkle in his eye. Just like Matsuo Basho, who advocated the “fashion of the simple and the fashionable,” Mr. Watanabe will continue to introduce sake culture to the world from Gifu’s little Kyoto, while preserving what must not change even as the world changes and proactively introducing new things.

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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.

NIHONMONO – 「にほん」の「ほんも…

六郷の名水が生む銘酒“春霞”「栗林酒造店」／秋田県美郷町 – NIHONMONO 水の郷がうまい酒「春霞」を生む 栗林酒造店のある秋田県仙北郡は秋田のなかでも酒造りの盛んな場所。江戸時代、付近

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Ota Sake Brewery in Wakasakura-machi, Tottori Prefecture, brews sake in separate tanks for each producer and rice variety. Benten Musume is a sake that takes time to ferment well, and is perfect for warming up. We take a closer look at the roots of the sake brewing process by Shotaro Ota, the fifth generation of the Ota Sake Brewery.

A castle town with clean water where fireflies live

Located in the southeastern tip of Tottori Prefecture, Wakasa-cho (Wakasa Town) has a population of approximately 3,000 and is adjacent to Hyogo and Okayama Prefectures. The town is 95% forested and surrounded by three mountains, Hyonosen, Higashiyama, and Ouginoyama. Fireflies fly around the rich water source from the Hatto River that flows through the center of the town, and the starry sky is often seen. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), “Wakasakura Onigajo” (castle of the Wakasakura demons) towered over the town, which was also a post town on the highway leading to Harima and Tajima Ryogoku (present Hyogo Prefecture).

There used to be several sake breweries, but now there is only one. Shotaro Ota, the fifth generation owner of the Ota Sake Brewery, has been working hard to produce delicious sake using local rice, even while the brewery has been closed for a period of time.

Brewing sake that continued despite being forced out of business

The history of Ota Sake Brewery dates back to 1909. The brewery became independent from the brewery where Mr. Ota’s great-grandfather, who was a toji (master brewer), worked. Every winter, the brewery invited the Izumo Toji from Shimane to brew sake, and the brewery has continued to operate in this style for generations.

However, when the toji became too old to come to the brewery, the company stopped making its own sake in 1992. Ota’s father, the fourth generation of the family to manage the brewery, relied on the practice of buying sake from other breweries by the bucket (i.e., buying sake made at other breweries and only storing and bottling it himself). After a 10-year absence from the brewery, Ota Brewery resumed sake brewing in 2002.

Shotaro went to college in Tokyo and worked at a local bank after graduation. After working for about seven years at outlets in Okayama, Osaka, and other prefectures, he decided to take over the brewery after seeing his father and the employees at the brewery resume sake production and become more energetic.

Benten Musume, a delicious local sake rice

Ota Sake Brewery’s only brand of sake is Benten Musume. The name comes from Wakazakura Benzaiten, which has been affectionately known as “Benten-san” since ancient times. The brewery named the sake after Benzaiten, the god of business, beauty, and water, in the hope that the sake would be as beautiful as Benten-san.

All sake rice is grown in Wakasakura-machi, and only contract and in-house grown rice is used. The main feature is that each farmer and each sake rice is brewed in separate tanks and shipped without any blending. The taste naturally differs with different producers. We want to express the unique flavor of each type of rice,” which is why the company decided not to blend the rice. The label not only lists the variety of rice, but also the name of the producer. Each brewing tank is named “No. 1 Musume, No. 2 Musume, etc.,” so that the customer can enjoy the differences in taste created by the brewing period, farmer, and sake rice.

Bringing out the best of Tottori’s indigenous rice

Five types of sake rice are used. They are “Goriki,” which is the revived rice of Tottori, “Torihime,” a new variety produced through crossbreeding in Tottori, “Tamasakae,” “Yamadanishiki,” and “Gohyakumangoku.

Among these varieties, Torihime is the shortest and most resistant to collapse, and its large grain size makes it easy to secure a good yield. The flavor is light, with a hint of apricot. However, it is difficult to handle because of its tendency to break easily during milling, so the number of breweries using it has dwindled to a few.

However, Mr. Ota has decided to take a hard look at the cultivation of Torihime, and has been cultivating it himself and discussing it with farmers who grow it under contract. He continues to observe the harvest, timing of fertilizer application, ear length, and other factors each year, and uses the data to share opinions on how best to produce the sake rice he wants.

