Outline
A sake brewery established in 1842 that produces sake, shochu(Japanese liquor), mirin, plum wine, and vinegar. Our sake is characterized by its strong acidity and astringency, making it a highly complex brew.
Evaluation
Our sake is rated as having a strong acidity and astringency, and a complex taste and aroma. We have won awards at KURAMASTER, IWC. Currently, We export to seven countries.
Award
KURAMASTER(2018)Platinum Tempo13
KURAMASTER(2019)Platinum Tempo13
KURAMASTER(2020)Gold Tempo13
KURAMASTER(2020)Platinum MIsakubo
IWC(2018) Commended Bodaimoto,Tempo13,Daiginjo
Improving On Tradition
Currently, 90% of sake in Japan is made using the fast brewing method. This type of sake is inexpensive because it can be made in large quantities industrially, but it does not marry well with food and is easy to get tired of drinking. Our goal is not to make in such way, but to improve on the traditional time-consuming methods, such as the Bodaimoto brewing, Kimoto brewing.
Diverse products produce high technology.
We make plum wine from mirin, mirin from shochu, and shochu from sake lees. We also make vinegar from the alcohol that is produced in these processes. In the spirit that sake should be made from the blessings of nature, we reuse our own products in this way. Rather than making each product from inferior raw materials, it is better to reuse products made from high quality raw materials over and over again to make nature-friendly and high quality products. Also, by producing a variety of products, we are able to improve our fermentation technology itself, making it easier to innovate.
What is Bodhimoto, Kimoto, and Rapid Brewing?
We focus on the Bodaimoto brewing and the Kimoto brewing. Sake is mainly fermented by lactic acid bacteria, koji bacteria, and yeast bacteria, which play the main roles. The koji bacteria converts starch into glucose, and the yeast bacteria converts glucose into alcohol. Lactic acid bacteria produce lactic acid and kill other bacteria. The way in which the lactic acid bacteria are generated differs depending on the method used.
Bodaimoto Brewing
This method was developed in the 14th century at a temple in Nara. When steamed rice is put in a bag and placed in water, natural lactic acid bacteria gradually grow and acidic water is produced. The method of using this water is called Bodai-moto.
Kimoto Brewing
A method developed in the 18th century. In Bodaimoto, acidic water was prepared separately to produce lactic acid bacteria. This method, on the other hand, involves mashing the rice, storing it, and generating lactic acid bacteria directly in the main container.
Fast Brewing
A method developed in the 20th century. A method in which lactic acid bacteria are not cultivated, but rather lactic acid is added directly. 90 percent of the products are currently made using this method.
Trend And Our Philosophy
For many years, the mainstream way of making sake was to use the Bodaimoto or Kimoto brewing. With modernization, the fast brewing has become the mainstream method over the past 60 years. There are three reasons for this.
1.Fast brewing was a good way to meet the large demand of a growing population because it could be made quickly.
2. Because of its low failure rate, fast brewing was promoted by the government in order to secure and enlarge stable alcohol taxes.
3. Fast brewing requires no craftsmanship and can be done industrially by anyone.
As the rapid brewing process became more popular, the overall methodologies of sake brewing changed to accommodate the Fast brewing process.
1. Influenced by the West and modernization, the structuralist approach to sake brewing is considered to be a good idea. This value disregards empirical rules.
2. The entire factory was turned into a scientific laboratory. Do not allow germs to grow. Only purely cultured bacteria are used. You remove something made by wood to something made by concrete, steel.
3. To improve reproducibility, do not do it by hand, but industrially.
4. The value system that says that if you spend a lot of money, you can make good sake, such as using famous brands of rice with high polish rates and installing expensive equipment. That leads trend that sake is not made for tastily sake, but for marketing.
We do not deny all of these ideas, but we do not agree with all of them either. Too much scientific thinking is inferior to the experience of the artisan. For example, the firmness and viscosity of rice are difficult to describe scientifically. The human sense of smell and taste is superior to that of machines. It is difficult to scientifically describe which sake is better. Scientific and other people's evaluations give us peace of mind so you overestimate power of science. But we sometimes need to trust our own experience and skills.
Most of today's sake brewing was invented by the experience of people in the past, without scientific thinking. We believe that only by making good use of the power of nature can the power of craftsmanship be utilized to produce good sake.