Wajō Waraku | Episode 8: Takekuma Sake Shop – Offering Delightful, Blissful Sake
A Fierce Three-Day, Three-Night Drinking Battle at Kawasakidaishi-Gawara: The "Mizutori-ki" Chronicle
Serving Joyful, Blissful Sake – "Takekuma Sake Shop"
My hometown, Kawasaki City, is long and narrow from east to west. The east is dominated by industrial zones, while the west features bedroom communities with remaining hills and pastoral landscapes. Despite being the smallest in area among Japan's designated cities, it's a vibrant city with a population growth rate that ranks among the nation's highest. In Konyacho, Saiwai Ward, stands "Takekuma Sake Shop."
Photos and Text by Wajo Waraku
Where People Gather, Sake Is Always Present
In the past, surrounded by small factories, the population grew with young people coming for work, and more recently, with the construction of numerous apartment buildings. Amidst this constant flux of residents, our shop strives not just for customers to enjoy sake, but to foster a deep affection for it. This is the spirit with which we continue our business.
Kawasaki holds remarkable historical tales related to sake.
Approximately 360 years ago, in May of Keian 2 (1648), a story known as "Mizutori-ki" recounts a fierce three-day, three-night drinking battle at Kawasakidaishi-Gawara. It involved Ikegami Taroemon Yukihro (Dajumaru Sokofuka), who had successfully developed the area now famous for Kawasaki Daishi and became its headman, along with his 15 family members, and Ibaraki Shunsaku (Jiobo Taruji), a physician and Confucian scholar from Edo, with his 17 companions. These Edo revelers attacked, leading to the legendary contest.
At first glance, the story captivates with its tales of prodigious drinking and unique consumption styles. However, sake was a precious commodity back then, and the narrative also reveals a social dimension: people were drawn by the sake, lending their hands to land development and forging significant networks.
Whether for celebrations or solemn occasions, sake is invariably present wherever people gather, even today. Sake can shorten the distance between individuals, and if that sake is exceptionally delicious, it can further bridge gaps, fostering better human relationships. The role of a sake shop is to facilitate such connections.
The "Mizutori-ki" has been revived in modern times as the "Mizutori no Matsuri" (Festival of Waterfowl), with the most recent iteration, the 15th, concluding on October 18th (Sunday).
Participants don elaborate period costumes and makeup, parade through the town, and drain large cups of sake. Smiles abound among the gathered crowd. Sake consumed in such a joyous atmosphere is truly a delightful, blissful drink.
Jizake & Takekuma Sake Shop
92 Konyacho, Saiwai Ward, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel. 044-522-0022
Fax. 044-522-1551
http://www.takekuma.co.jp/