Generally, when sake rice is polished, the more of the outer part of the rice that is shaved off, the better the flavor will be. This is because the outer part of the rice contains a lot of protein, and the more of it that is present, the more cloying the flavor will be. However, if rice can be produced with a lower protein content per grain, it can be made without a lot of polishing. Because he grows his own rice, Mr. Ota thought, “By adding rice without polishing as much as possible, we should be able to make sake that maximizes the characteristics of the rice.

Torihime’s Bentenmusume, made with such ingenuity, has a rich, apricot-skin-like aroma. This flavor was established because the rice was not cut down too much.

To achieve “even better when heated,” melt the rice thoroughly.

When Ota Sake Brewery reopened, they asked Mr. Hiroshi Uehara, an accomplished Tottori Prefecture sake brewing engineer, to provide guidance. Mr. Uehara’s philosophy of sake brewing: “Sake is pure rice, and it is even better when heated. He is a sake brewer who believes that sake is only good when it is heated up.

Just as freshly cooked warm rice tastes good, sake tastes better when it is warmed up, as the original flavor of the rice can be felt. In order for more people to drink sake, we want to make sake that does not sag easily even when stored at room temperature, and that can be drunk little by little every day.

To achieve this, we use only soft rice, which is possible only in Wakasakura-machi. When the temperature is high in the summer, rice becomes hard to protect itself, but in Wakakura-machi, where the rice is grown in cold water from the mountains, the rice is less likely to harden and grows softer. Softer rice melts more easily and slowly develops sweetness and flavor.

The brewery does not rely on the recommended timing of when the alcohol content reaches a certain level, but rather judges the timing based on whether or not the rice has fully dissolved. He believes that “good sake cannot be made without good rice,” and he places great importance on fully dissolving the rice so that the flavor of the rice will be reflected in the sake as much as possible.

It is said that if rice is fermented too long, it tends to develop astringency and bitterness, but letting the rice ferment for some time gives the sake a thicker flavor and a mellowness that comes from maturation. For this reason, it takes about two years for the sake to be ready for shipping, and some are aged for as long as 10 years.

If you know how to drink heated sake

Bentenmusume is only at its best when heated. Sake is best drunk at the same temperature as the body, as it is easily absorbed by the stomach, has a pleasant aroma, and goes well with meals. Bentenmusume also has a sourness that is due to the fact that it is fermented thoroughly, and it is said to stimulate the appetite as one drinks it.

In recent years, sake is often drunk chilled. But I want people to know that there is another way to drink sake: heated. I want to show people that there is an easy and delicious way to enjoy sake in everyday life,” says Ota.

We want to preserve it along with our food culture.

It is the sake’s food that you will want to match with the warmed sake. The culture of food and preservation is what allows sake to survive. That is why Mr. Ota has commercialized “nare-zushi” (fermented mackerel sushi) and “narazuke,” both of which have been eaten in Wakazakura since ancient times.

Wakazakura is a mountainous area surrounded by snow in winter. In the past, it was difficult to move around the town, and there were times when fish from the sea did not come in, which led to the development of nare-zushi, which can be preserved for long periods of time. The lactic acid bacteria produced from the mama (a type of rice wine) brings out the flavor of the fish and slows its decomposition, allowing it to be stored for up to two months. Narazuke, on the other hand, is made by slowly marinating the fish in sake-kasu (sake lees) for more than two years, and the seven times the fish is pickled gives it a mild flavor.

Although it is no longer made in every household, he hopes to preserve the unique taste of kamazuke and kasuzuke, as well as the sake that has been passed down with the food.

Sake that accompanies the daily life of Japanese people.

Bentenmusume may not be for the masses, as the longer it is aged, the more one can taste the differences in the flavor of each farmer’s sake rice. However, its unique flavor appeals to those who are attracted to it. And once you are hooked, you will be hooked.

While the consumption of sake is declining, Mr. Ota’s goal is to make sake that is close to the daily lives of Japanese people.

He wants to create sake that will be enjoyed for 100 years to come, and that will continue to be part of the food culture. Mr. Ota’s goal of sake brewing will continue in the future.

