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Sake with 500 years of history
Mr. Saito and I stand in a storage room of the brewery. 99.11.09/Temperature: 8C/ Weather: Partly Cloudy / Wind Direction: W
Current Location: Nikahocho Latitude: 39 18 21 N Longitude: 139 58 05 E
Distance Traveled: 0 km (Rest day)The long history of sake (Japanese rice wine) making, the clever innovations it involves, and how the livelihood of sake production depends on a rich natural environment all became very clear during my visit to Hiraizumi Honpo ,a sake company dating back over 500 years.
"Japan is a bacteria culture," said Mr. Saito, former president of the company. "In Europe there is a malt culture based on wheat. It is said that sake has been made in Japan for about 2000 years. Sterilizing and preserving sake has just as long of a history. Right now there is a lot of strange movement occurring in Japanese culture. It is also a culture with a very long history. I want to make sure that this culture doesn't disappear ". Looking down the corridor, I waited with anticipation to enter the history-filled brewery.
The sake brewery standing today dates back to the first year of Meiji (1868). The doorway to the brewery is just as aged. Old-fashioned, the sliding door reached only up to my chest. Its dark wood is stained a shade of brown so dark it appears black in the dim light of corridor. Entering the brewery I could smell the pungent smell of brewing alcohol.
Walking through the brewery Mr. Saito explained the unique process of "Yamahai" . "We utilize the natural characteristics of bacteria (lactic acid bacteria) living within the wooden beams of our storage house to create seed mash, which is necessary in the sake making process. It is a much longer process than adding lactic acid bacteria manually but it is an original method with a long history."
There are several ways in which the brewery utilizes natural features to create its sake. "By maintaining a cool temperature we create an environment suitable for reproduction of this bacteria. This is made possible by thick brewery walls and ceiling, which protect fermenting rice from rapid changes in the outdoor temperature. Trees surrounding the brewery also help shade the brewery from the sun's heat." A zelkova tree, stretching several arm-lengths in circumference, stood tall over the roof outside. It dates back approximately 500 years.
Hiraizumi Honpo sake made from organic rice. In addition to the clever brewery process and the building's design is the rich nature of the surrounding area. "Our water here comes from the Mt. Chokai@area," said Mr. Saito. Water flowing from the rich forest of Mt. Chokai helps to grow rice used to make sake. More importantly water is the most important ingredient in the brewing process. "The water we use for brewing today probably started filtering down from Mt. Chokai 20 or 30 years ago," he commented. Water gets filtered for 20 to 30 years before it reaches Hiraizumi Honpo's well! Taking a sip of the Hiraizumi water I said, "This is delicious." Mr. Saito replied, "Of course it is this is what we use to make our sake," implying that the minerals included in the water give the sake good flavor and create a good environment for bacteria. Plumbing water sterilizes all that makes this water so delicious. I wish all of you could have had a taste.
I was impressed by his insistence in following the 500 year-old tradition of sake brewing in his family. His expression of his thoughts through his work showed me the 500-year-old culture of sake here at Hiraizumi Honpo. I also felt the importance of the natural surroundings which have made this possible. Greg
Greg
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