8 o’clock AM. 0 deg C (32 deg F). Mornings are early at a sake brewery. From the roof of the brewery still loaded with snow, clouds of steam rise into the cold open air. The contrast of the calm morning sun and white steam implies that brewers had been steaming a large quantity of brewer’s rice with a koshiki (a tool used to steam rice) inside. This scenery at the brewery hasn’t changed a bit over time, which is proof that tradition is preserved in sake brewing.
 
From the left, Mr. Hasegawa, Mr. Tadashi Yoshihara, the toji, and Mr. Igarashi, brewer and also Nishikigoi breeder.
Niigata prefecture, the home of Nishikigoi, is also Japan’s leading production area of sake. Japanese sake, which is known as SAKE by many people overseas, is traditional sake that is made of natural blessings such as water, rice, and the land’s climate and skills of a toji (master brewer). “Niigata Japanese sake” is made of pure snow melt and rich soil that also produce and raise “Niigata Nishikigoi” and the skillful techniques of the craftsman who carry on the torch.

HASEGAWA SAKE Brewing Co., Ltd., whom we interviewed, is located in Nagaoka city, Niigata pref. and is a time-honored sake brewery which was established in the Edo period (1603-1867). In October, 2004, the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake destroyed half of the brewery, but still they continue to make Japanese sake “by hand”. We had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Akiro Hasegawa, Director and Sales Manager of HASEGAWA SAKE Brewing and Mr. Tadashi Yoshihara (73-years-old), the toji. The toji commands all of the brewers working at the brewery and is responsible for all aspects of sake brewing. The toji is the master of the brewery and a sake brewing specialist. (Interviewed on Feb 20, 2006)
We INPC believe that Niigata’s specialty, Nishikigoi, and Japanese Sake are similar in that they are traditional products made by Niigata’s nature and artisans’ skills. Are there things Japanese sake brewing enjoys of Niigata’s nature, especially the climate?
Mr. Yoshiwara
Of course there are. To make sake, ingredients such as rice and water are important, but more than that, the area’s climate. Niigata’s winter brings a lot of snow and that is just the right environment for sake brewing. In warm climate regions, the brewery needs to be big because it needs to be equipped with a machine to cool the room. But Niigata’s cold weather is great for a small brewery like us with natural brewing methods.

Mr. Hasegawa
In wintertime in Niigata, snow lies thick on the ground and covers up the brewery. Being covered up by snow during winter not only makes the brewery cold but helps maintain the cold temperature throughout the day. It is an ideal environment for sake brewing

Mr. Yoshiwara
At our brewery, we make our best sake during the coldest time of year. That’s because it’s optimum for making koji (steamed rice with koji mold spores), the most important step in sake brewing. We choose days when the room temperature is around 5 deg C (41 deg F) and start shikomi (fermentation) for koji making. If it is warm, too much koji mold gets fermented, becomes contaminated, and loses flavor. When the temperature rises, the koji mold is active but our job becomes rough. Niigata’s climate allows us to do the fermentation process very slowly, and as a result the sake becomes very mild.

Mr. Hasegawa
Comparing it to cooking, it’s like simmering the food over gentle heat until it becomes tender. It tastes better cooking the food slowly on low heat than doing so quickly in a pressure cooker. Just like that, the yeast can brew alcohol slowly. That may be the reason Niigata is known as Japan’s leading production area of sake.

Does Niigata have any unique “natural blessings”, not to mention the winter climate?
Mr. Hasegawa
Niigata has great water. We use river-bed water of Shinano River, Japan’s longest river, for shikomi. Since the water is soft with less minerals, almost like distilled water, it makes the sake mild and round. Japanese sake is made approximately 80% of water, so the quality of water directly affects the flavor of sake unlike other fermented liquors such as wine. That it to say, Niigata’s water is very valuable.

Mr. Yoshiwara
Recently there is less water hauled from the well, but shikomi should all be done by well water. Sake brewing requires a large amount of water, so it’s really not that easy. But sake made of tap water is out of the question. Snow and water from the high mountains of Echigo soak through and become groundwater. This is the source of our well water, so the flavor is incomparable. And Niigata has clean air. The snow makes the air pure.
Like Nishikigoi production which has a history of 200 years, HASEGAWA SAKE Brewing has a tradition of more than 100 years, too. Are there difficulties in keeping the tradition or changing it?

Mr. Yoshiwara
The process of sake brewing is basically the same as it was in the Edo period. All we have done is mechanize what humans used to do by instinct. But even so, there are always things that need to be done by hand. For example, in the process of koji making, a machine (a hose) is used to cool the rice. But this process is done better by hand because the rice is less affected when slight adjustments in the temperature can be made. By cooling the rice carefully by hand, we can tell “which spots are too cold” or “when a rice grain is broken”. A machine can’t recognize those errors. Tradition is nothing special. It is only to be able to distinguish such errors using our experience and to make good sake

Mr. Hasegawa
I believe changes are needed in sake brewing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean to buy the most up-to-date machinery. Our renovation is to dig ourselves into sake brewing by repeating “refinement” using only the essential machinery to be in line with the times.
 
At last, what are the characteristics of HASEGAWA SAKE Brewing’s “Sekkobai”?
Mr. Hasegawa
We make “Sekkobai” by imaging the snowbreak in spring. As its name suggests, it is handmade sake with pronounced flavor unique to our brewery. Dry and pure sake is popular nowadays, but I have no intention of changing the way we do things just because something becomes popular. We are a small brewery with only 3 brewers, so we can’t make tons of sake nor can we purchase the latest machinery. But instead, we want to keep the tradition of rich “handmade” flavorful sake. We believe it is important to dig in and to brew sake with lots of attention.

Mr. Yoshiwara
Normally there are 6 to 7 brewers, but we only have 3. But because of that we are attentive to the details of sake brewing. We perform small unpayable tasks that large brewers would avoid. That’s our good point. Insistence on sake brewing? I don’t have anything like that. Of course to become a toji, you need minimum 10 years of experience. But sake brewing itself is like a live creature, so every year I approach it with a fresh mind. I’m always thinking about putting all my efforts in making good sake every year. That’s all it takes.

Thank you for your time today.


INPC, with cooperation of Hasegawa Sake Brewing Co., Ltd., have created an original label with images of Nishikgoi.
Please enjoy the refreshing and fruity flavor of
Dai-Ginjo "Sekkobai."

HASEGAWA SAKE Brewing Co.,Ltd.
http://www.sekkobai.ecnet.jp/
2-7-28 Settaya, Nagaoka-shi, Niigata-ken, Japan
tel:81.(0)258.32.0270/fax:81.(0)258.35.6066