A long-established sake brewery founded at the end of the Edo period

The town of Ryuoh, where the Matsuse Sake Brewery is located, lies between Lake Biwa and the Suzuka Mountains to the east. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Shiga Prefecture is actually a hidden rice-producing region, and has long been a sake brewery, with more than 30 breweries scattered throughout the prefecture.

The history of the Matsuse Sake Brewery dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868), when it was involved in the sake brewing business from the mid-1600s, but temporarily closed down due to the turmoil at the end of the Edo period. Since then, the company has continued to brew sake that makes the most of nature’s bounty, using carefully selected sake rice andbrewing water pumped up from 120 meters underground.

In recent years, the brewery has won gold medals at the National New Sake Competition for three consecutive years and was selected as the sake for JAL’s international business class flights, and has become a well-known sake brewery in Japan and abroad.

Matsu no Tsukasa, a famous sake representing Shiga Prefecture

Matsunoshi ” is the only brand of sake brewed at Matsuse Shuzo. The brewery produces more than a dozen varieties of sake, varying the rice used, the degree of rice polishing, the amount of water, and the yeast. The name “Matsu no Tsukasa” is a combination of a 200-year-old male pine tree that once stood on the property and “Matsuse,” the founder’s family name. The word “Tsukasa” means “most gallant figure,” and the name expresses the company’s wish that its sake will be like this majestic pine tree. The sake brewed with soft, fluffy water from the Suzuka Mountains and 100% contract-grown sake rice has a freshness and dignity that has made it extremely popular in the Kansai region, especially in Shiga Prefecture.

I want to grow Yamadanishiki produced in Ryuoh.

The distinctive feature of the Matsuse Sake Brewery is its commitment to rice. Hearing that the secret lies in the soil, we asked Tadayuki Matsuse, the sixth-generation owner of the brewery, to show us the rice fields in his hometown of Ryuoh, where the sake rice is grown.

Until about 40 years ago, we used to make sake using Nipponharu rice, but we realized that we could not continue to do so if we wanted to make sake that would continue to be drunk in the future, so we began to use Yamada Nishiki, which at that time was called the “king of sake rice. Yamada-Nishiki, the “king of sake rice” at that time. Yamada-Nishiki was popular and hard to find, so we asked farmers to grow it in our hometown of Ryuoh to see if we could harvest it, and that’s how it all started.

Yamada-Nishiki is mainly grown in Hyogo Prefecture. Yamada-Nishiki is tall and easily falls over and is susceptible to disease and pests, so its cultivation in other areas had not progressed well. Even when they did start growing it, the climate, water, and soil were different. Even if the same growing methods were used, the rice would not be the same as in Hyogo. There were years when the rice ears fell over due to wind and did not produce well, and he realized that it was not a simple matter.

Different soil makes sake taste different.

Even so, through repeated trial and error with local farmers, they realized that even within the same town of Ryuoh, the Yamada Nishiki produced in different rice paddies differed. Rice grown in clay fields that are well watered and fertilized produces a fuller, heavier rice, while rice grown in gravel fields that are well drained produces a firmer, more delicate rice. When sake is brewed using the same brewing method, the full rice produces a dense, voluminous sake, while the delicate rice produces a pleasantly light sake with a floral aroma.

We wanted to somehow increase the amount of Yamada-Nishiki, so we planted it throughout Ryuoh Town, which led to interesting results. Just by having different soils, the taste of sake can change so much. I think it was also good to realize that the taste is different from that of Hyogo Prefecture and unique to this area. It was then that I began to think that it is our job to pay attention to the individuality of the land and convey its value.

Matsuse Sake Brewery currently brews sake in separate tanks for each soil type and sells it under different labels.

Azolla,” a symbol of clean rice paddies

Around 2000, the company began to engage in pesticide-free cultivation. Shiga Prefecture, where most of the rivers in the prefecture flow into Lake Biwa, has a high level of environmental awareness among its residents, and for six consecutive years has boasted the largest area devoted to environmentally friendly agriculture in Japan. Mr. Matsuse himself has a strong desire to protect Lake Biwa, and at the same time, he wanted to express the goodness of the rice paddies as they are, without any extra work, in his sake.

He also wanted to express in his sake the quality of the rice paddies as they are, with no extra work done to them. The azolla blocks light into the water, making it difficult for new weeds to grow.

Sake made with pesticide-free rice has a different power. It has a clear, clean minerality in the aroma. Perhaps it is the awareness that the sake is made from rice grown in clean rice paddies, but above all, I feel that it is sake that should be drunk. Just like rice cultivation, sake cultivation is also an agricultural activity,” smiles Mr. Matsuse.