The post Cherish every grain of rice. Ota Sake Brewery, which produces “Benten Musume” that makes the most of the unique flavor of rice first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Founded in 1806, Yoshida Sake Brewery is located in Eiheiji-cho, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture. The high-quality sake rice and abundant water of Eiheiji-cho, as well as the local people and climate, are all described as “terroir,” and the sake brewed here opens the door to a new world for this long-established sake brewery.

Predecessor Makes a Splendid Comeback in Rice Cultivation

Yoshida Shuzo, which has brewed the famous sake Hakuryu, is located near the majestic Kuzuryu River. The area has an abundance of high-quality water suitable for sake brewing and rice cultivation, and the town of Eiheiji is home to a concentration of nationally known sake breweries, including the Koryu Brewery (which produces Koryu) and the Tanabe Brewery (which produces Echizenmisaki). In this fierce competition, Yoshida Mako is the toji at Yoshida Sake Brewery, and in 2017, at the young age of 25, she became the toji, garnering much attention as the youngest female toji in Japan at the time.

She now runs the brewery with her mother, Yukari, her sister, Shoko, and her husband, Daiki.

Junmai sake brewed entirely with rice grown in Eiheiji Town

Yoshida Sake Brewery became a pure rice sake brewery in 2017 when Mako-san became the toji. The sake rice used is Yamadanishiki, Gohyakumangoku, and Hanaechizen, and starting in 2018, all of the rice used as ingredients is produced in Eiheiji-cho.
Mako’s goal is to create a sake that is as pure and clear as the local water, and that can be enjoyed as a “sake to be enjoyed with food” while taking advantage of the characteristics of the Eiheiji rice.

New brewery to produce sake for foreign markets

In 2023, Yoshida Shuzo will build a new brewery and begin brewing a new type of sake for the overseas market that does not rely on junmai, ginjo, or other sake with a specific name. The driving force behind this small, family-run brewery’s global challenge is the passion for sake brewing that Mako’s father, Tomohiko, the sixth-generation brewer who passed away eight years ago, bequeathed to his family.

Breaking away from the grading system of sake brewing

When Tomohiko took over Yoshida Shuzo in the 1980s, the sake produced was mainly first- and second-grade sake. First- and second-grade sake were once the designations in the sake grading system, which was abolished in 1992 and replaced by the “Tokutei Meishu” system of junmai and ginjo sake.
At a meeting at the Takinogawa Brewery Experiment Station, where Tomohiko once trained as a sake brewer, he had the opportunity to drink sake collected from all over Japan. The first sake to be emptied was a daiginjo made from polished Yamada-Nishiki, which was a favorite of the participants. Witnessing this scene, Tomohiko felt that there was no future for him if he continued to rely on first- and second-class sake, and he decided to brew sake using Yamada Nishiki.

If you can’t buy rice, grow your own.

In 1990, Tomohiko attempted to purchase Yamada-Nishiki from the sake brewers association, but was turned down because of his lack of experience. While he was struggling, an acquaintance suggested that he grow his own Yamada-Nishiki, and he thought, “I see. At the time, the Yoshida family owned a number of rice fields that produced Koshihikari for food, and Tomohiko immediately set out to cultivate Yamada-Nishiki in Fukui, which at the time was considered the northern limit of cultivation.

Sake brewing starts with soil preparation

While chemical fertilizers were used in the fields where Koshihikari had been grown, no such fertilizers were used in the cultivation of Yamada-Nishiki, and pesticides were used as little as possible. As a result, only 3 bales of rice were harvested per 1 tan of rice field in the first year. Since it is said that a typical edible rice crop yields about 8 to 10 bales per one-tenth of a rice field, the yield was about one-third of the normal yield. However, the brewers were happy to have successfully harvested the rice for sake, and they began to make sake on a trial basis. Since they were now able to handle the entire process from rice cultivation to sake production, they decided to make a special junmai sake and junmai ginjo sake. The resulting sake was deeply moving, and seemed to indicate the path the company should take in the future.
Three years after they began cultivating Yamada-Nishiki, they were finally able to harvest a certain amount of Yamada-Nishiki of consistent quality.

