Series: Wajō Waraku | Part 33: In Search of Hiroshima's Finest Sake at Daiwaya Shuhō
Tried a Hundred Times, Revised a Thousand
In Pursuit of Hiroshima's Finest Sake: Yamato-ya Sake Shop
Hello from Yamato-ya Sake Shop in Hiroshima. We are located in Yagenbori, a bustling district of Hiroshima. Our origins trace back to 1869 in Shiwacho, Higashihiroshima City, where we began as a sake brewery under the brand name 'Yamato-hana'. However, due to wartime corporate restructuring, sake production was temporarily halted. We were reborn in 1951 as a sake retailer. The current name, Yamato-ya, derives from our original brewery brand.
Text and photos by Wajo Waraku
Hiroshima, and the Many Wonderful Producers Close at Hand
Now, enough about our shop. In my hometown, Hiroshima, new sake brews are steadily coming to fruition. The other day, accompanied by restaurant owners, I visited Kensuke Sake Brewery in Kure and Imada Sake Brewery in Akiizu to see how the sake was progressing.
Akiizu Town, home to Imada Sake Brewery, known for 'Fukuchō', has long been recognized as a region of master brewers (toji). It has produced many toji and brewery workers for the sake districts throughout the country, including those in Saijo, known as a 'City of Sake'.
The development of sake brewing in Hiroshima Prefecture into what it is today owes much to the soft water brewing method established by Senzaburo Miura (1847-1908), a brewer from Akiizu Town, the home of Hiroshima toji. Senzaburo served as a judge at the first National Sake Appraisal and focused on training toji. As a result, Hiroshima sake dominated the top rankings. This is why ginjo sake is said to have originated in Hiroshima.
The motto of the late Senzaburo Miura, who shaped Hiroshima's sake industry, was 'Hyaku shi sen kai' (Tried a hundred times, revised a thousand).
'Tried a hundred times, revised a thousand'… a truly fitting phrase!
Pictured here is Miho Imada, the always cheerful female brewer.
Miho and I collaborate not only on sake but also on brewing with local ingredients, such as unshu mikan (satsuma mandarin) sake using Hiroshima's delicious fruit juices.
Next, we head to Kure's Kensuke Sake Brewery, where the managing director and toji, Tetsuya Doi (affectionately known as Doi-Tetsu), awaits. Ninotani Town, where Kensuke Sake Brewery is located, lies at the foot of Mt. Noro in the Seto Inland Sea National Park. The rainwater and snowmelt from Mt. Noro 120 years ago now emerges as spring water within the brewery. This spring water, named 'Kensuke Meisui' (Kensuke's Famous Water), is indispensable to Kensuke's sake production.
The man in the photo, Tetsuya Doi, always enters the brewery at the start of the brewing season with a fresh, beginner's mindset, shaving his head each year. He is like a different person in the summer compared to winter. During the brewing season, Doi-Tetsu is intensely focused, and upon visiting the brewery, one can feel the palpable tension. This year's new sake has arrived at our shop, and it is outstanding… truly delicious!
The reason I have come to hold such passion and work with sake is because of Hiroshima, and the many wonderful producers close at hand. Grateful for these encounters, I wish to continue delivering delicious sake to our customers.
Here's a bonus! A scene from a drinking party with Doi-Tetsu's old friends from his '○○ tribe' days!
Yamato-ya Sake Shop
4-3, Ebisu-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Tel. 082-241-5660
Fax. 082-241-5661
http://www.e-yamatoya.jp/dm/