JAPANESESake brewing environment
Water
Gion River is a clear stream flowing by the sake brewery from the Tenzan mountain ranges. It is one of Japan’s prominent rivers for Genji fireflies. Moreover, “Kiyomizu waterfall”, the subterranean clear waterfall, has been selected as one of the 100 “exquisite waters” in Japan and is the essential “treasure water” for brewing at Tenzan Sake Brewery.
This water is a medium hard water and contains no iron, but lots of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. It is the ideal water for sake brewing.
Sake rice
90% of rice used for brewing sake at Tenzan Sake Brewery is produced in Saga Prefecture. Mainly ‘Yamadanishiki’ and ‘Saga no Hana’ are used.
To brew good sake requires good rice.
We thought that we needed to be involved in its production and established the “Tenzan Sake Rice Cultivation Study Group”.
The turning point of sake brewing
In the Edo era, there were Toji (brewmasters) and Kurodo (artisans) working away from their home during the winter to make sake. This continued until recently. Our company has gradually changed to using regular employees from 1995.
This was definitely a turning point in our long history of brewing, and we have since been creating the present. We must go on brewing sake for future generations during this historic period.
This change involves various difficulties, but we would like to share the pleasure of creating the new way of sake brewing with the people of the same generation who are participating in it.
Sakaya Banryu
There is an expression, Sakaya Banryu.
Each sake brewery has its own philosophy and style, none are identical. It is a matter for the individual or the company. Each moromi, unrefined sake, has its own character. It’s the same as the people who make it. All of us, including myself, are going to continue brewing sake using our originality.
Tenzan Sake Brewery, Inc. Toji (Brewmaster) Jun Gotoh
Tenzan Sake Brewery MOVIE