Daiginjyo Kaitouotokoyama
Brewing sake that becomes a great supporting act, without being over-assertive.
Minamiaizu Town: a place where, in deep winter, the snows pile high and temperatures plunge to -20°C.
In this town of just over 17,000 people, four sake breweries vie for position. It is striking, too, that the vast majority of their shipments are for the local community. In this fierce battleground for sake, this brewery has endured for over three hundred years.
They have always crafted their sake with the local community foremost in mind. The bulk of their sake rice is produced by local farmers. While "Yamadanishiki" is used for Daiginjo, they place great value on Fukushima's own "Yumenokaori" for their other sake. Kenichi Watanabe, the 14th-generation head, places deep trust in it: "The shinpaku (starchy white core) is firm and dense, so it resists breaking. It is also highly compatible with our local water, allowing us to express the exact flavors we seek."
When asked what kind of sake the brewery aims for, Mr. Watanabe describes it as "Perhaps sake that is neither too sweet nor too dry; sake that doesn't over-assert itself."
"Sake has always been a vital tool for communication," he explains. "The ideal is that you find you’ve naturally finished the bottle without even realizing it. The star of the show is always the person drinking. Our sake strives to be the perfect supporting act."
Minamiaizu Town has established a "Kanpai Ordinance," encouraging toasts with local sake and spurring its revival. "We have always pushed one another, through friendly competition, to brew the best sake we can. We intend to carry that spirit forward and continue contributing to our local community," Mr. Watanabe says with conviction.
Kaitouotokoyama Shuzo