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| Alcohol consumption has seen an amazing increase during the post war economic growth. After the 1980's, local wine and sake breweries boomed with people enjoying nihon-shu (rice wine), beer and shochu (distilled spirits) on various times, places and occasions. In recent years, the quality of carbonated alcoholic beverages has improved and liqueur consumption has increased, due to the popularity of cocktails with women. We also see continuing growth in variation in our drinks. The Kansai area has also seen a similar trend, so let us look into what's behind sake in Kansai with a concentration in nihon-shu. |
Nada and Fushimi areas account for 45% of total production
Although there are many sake-producing areas in Japan, Nada (Hyogo prefecture) and Fushimi (Kyoto prefecture) represent Japan's finest breweries accounting for 45% of total production. In Nada, the water used for nihon-shu making is miya-mizu (from Rokko mountain range), and the rice is Yamda nishiki (from North Western Rokko) and toji (the chief sake master) from Tanba. In Fushimi, water from Fukuryusui (Fushimi hills) is perfect for sake making. By the mid-Edo period, both areas had become known as sake makers of Japan.
Nada and Fushimi are referred to as the number one sake spots in Japan not only for their share in production but also by the atmosphere these breweries carry into the town. One attraction is that the sake brewery uses the most high tech brewing production lines and yet retains the old hand-made brewing methods. In addition, each kuramoto (brewery) allows us to enjoy the traditional sake making process by appealing to both the eye and the ear with their efforts to get the message across.
Fushimi became a castle town in the late 16th century by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and by the Edo period, water routes were organized and become a major gateway to Kyoto and Osaka. Fushimi flourished as a port as well as a convenient stop over town for sankin-kotai samurais (samurai on duty visiting Edo on alternate years) thus the number of kuramoto increased and became renowned as a sake making town as we know it today.
Even now, one can find the row of willow trees and dirt-built breweries along-side the Hori River, where we can find the hints of the old fashioned nihon-shu making process.
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| Nihon-shu from Nada was nationally renowned together with its famous Miya-mizu. It has appealed to the palates of many for its clear, sophisticated flavor, and the people in Edo have nicknamed it "a sake trickled down from the kamigata (Kansai area which is centered around the cities of Kyoto and Osaka)." The quality of sake greatly improved after the Meiji period with the evolution in sake brewing processes, but in 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake destroyed much of these breweries. "Nada Gogo" (the five sake producing areas in Nada district: Imazu-go, Nishinomiya-go, Uozaki-go, Mikage-go, and Nishi-go) came together to put extra efforts into reconstruction of the area and since then has become one of the major tourist attractions of the Hanshin area.
As the saying goes, "where there's good water, there's good sake;" nihon-shu requires good quality water. Needless to say, each area in Kansai - Hakusan Mountains in Fukui, Hakodate Mountains in Shiga, Katsuragi Mountains in Nara, Satsuki Mountain in Osaka, Chugoku Mountain ranges and Ibo River in Hyogo, Kinokawa in Wakayamam, Suzuka Mountains, Nunobiki Mountains, Kii Mountains in Mie, and Yoshino River in Tokushima - has good water, and good nihon-shu is available as a result.
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The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and Nada Gogo Breweries
The earthquake that hit the Hanshin area on January 17th, 1995 had done great damage to the kuramoto of the area. Most sakagura, in wooden architecture, were demolished. Nine toji died, and on top of that, lifelines such as water, gas, and electricity were cut off - no circumstances for sake making - but with the efforts an supports of the community and the kuramoto, the industry saw an amazingly fast recovery. Certainly the industry is slow at the moment, but with the new sakagura, and efforts to attract more tourists, Nada Gogo breweries seems to be more popular than before the quake. | |
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