Pursuit of quality, not quantity

In 2006, Tomohiko revived a sake called “Asaizumi,” which had been recorded from the time of the brewery’s founding, and released “Hakuryu Junmai Kaiso-shu Asaizumi” as a commemorative sake for the 200th anniversary of the brewery. The Yamada-Nishiki rice is polished to a low polishing ratio of 85% to recreate the flavor of the rice that would have been drunk in ancient times. The brewery also worked to produce high-end sake such as Junmai Daiginjo, which is made from large-grain Yamada-Nishiki. Although the management of the brewery itself was still in a very difficult situation, the direction for the future was gradually becoming clear.

The Family’s Challenge to Succeed the Will of the Predecessor

Some time later, in June 2014, Mako, who was about to graduate from college, received a call from Yukari. Tomohiko-san’s health is not good, and we are short on staff. Tomohiko is not feeling well and we are short on staff. Mako was so excited that she decided to ask him for help. So in the spring of 2015, after graduating from college, Mako immediately entered the brewery and began helping out with the brewing. However, at the end of that year, Tomohiko passed away at the young age of 54. The following year, the veteran Nanbu Touji, who had been asked to help out, suffered a back injury and returned to his hometown due to his advanced age. These difficulties combined to plunge the brewery into an unprecedented crisis.

Mothers and Daughters Survive the Crisis

Without a toji (master brewer), Yoshida Sake Brewery began brewing sake in 2016. Mako-san had some knowledge, but almost no experience. She sent daily updates on the progress of the unrefined sake to the Food Processing Research Institute, a prefectural agency, and received advice from visits to the brewery, and managed to get through that year, but the question of what to do with the sake from now on was a big one that kept going around in her mind. After Tomohiko’s death, Yukari, the seventh generation to take over the brewery, said to Mako, “You have helped with the brewing for the past two years and have a good understanding of the brewery’s policies. I want you to be the toji (master brewer). However, despite a month and a half of training at the Institute for Sake Research, which organizes the National New Sake Competition, analyzes and appraises sake, and provides training for brewers, Mako was not yet in a position where she could proudly say that she was proficient in sake brewing, which caused her great anxiety. She even thought about quitting the brewery. At that time, the secretariat of a local sake cooperative with which her father had a close relationship approached her about participating in a summer trial brewing program at the Kamikawa Taisetsu Sake Brewery in Hokkaido.

Yoshida Brewery, where the family comes together as one

In 2017, Mako’s mindset changed as she learned sake brewing from the ground up under Shinji Kawabata, the toji at Kamikawa Taisetsu Sake Brewery. Until then, she had been thinking only of “just perfecting sake,” but with Mr. Kawabata’s experienced instruction, she gradually came to understand the fun and depth of sake brewing, and she began to feel a desire to “make sake that I can truly enjoy.
After completing her training, Mako decided to officially become a toji. The following year, in 2018, her sister Shoko, who was working for an IT company in Tokyo, married Daiki, and the couple joined Yoshida Sake Brewery to help the company. Sachiko used the knowledge and experience she gained at the IT company to modernize the brewery, while Daiki assumed responsibility for sake rice cultivation. A structure is now in place to further refine the high-quality sake brewing that their late father laid the foundation for.

Established a joint venture with a Hong Kong company

After the death of her father, Yoshida Shuzo expanded the Yamada-Nishiki fields left to her by her father and improved the brewing facilities to further enhance the quality of the sake. Mako has also improved her brewing techniques as the years have passed, and is steadily approaching her longtime goal of producing a clear sake with no cloying taste, yet with a strong sense of rice flavor. Junmai Daiginjo” won a gold medal for two consecutive years at the National New Sake Competition in 2021 and 2022, and in recent years its reputation has become firmly established.
In June 2022, Yoshida Shuzo embarked on a major challenge. The company established Symphony Yoshida Brewery Co., Ltd. as a joint venture with Symphony, a Hong Kong-listed company that had been considering global expansion of sake production, to brew sake for the overseas market. With a focus on Hong Kong, Singapore, and other Asian countries, the company aims to enhance the value of sake and develop the global market through thorough quality control.
Also, in 2023, the Yoshimine Baian (Yoshimine Brewery), a renovated 100-year-old private house, will be completed. At this facility, through workshops to introduce the attractiveness of Eiheiji-machi sake rice, cedar ball making workshops, and other experiences, the charms of the culture and climate of Eiheiji-machi will be communicated, which can be learned only from a sake brewery that has taken root in this region and has been brewing sake.

