“Daishichi” & “Tentaka” In-store tasting event @ Ikebukuro

You can taste Daishichi, DAISHICHI SAKE BREWERY CO., LTD. from Fukushima prefecture, and Tentaka, Tentaka Shuzo Co., Ltd. from Tochigi prefecture.

Daishichi (DAISHICHI SAKE BREWERY CO., LTD.)

Established in 1752, Daishichi is located in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima. Fukushima sake will never let you down. Daishichi makes rich, mellow sakes whose outstanding reputation comes from an insistence on a strictly orthodox brewing tradition: the kimoto method. All Daishichi products are superb examples of kimoto sake.

KIMOTO is the older “traditional” brewing method, where nature is left to take its course. Brewers wait patiently as naturally occurring Lactobacillus (lactic acid bacteria) grows within the shubo to fight off unwanted bacteria.

The rice and koji for the shubo are mixed and crushed into a puree in order for them to work properly together and saccharify (convert rice starches to sugars). This involves the labor-intensive “yamaroshi”, a manual mashing and stirring of the puree with oar-like paddles in order to speed up rice saccharification. Requires a longer time for the yeast to begin fermentation.

No lactic acid or yeast added, but forms naturally in the brew. All Natural, Hand Crafted.

Because Kimoto allows more wild yeasts and bacteria to become a part of the brew, the flavor tends to have higher sweetness and acidity, with richer, deeper, significantly more pronounced flavors.

Daishichi seeks depth of flavour: sake that grows and matures over time, flowering into exceptional quality. They continue to cherish hand-crafted brewing techniques that combine the best of nature’s bounty with their own expertise and experience.

The annual night time lantern festival of Nihonmatsu is from the 4th to 6th of October and is one of the most spectacular events to see in Japan. The festival has a long history of over 300 years and is one of the 3 largest lantern festivals in Japan. Pick from countless delicious festival food stalls and kanpai with sake in the high-energy festival.

DAISHICHI SAKE BREWERY CO., LTD. Home page

Tasting at home by amazon

Daishichi Minowamon Kimoto Junmai Daiginjo 大七酒造 大七箕輪門 生酛 純米大吟醸酒 720ml (箱入り)

Tentaka (Tentaka Shuzo Co., Ltd.)

Tentaka is located in a nature-rich city, Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture. Through the year, the area is blessed with sunny weather, and the warm summer and the ideal coldness in the winter are suitable for sake brewing. As the city is on the delta between the Naka River and the Hoki River, rice has been actively grown since a long time ago. The abundant subsoil water from Mount Nasu in the most northern part of the prefecture enables us to secure clean water which is necessary for sake production. Rice, water, and climate – all conditions are met and that is why the city is perfect for sake brewing. Because of that, there are 6 sake breweries in Otawara, the largest number in Tochigi.

In Otawara, there is Unganji Temple. It is a beautiful place, with peaceful and stunning gardens all year round. In the Edo period, haiku poet Basho also visited here during his long journey to north. He is one of the most famous travelogues ever, “Oku no Hosomichi”, or “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” inspires Japanese art and visitors to Tohoku.

Basho composed following poem in Unganji.

啄木鳥も庵は破らず夏木立
kitsutsuki mo io wa yaburazu natsu kodachi

Even the woodpeckers
Have left it untouched,
This tiny cottage
In a summer grove.

Unganji Google map

In the same city, Daoji is a Soto Zen temple that is more than 600 years old; it was established in 1404. The thatched buildings are amazing and the statues and gardens are really interesting. At Daioji Temple, you can practice Zen meditation under the guidance of a Zen priest.

Daoji Google map

Daioji: http://www.daiouji.or.jp
Zen meditation contact form http://www.daiouji.or.jp/inquiry.html
Tel: 81-287-54-0332

Tentaka Shuzo Co., Ltd. Home page

Tasting at home by amazon

Tentmaker Organic Junmai Daiginjo Gohyakumangoku 天鷹　有機　純米大吟醸 　天鷹五百万石　720ml