Sake brewing that makes the most of the rice’s unique characteristics

The man in charge of sake brewing at Matsuse Brewery is Keizo Ishida, who has served as toji, the chief brewer of sake, for the past 10 years.

When I joined the brewery in 2001, the Yamada-Nishiki variety itself had great value, and the best was from Hyogo Prefecture. Then, how about the Yamada-Nishiki from Ryuoh? That was the extent of my understanding of the Yamada-Nishiki of Ryuoh Town. However, as we brewed and compared each farmer, we began to realize that the taste of sake made from sandy soil is different from that of sake made from clay soil. It was a minute difference, but there was an absolute difference that did not change no matter how many times we did it,” he said.

The taste of sake is largely determined by human hands, such as the degree of rice polishing and the brewing process, and Mr. Ishida felt uncomfortable with the idea of changing the taste of sake one after another to suit personal tastes and trends, and then being told, “This is our local sake. He brews rice grown in a natural environment as neutrally as possible. He says he wants the resulting sake to show the differences in the soil, climate, and environment.

The history of the brewery creates the taste of the sake.

Matsuse’s brewery is neither air-conditioned nor equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. The walls and ceilings are coated with persimmon tannin for preservation and protection against insects, and the building is carefully cared for and used. Mr. Ishida calls these warehouses ” antiques ” because of the beautiful luster and candy-colored tints they have acquired. Generally, antiques are objects to be held in one’s hands, such as vessels and furniture, to be enjoyed with the eyes and cherished. It is a rare happiness to be able to work in the midst of antiques and be surrounded by them. The history of the brewery and the wisdom and thoughts of its predecessors may also be important factors in determining the taste of sake.

Returning to the starting point and simplifying

Mr. Ishida says that the best sake is made at this brewery using local rice and water. He wants to keep the sake as neutral as possible so that the character of the land can be expressed. With this in mind, he started the ” kimoto” brewing method, which was mainly practiced in the Edo period (1603-1868) to encourage fermentation by the power of nature.

I believe that if you only aim for recognition in the sake competition, you will only be able to think in an industrial way. I believe that is not good. In my current process, I don’t add yeast or lactic acid, and I don’t do much analysis such as measuring acidity. Even so, it is still possible to make sake. Sake brewing was originally done with pesticide-free rice, using the “ikuhashi-zukuri” method. If we can go back to the techniques and thoughts of the people who faced this process, I believe we can express craft in the true sense of the word.

What kind of sake is Mr. Ishida aiming for? He replied, “It should have a familiar texture. It should be a sake with a familiar taste, one that you can naturally feel when you drink it and think, ‘That’s the usual taste.

Blue” series brewed by soil

The “Blue” series is made from Yamada-Nishiki produced in Ryuoh, and brewed according to different soils. This junmai daiginjo has the flavor and richness typical of rice, and when compared, it is easy to see how the expression of the rice changes depending on the soil in the rice paddies where the rice was grown. If you look at the brand page “Origins of Blue” and learn about the differences in soil and the scenery seen from the rice paddies before drinking, you will feel as if you can even feel the wind blowing in the area and the sound of swaying ears of rice.

The brewery selects a few regions each year, so you can enjoy the combination of each year’s wines and compare them with each other.

AZOLLA” expresses nature

AZOLLA” is an evolution of the “Blue” series and symbolizes Matsunoshi ‘s commitment to rice.

It is made from Yamada-Nishiki grown locally in Ryuoh, without any pesticides or chemical fertilizers during the growing period. The name “Azolla” was chosen to symbolize the pesticide-free nature of the brewery.

The clear, gentle, yet dense flavor is considered ” one of the ideal forms ” of Matsu no Tsukasa.

Grateful for the land, we create a taste that can only be found here.

Matsuse says that he is still searching for what makes Ryuoh unique. I want to use pesticide-free rice grown in Ryuoh to make sake that people around the world will say tastes great. I am happy to continue to do so,” he says, his face calmly and happily gazing into a future he has yet to see.

The post As the Soil Changes, So Does the Taste of Sake: The Challenge of Matsuse Sake Brewery to Express the Characteristics of the Land with Sake / Ryuoh Town, Shiga Prefecture, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Fukuda Shuzo is a long-established sake brewery that has been making sake in Hirado for about 330 years. The young brothers, Tatsuya and ShinjiFukuda, continue their pursuit of sake with a flavor that evokes the scenic beauty of Hirado, and that is both old tradition and newness. We took a closer look at the one-of-a-kind sake brewing process that can only be done in this region.