Eiheiji Brand to the World

Thus, the Yoshida Sake Brewery began to promote the excellence of “Eiheiji Terroir” to the world. The company does not use a specific name for its overseas sake, which expresses the terroir, and instead plans to use the full potential of the sake rice, mainly Yamada-Nishiki grown by the company and its contract farmers, to create a sake with the best possible quality. In order to achieve this goal, they will need to increase the production of high-quality sake rice, but they expect to be able to meet this challenge thanks to the participation of farmers in Eiheiji Town, with whom they have developed close ties through workshops on the growth of Yamada Nishiki held by Daiki, who is in charge of rice production, in the Yoshida Sake Brewery Group’s sake rice production.
Mako says, “I am anxious about how our sake, which expresses the Eiheiji terroir, will be accepted overseas, but my expectations outweigh that. The challenge of going overseas has just begun, but as the sake brewed by the Yoshida Sake Brewery Group gains recognition overseas, the town of Eiheiji is expected to gain recognition as well. It is quite possible that the town will attract more people to visit Eiheiji, as is the case in small towns in France where famous wineries are located. Our own actions could help bring people from all over the world to Eiheiji. Yoshida Shuzo’s insatiable challenge continues toward such a future.

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Yamazaki Limited Partnership, founded in 1903 in Hazu, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, is a long-established brewery known for its sake “Sonno. Since its establishment, the company has been making sake under the belief that “local sake is nurtured by the climate,” while embraced by the nature of Hazu. The sake made with rice developed in the Okumikawa region of Aichi Prefecture has timeless value.

The “Honorable Emperor” was born in a small village overlooking the ocean.

Hazu area, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture. Yamazaki Goshi Kaisha was founded in 1903 in this rich natural setting overlooking Mikawa Bay to the south. The brewery’s philosophy from its inception was to “brew sake that cannot be found anywhere else,” and in 1920 it launched “Sonno,” which has remained one of the brewery’s most popular brands for more than 100 years.

Today, in addition to Sonoh, the brewery produces more than 10 other brands, including “Oku,” “Gennai,” and “Nengoichi. Some of the brands range from junmai daiginjo-shu to regular sake, and the total number of products handled by the brewery is said to be more than 50.

The best sake for Aichi Prefecture’s richly flavored

The brewery uses locally grown rice from Aichi Prefecture and groundwater pumped up from the foot of Mount Mikane, located north of the brewery. The idea that “sake is a gift from the climate” has remained unchanged since the brewery’s founding. In Aichi Prefecture, where sake production has flourished since the Edo period, the production of fermented seasonings such as Mikawa Mirin, a secondary processing of sake lees, also flourished. Against this backdrop, Aichi Prefecture developed its own local foods that are said to be richly seasoned, such as broiled eel sweetened with Mikawa mirin and “dote-ni” and “miso katsu” using red miso, which originated in the prefecture and has a rich flavor and aroma. Yamazaki Goushi Company’s sake, which has a robust flavor, is the best match for this “strong flavor,” according to the company’s senior managing director, Hiromasa Yamazaki.

Yumesansui, rice for sake, born in the Okumikawa region

All mainstay products, such as Sonoh and Oku, are made from sake brewing rice produced in Aichi Prefecture. Yumesansui,” which is said to be the highest quality rice among them, was bred and developed for mountainous areas by the Intermountain Agricultural Research Institute of the Aichi Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station at the strong desire of local farmers and sake brewers in the Okumikawa region. Yamadanishiki”, a rice suitable for sake brewing, was used as the mother strain, and “Chubu 44”, a sister strain of “Chiyonishiki”, was used as the father strain, and the rice was developed and improved in 1998.
In 2014, Yume-Ginko, a sake brewing rice for flat areas, was also created. In 2019, Yamadanishiki from Aichi Prefecture will be introduced, giving sake brewers more options for locally produced sake rice.

A new brand that deepens the “depth” of sake [Oku]

One of the main brands, Oku, is made using 100% Yumesansui. Although they were the first to introduce Yumesansui, they struggled to commercialize it. After four years of trial brewing, it was finally developed. The development concept was “to make sake with a strong aroma and a strong flavor. True to this concept, the alcohol content of Oku is all higher than 18%, which is high for a sake. Mr. Yamazaki puts a lot of effort into his words, saying, “Oku cannot be made with less than 18 degrees.

