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.

Nada’s Sake Spread by Maritime Transport

Nada (southeastern Hyogo Prefecture) is famous for its sake production. Japan’s leading sake breweries are concentrated in the five districts known as Nada Gogo, and 30% of the nation’s sake is produced in Nada.
One of the reasons Nada’s sake has become nationally famous is because of shipping. Until then, sake was mainly transported overland, but Nada’s coastal location made it possible to transport sake to Edo (present-day Tokyo) by cask-carrying ships. Nada’s sake was therefore widely distributed in Edo, where it became known as “sake from downstream,” and quickly gained fame.

Kiku-Masamune, famous for its commercials

Kiku-Masamune,” famous for its commercial “I am Kiku-Masamune after all,” is another sake brewery in Nada. It was founded in 1659 during the Edo period (1603-1868) by Jirotayu Munenori Kano (Hon Kano family), who started brewing sake. Most of the sake produced by the Hon Kano family was “sake that goes down the drain,” which was especially loved by the people of Edo, and the family was proud of its fame from that time onward.

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Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing uses miyamizu (well water) to make the richly flavored “sake”… Well and “sake” brewing The spring water in the Rokko mountain system is one of the reasons for the delicious taste of Nada ”sake”. Gushing out of the ground…

Together with Yamada-Nishiki, a characteristic of the region

In 1882, Kikumasamune purchased a then-expensive microscope from Germany, invited engineers to Japan, and built a sake cellar made of bricks with high thermal insulation. It was around this time that the Kiku-Masamune trademark was registered.
Sake rice, which is necessary for sake brewing, was also produced using the characteristics of the region. Every year, the rice fields in Yoshikawa-cho, Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, are planted with Yamada-Nishiki, the highest grade of sake rice. The viscosity of the soil and the difference in temperatures are considered to make the environment extremely suitable for this rice.
Nakata visited a terraced rice field in a satoyama that has been protected by sake rice growers. Mr. Mukai, chairman of the Kano Kai East Branch, said, “Yamada-Nishiki is tall, so we have to be very careful about winds and typhoons. These terraced rice paddies have been used for a long time, and although they cannot be mass-produced, they produce particularly high-quality Yamada-Nishiki,” he said. The group of professionals who have been producing Yamada-Nishiki for generations is indispensable.

Dry Kiku-Masamune for a mid-meal drin.

Kiku-Masamune’s well-known commercial says, “When you see good food, you want dry Kikumasa.” As the catchphrase suggests, Kiku-Masamune’s belief is that the best sake is the one that complements food without being boring to drink.
The best sake for a meal is, after all, dry. There have been booms in sake, and there was a time when sweet sake was popular, but Kiku-Masamune has consistently stuck to dry sake.

Overcoming the crisis, Kiku-Masamune will continue to be particular about its sake.

Kiku-Masamune has a 350-year history, but during World War II, the brewery was in a state of crisis when it was reduced to three breweries due to bombing. Despite this, Kiku-Masamune was able to make such a great comeback, thanks in no small part to its commitment to “dry sake that brings out the best in food.

The post Kiku-Masamune, Nada’s sake made with Yamadanishiki, a commitment to dryness / Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.