Japan’s westernmost sake brewery

The city of Hirado in Nagasaki Prefecture is located at the westernmost tip of the Kyushu mainland. It is a city of the sea, consisting of Hirado Island, which stretches long and narrow from north to south across the Hirado Seto, and about 40 islands of various sizes scattered around the island. It was the first place in Nagasaki where Christianity was preached, and in the 1600s it was the only Dutch trading port in Japan.

The Fukuda Sake Brewery has been brewing sake for 330 years in Hirado, founded in 1688 by Chojiheiemon Fukuda I as a purveyor to the Hirado clan. Today, the brewery is headed by the 14th generation Fukuda Akira, and his eldest son, Tatsuya, and his second son, Shinji, are responsible for the brewing process. The Fukuda series, the company’s flagship brand, won the Platinum Award in the Junmai-shu category at Kura Master, a sake competition held in France in 2018. The junmai ginjo of the same brand won gold in the junmai daiginjo-shu and junmai ginjo categories, and has steadily increased its recognition since then, winning gold for three consecutive years.

The company also produces Daiginjyo ” Fukutsuru ” and ” Nagasaki Bijin,” as well as ” Jagataraoharu,” a shochu made from Nagasaki-grown potatoes, “Kappitan,” a long-aged shochu produced by a secret method inherited from the Nanban people, and hon mirin (Japanese rice wine).

All raw materials are produced in Hirado

The rice used to make sake is mainly Yamada-Nishiki, known as the best rice for sake brewing, and is locally grown in Hirado. The Fukuda brothers have been working with a contracted farmer to revive terraced rice paddies in the area and cultivate the rice themselves. They do not use herbicides as much as possible, and they reduce weeds by manually and mechanically stirring up the mud in the paddy fields.

In the upper reaches of the terraced rice paddies, where there are almost no houses, there is no domestic wastewater, and the rice grown in the clear water from the mountains tastes different. By growing rice within reach, we are sensitive to changes in climate and environment, and this sensibility is also utilized in sake production,” says Tatsuya, the elder brother of the family.

This year, they have also started working again with a sake rice called ” reiho,” which was widely used in the Kyushu region in the 1970s. Yamada-Nishiki has a nice aroma and a clean taste, and in many ways it is an excellent rice. Reihou is easy to grow in warm regions and is suited to the climate of Hirado, so we are taking up the challenge again. It is said to have a mild aroma and a light mouthfeel, but I am looking forward to seeing how it will taste.

For brewing water, the company uses spring water fromYasumandake, the highest peak in Hirado City, which is included in the World Heritage Site “Nagasaki and Amakusa Region Related to Submerged Christians” and is rich in virgin forest. The low mineral content of the water and its softness and purity allow for slow fermentation, resulting in a mellow sake with no harsh taste.

The warm climate of this region and the fact that it is an old brewery make it difficult to control the temperature, but several years ago they replaced some of the enameled tanks with thermal tanks (tanks with cooling systems) to withstand the sudden temperature changes during the brewing season. Tatsuya says, “Since the temperature can be controlled on a tank-by-tank basis, we can manage unrefined sake without being affected by the outside air, which makes brewing easier.

Tasting the climate of Hirado through sake

Fukutsuru” and “Nagasaki Bijin” are representative of Fukuda Shuzo’s famous sake brewed in this way. Fukutsuru,” a daiginjo-shu made from home-grown Yamada-Nishiki and fermented slowly at low temperature, has a slightly sweet taste with a fruity flavor that is popular among women.

The “Fukuda” series, which has won numerous awards at sake competitions in Japan and abroad, is another popular new product from the Fukuda Shuzo brewery. Fukuda,” says Tatsuya, “has a soft aroma that blends well with the gentle flavor of Yamada Nishiki, and it has a clean aftertaste that makes it easy to drink without interfering with food. It is also attracting attention as a food sake, which is unique to Hirado, a city with an abundance of seafood.

Potato Shochu” unique to Nagasaki

In addition to sake, Fukuda Shuzo also produces shochu. In particular, “Jagataraoharu,” a potato shochu liqueur that is rare in Japan, is a popular brand that is well known locally. When one thinks of potato production, Hokkaido comes to mind, but Nagasaki is actually the second largest producer of potatoes after Hokkaido. The shochu is made from fresh potatoes, barley, and rice malt, and carefully distilled using techniques cultivated over many years. It is rich in potassium and vitamin C, which is not easily destroyed by heating, making it popular among health-conscious people. Incidentally, “Jagatara” refers to present-day Jakarta. It is said that the “Jakarta potato” brought from Jakarta became the “potato.

The Fukuda brothers say, “We named it after the history of the potato, as well as in memory of a Nagasaki woman named ‘Oharu-san’ who was once exiled to the land of Jakarta due to the Christian ban. The sake has a mild yet subtle potato flavor, and is best enjoyed while contemplating the history of Hirado, which has come into contact with the breath of Western civilization.