Yamazaki Limited Partnership uses its own rice to polish Yumesansui to a 22% polishing ratio, achieving a finish with no cloying taste. The beer has a high alcohol content and high aroma, but has no cloying taste. The name “Oku” was derived from the strong desire of the previous president who developed the sake to “deepen the “depth” of sake.

The characteristics of the brewery can be recognized by its ingredients, and the technology of the brewery can be recognized by its aftertaste.

Mr. Yamazaki says, “I think the “hint” of sake in the mouth is a characteristic of the brewery. I believe that a brewery’s skill comes out in the aftertaste,” he says. The “aftertaste” that Mr. Yamazaki and his team are aiming for is a clear taste with no clutter. In 1993, they built a new warehouse with air conditioning and refrigeration. All products in the warehouse can now be stored at low temperatures.
The brewery also focuses on “Kare Rashi,” or drying the rice and freshly made koji after polishing. The koji is then dried and the koji is dried in a process known as “kareraki,” which takes time to remove any impurities. When Mr. Yamazaki tasted sake made through this process for the first time, he was surprised at how different it was.

Even if it is said that we are “going against the times”… we want to maintain our pride.

Since 2020, an increasing number of sake breweries have been producing low-alcohol sake with a gorgeous aroma, but Yamazaki Goshi Kaisha handles a lot of nama sake, and all of its products have a high alcohol content. Oku has a basic alcohol content of 18 degrees, and Sonoh is around 17 degrees. Mr. Yamazaki prefaces his comments with the following: “The times may be changing to lower alcohol,” he says, “but some of these dark sake products have a strong flavor, and I am sure there are core fans who like this type of sake. I am sure there are core fans who like it, and I want to protect it for them.

Considering the Next Step in the Diversifying Alcohol Industry

Mr. Yamazaki says, “I think there are all kinds of sake qualities in the world. When I think about my next move, it is difficult to come up with what to make. For this reason, he is tireless in his research and development of new products.

In 2013, they launched the completely alcohol-free amazake “Ichikouji. a completely alcohol-free amazake. From koji making to bottling, the sake brewing techniques that have been cultivated over a long period of time were fully incorporated into the product. Of course, the rice is grown in Aichi Prefecture and the rice polishing ratio is 60%. Although no sugar is used, the sweetness of the rice can be felt. Flavors using Nishio City’s specialties, such as powdered green tea and ancient rice, are also available, offering a different taste of this long-established brewery.

Local sake is nurtured by the climate.

Seventy percent of the sake produced at the brewery is consumed in Aichi Prefecture, and the rest is sold through distributors nationwide. The brewery plans to focus on expanding sales channels and building brand awareness. We would like to make it known that our brewery brews locally produced sake with locally grown rice,” he said. I think this will lead to the promotion of Aichi’s food culture,” says Yamazaki.

Local sake is nurtured by the climate, and the people who live here also eat from this climate. I would like to develop sake that goes exceptionally well with the environment surrounding this brewery. The philosophy that has continued since the brewery’s founding, “Sake, like everything else, is a product of the climate,” has not changed over the past 120 years and will continue to be passed down to the next generation.

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Preparation Water of Aizawa Shuzo

Aizawa Shuzo which has a brewery in Sano, Tochigi, was founded in the first year of Ansei (1854) and is a long-established “sake” brewery in Tochigi Prefecture. At present, Shouko Aizawa is the 8th mistress of the brewery, and daughter Akiko Aizawa serves as the chief brewer.
Nakata visited on a harshly cold winter day when it was amid “Kanzukuri” (sake-brewing in the coldest season) in the cellar.
“What is the type of water used here?” asked Nakata.
“The water is rather hard. It tends to accelerate fermentation.” Answered Akiko-san At Aizawa Shuzo, underground water of Akiyamagawa River pumped from a well in their premises is used as preparation water. Thus, a “sake” with rich, crystal-clear and refreshing taste is made.

