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ake has played a central role in Japanese
life and culture for the past 2,000 years while the
knowledge and techniques involved in sake brewing
have spread to every corner of the country. In fact,
sake is such an integral part of the Japanese diet that
having some knowledge of it can add to one’s under-
standing of Japanese history, culture, and society.
This website gives you everything you need to know
to raise a glass (or cup) of Japanese sake.
Made primarily from rice, sake is a fermented bever-
age. It is brewed using a microorganism called koji
If we view the history of sake as the
story of Japanese liquor, or at least
rice-based liquor, we would see roots
that stretch back as far as 2,500 years
to a period when rice cultivation began
to dominate Japanese agriculture.
The oldest writings on Japanese sake
can be found in some third-century an-
nals of Chinese history. These records
state that the Japanese
have a “fondness for sake”
and are “in the habit of
gather-
ing to drink
sake when
mourn-
ing the
dead.”
There
along with yeast. Sake’s alcohol content varies from
13% to 16%. It takes pristine water to make sake,
and brewers take advantage of the various kinds of
natural water available in Japan to make only the
best. There are many different varieties of sake, and it
can be enjoyed either warm or chilled, depending on
the season.
Sake might be just about the best medicine for what-
ever ails you, as long as it’s consumed in moderation.
So say, “Kampai!”
are also several stories about sake,
some mythical, noted in the historical
records compiled by the eighth century
Japanese imperial court. The Fudoki,
an ancient record of provincial history
during this era makes reference to
sake brewed using mold and provides
a unique glimpse into how sake made
with rice and koji was once produced.
Then there is the tenth century law
book entitled Engishiki, which details
ancient sake-making methods used
at a time when sake was produced
mainly at the imperial court, either to
be drunk by the emperor or for cer-
emonial use.
Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples
began brewing sake in the 12th to
15th centuries and it is from this
period that
we get
the tech-
niques for
modern
day sake
brewing.
One
pro-
duction
tech-
nique
that
sake-
brewers
are justly
proud of
is multiple
parallel fer-
mentation.
It’s a so-
phisti-
cat-
ed
pro-