KAPITAN, a secret sake stored for 10 years

The barley shochu “Kabitan ” is another unusual shochu. The flavor of the barley is extracted through traditional atmospheric distillation, then packed in oak barrels and slowly aged for 5 to 10 years in a warehouse built at the time of the company’s founding. The amber-colored, matured “KAPITAN” is a secret sake with a spicy aroma characteristic of oak barrels, a mild flavor, and a rich, natural barley taste. It is recommended to drink it on the rocks or with water like whiskey, but it is best to enjoy it with a meal, as it has a refreshing taste with few peculiarities.

Hon Mirin,” which plays a starring role rather than a supporting role

Along with the wide variety of sakes, the most impressive is ” hon mirin,” or Japanese sweet cooking rice wine, made exclusively from locally produced ingredients. Mirin is subject to liquor tax because it contains 12-15% alcohol, and since the 2011 revision of the Sake Tax Law made it easier to obtain a manufacturing license, an increasing number of local sake breweries have obtained licenses to produce mirin and are working to develop new products. Fukuda Shuzo is one such company. After graduating from university, his younger brother Shinji learned mirin production at the brewery where he had trained, and obtained a license in 2016 after returning to his hometown. He obtained a license in 2016 after returning to his hometown, and is now producing “authentic” mirin while utilizing the know-how unique to a sake brewery.

Mirin is made using only three ingredients: locally grown glutinous rice called “mochi-minori,” rice malt, and rice shochu. While many mirin are made with brewing alcohol or sugar to compensate for the lack of saccharification, Fukuda Shuzo’s mirin is made the old-fashioned way, with the sweetness of the rice slowly extracted over a period of three months. We can’t say it enough, but it makes a big difference in the quality of our food,” said Shinji. It is also good to drink,” Shinji himself assures us.

Sake brewing is made with heart and nurtured by the wind.

Fukuda Sake Brewery has been in the brewing business for more than 330 years since receiving permission from the lord of the Hirado domain to produce “Fukutsuru” sake. As I listen to the story and sip the sake, I am reminded not only of the history and culture of Hirado, but also of the scenery of Hirado, including the fields where rice is grown and the mountains where water gushes out of the ground. And the smiling faces of the brewery workers who devote themselves to sake brewing.

The determination to carry on a family business that has been in existence for more than 300 years must be extraordinary. With this strong sense of mission in mind, he continues to work hard today to make sake that will be enjoyed by many people under the motto of ” making sake that brings smiles to people’s faces.

The post Fukuda Sake Brewery, which has been conveying the terroir of Hirado, Japan’s westernmost city, for more than 300 years / Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Brewing sake with a small group

Miyoshi City Ikeda Town Salad…? Is there such a place name?　It is the address of Miyoshikiku, the company we visited this time. The small family name “Sarada” is the katakana form of “Sarada”. Although there are many areas where katakana is used for small letters, the use of katakana for addresses is becoming less common, so it is interesting to see the names of places in this Ikeda-cho neighborhood on a map. But, digression aside, Miyoshikiku is a small sake brewery with a staff of about four.
The fifth generation brewer, Ryoichiro Umamiya, abolished the traditional toji system in 2001 and has been making sake by himself. Sake breweries have traditionally been considered closed to the public, but he is now striving to make sake and the brewery more accessible to the public by allowing them to see how he makes his own sake.

A Sake Brewery that Retains the Samurai Spirit

The Umamiya family’s ancestors were originally samurai from Ako. It is said that they entered Awa together with Koroku Hachisuka, Hideyoshi’s one hand man. Even today, the samurai residence and the samurai gate remain as a reminder of those days, and the samurai gate is a whopping 300 years old. The sake brewery was founded in 1903, and in the early days, there were many hardships because of the “samurai family business method.

In 2007, the brewery won the top prize in the “Junmai Sake Battle,” a competition in which sake lovers’ groups from all over Japan compare 100 brands of sake from different regions.

Sake brewed from local spring water

From the moment the lid is lifted, Miyoshikiku’s sake has a rich fruit aroma and a very rounded flavor that is never sweet. It is a sake that tastes like white wine. The secret lies in the nature of the brewing water. Miyoshikiku uses spring water from the Matsuo River, which flows from the rocks of the Iya Valley, a famously unexplored region. This spring water is known locally as “famous water. Hard water is generally considered suitable for sake brewing, but this water is super soft.
Miyoshikiku has successfully used this property to brew a sake with the umami of water and rice, which sets it apart from conventional sake that is neat and dry. It is surprisingly fruity and must be tasted at least once.

The post Miyoshikiku, a fruity sake that surprises everyone / Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.