Determination in Sake Brewing

We watched the process of rice malt making process to be used to brew “Junmai Ginjo” in the rice malt room called “Koji Muro”. Steamed rice is spread all over the rice bed. Facing the steamed rice, The rice malt mold kept in a can is sprinkled while keeping even distance between the arm and the steamed rice.
“In case, for example, if I sense a lot of moisture in the rice, I alter the height level of my arm. Weather to sprinkle all of the Koji mold or not is determined by the state of the fully steamed rice.”
“Every year, I imagine how I’d like the “sake” to finish, I use my senses to determine ways to achieve it. “Since we cannot produce large quantity, it’s challenging to have reproductivity.” Said Akiko-san.
Flagship products of Aizawa Shuzo are ”Ai No Sawa” , Ai No Sawa Jun”, and ”Kyokujo”. “Sake” made by using brewery rice ”Gohyakumangoku”、and ”Hitogogochi” which are both grown in Tochigi, truly deliver the “sake” flavor of Tochigi.
They have acclaimed fame by winning awards such as Governor’s Prize in the category of Junmai Sake using rice produced in Tochigi and are well known as “sake” having good balance of “umami” flavor and taste.
The taste of those “sake” depends on the delicate “sake” brewing by Toji Akiko-san . Having the senses to carefully determine everything, all the consideration it takes is none other than the passion for “sake” brewing.

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“Koji” making by “Kurabito”

Shinkame Brewery is a long established brewery in Saitama that makes about 180,000 liters of ”sake” per year. When Nakata visited there, they were in the middle of steaming ”sake” rice. The work already had begun at 3:30 in the morning, with a team of nine.
Then Nakata was shown the process of ”koji (rice malt)” making”. The steamed rice is brought into ”koji” room, where artisans spread it evenly on a table called ”toko”. Then seed fungus that looks like powder is sprinkled over it. Then the steamed rice is mixed, and again sprinkled with the seed fungus. The rice is then checked with a magnifying glass to see how the fungus has attached to the rice, and all the while, the temperature of rice is carefully monitored.
Inside the ”koji” room, the temperature and humidity are kept high to make an optimum condition for the fungus and the rice. So it is very hot in the room, and the artisans work in a tense atmosphere. Shinkame Brewery is famous for not adding any distilled alcohol in any of its products, and making only pure rice ”sake”. One could tell from the tense atmosphere that they really care about hand worked ”sake” making.

The temperature of ”sake” that matches the meals.

When speaking of low temperature maturing, at Shinkame Brewery it means the surprisingly low temperature of -10 degrees Celsius for making pure rice Ginjo ”sake” or the classes above. The maturing period is one year to several years. Through this maturing, the ”sake” achieves fullness of taste. They recommend their ”sake” to be drank warm rather than cold, a favorite　way of drinking among Shinkame. Fans.
It is as if the ”sake” has slept through the cold temperature maturing and ”wakes up” to its original self when heated.

Nakata had a drink of hot ”Shinkame”. ”It’s full bodied and very delicious.”
On hearing that, Ogawahara, the Senior Managing Director said, ””Sake” must be full bodied when drank with meals. And I think when people get more ideas about what kind of ”sake” goes well with what kind of dishes, I expect that the consumption of ”sake” will increase. ”

Furthermore, Ogawahara, who not only thinks about the match between dishes and ”sake” but at what temperature the ”sake” is served , told us this episode.
”At my daughter’s wedding, I requested which ”sake” to be served at what temperature with which dishes. The hotel carried out my instructions very faithfully. I did drink very heartily that day. (Laugh)”
It not only with the marriage of food and sake, but the impression of the ”sake” improves greatly, when it is served at the right temperature.

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Embodies the famous proverb ”Meikyou Shisui (clear and serene)”

The Osawa family began ”sake” brewing in 1689, about 330 years ago. Since then, they have been making ”sake” in the town named Motai, blessed with plentiful rice and excellent water.
The name of the ”sake” this cellar produces is ”Meikyou Shisui”, which means ”clear and serene, as a polished mirror and still water”. It is a proverb to express an undistracted, clear state of mind. It so perfectly represents this beautiful ”sake”. It tastes mild and blends into your mouth naturally, but somehow seems to make you want to straighten yourself up.

In this area, there is a distinct transition of seasons. Each season has its unique scenery. ”Meikyou Shisui” also has a different taste according to the season. ”Sake” is made with the blessings of nature and the skill of humans. Delicious rice, high-quality water, cold winters, and the determination of brewers make up this crystal clear ”sake”.

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