While making clanging sounds, Mr. Genichi Sato was intent on moving a big paddle. He is a skilled brewer with 18 years’ experiences. Sake brewing reaches the most interesting part when the preparation of koji and shubo are completed. Koji, steamed rice, and water are added to shubo, and then it is fermented for more than 20 days. That is the process called “moromi”. In order to arrange the ideal environment for bacteria, daily stirring of fermenting mash is essential work as well as the temperature management. “Rice is easy to dissolve in the main mash this year. So I have to pay particular attention to the fermentation temperature. In […]

When drinking at Izakaya (informal Japanese style bar) in Japan, sometimes sake is served in this style: server put  a glass inside the Masu or sake saucer and pour until sake overflows from the glass. This serving style is called “Mokkiri” and it is said that the degree of overflowing shows the degree of the server’s generosity. How would you drink this style of sake? The most familiar style in sake country Akita is that sipping a bit of sake with kissing the brim. In order to spread this “kissing drinking style” throughout the world, we will continuously introduce the attractive “Mokkiri face” of beautiful Akita’s ladies to you. This […]

From early in the morning, Mr. Toshio Murakami was stirring the inside of tank with a paddle alone silently. He is seasoned brewer with 25 years’ experiences. He is in charge of “Shubo”, which is the cultivation process for sake yeast with mixing koji, steamed rice, and water while preventing from the invasion of various bacteria. It is quite delicate process since slight changes of environment have big influences on dissolving rice, propagating yeast, and the balance of producing flavor. “I always feel the pressure to keep from failing. Also stressful. But I can derive a lot of pleasure when delicious sake is made from Shubo that I made. It […]

When drinking at Izakaya(informal Japanese style bar) in Japan, sometimes sake is served in this style: server put a glass inside the Masu or sake saucer and pour until sake overflows from the glass. This serving style is called “Mokkiri” and it is said that the degree of overflowing shows the degree of the server’s generosity. How would you drink this style of sake? The most familiar style in sake country Akita is that sipping a bit of sake with kissing the brim. In order to spread this “kissing drinking style” throughout the world, we will continuously introduce the attractive “Mokkiri face” of beautiful Akita’s ladies to you. This mokkiri […]

When drinking at Izakaya(informal Japanese style bar) in Japan, sometimes sake is served in this style: server put a glass inside the Masu or sake saucer and pour until sake overflows from the glass. This serving style is called “Mokkiri” and it is said that the degree of overflowing shows the degree of the server’s generosity. How would you drink this style of sake? The most familiar style in sake country Akita is that sipping a bit of sake with kissing the brim. In order to spread this “kissing drinking style” throughout the world, we will continuously introduce the attractive “Mokkiri face” of beautiful Akita’s ladies to you. This mokkiri […]

When drinking at Izakaya (informal Japanese style bar) in Japan, sometimes sake is served in this style: server put a glass inside the Mase or sake saucer and pour until sake overflows from the glass. This serving style is called “Mokkiri” and it is said that the degree of overflowing shows the degree of the server’s generosity. How would you drink this style of sake? The most familiar style in sake country Akita is that sipping a bit of sake with kissing the brim. In order to spread this “kissing drinking style” throughout the world, we will continuously introduce the attractive “Mokkiri face” of beautiful Akita’s ladies to you. This mokkiri […]

“Washing” is the process to wash polished rice with a large amount of water and remove rice bran. “Soaking” is having rice absorb water for making good quality steamed rice. “Steaming” is for koji-making and preparation. You may feel the process is simple when you hear “wash and steam the rice”, however, it is quite delicate process since accurate judgements are always required in a short time depending on kinds and quality of rice, temperature, water temperature, and humidity. During sake brewing, Mr. Yuetsu Koyama is busily coming and going in these working places, washing, soaking, and steaming every day. He is a veteran brewer with 27 years’ experiences. “I […]

When drinking at Izakaya (informal Japanese style bar) in Japan, sometimes sake is served in this style: server put a glass inside the Masu or sake saucer and pour until sake overflows from the glass. This serving style is called “Mokkiri” and it is said that the degree of overflowing shows the degree of the server’s generosity. How would you drink this style of sake? The most familiar style in sake country Akita is sipping a bit of sake with kissing the brim. In order to spread this “kissing drinking style” throughout the world, we will continuously introduce the attractive “Mokkiri face” of beautiful Akita’s ladies to you. This mokkiri […]

Takashimizu history began in 1944 after merging of 12 small breweries during World War II. In this column, we will trace the history of 12 breweries which are the foundation of current Takashimizu one by one. We will introduce “Iidagawa” today as twelfth brewery out of 12 breweries, and this is the last brewery. Yonosuke Ito called for the comrades and started the sake business as Iidagawa Shuzo Co., Ltd. at current Iidagawa, Katagami-city, Akita prefecture in 1921. He acceded to the first president of this company, used “Iidagawa” as their brand name, and sold sake around the Iida-river mainly. After that, as the second president, Jiro Abumihara and as […]