The Gozenshu Brewery is one of the few in Japan using bodaimoto, a 600-year-old fermentation method, to make sake. They use it to make junmai, or pure rice sake that has no added alcohol or sugar. But mass-produced sake made with cheap additives is threatening the business.
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00:00 Massaging fungus into rice is one of the most crucial steps in making sake.
00:07 After weeks of being soaked, steamed and fermented, the mix will turn into junmai,
00:18 a pure kind of sake that has no added alcohol or sugar.
00:25 But fewer than 10 brewers make it with a 600-year-old natural fermentation method.
00:32 Maekotsuji is one of them.
00:35 But mass-produced sake made with cheap additives is threatening her business.
00:46 So what makes this kind of junmai so special, and why is it so rare?
00:54 Northern Okayama's high-quality rice and groundwater have made it a hub for sake brewing.
01:01 Gozenshu Brewery has been operating here since 1804.
01:06 Maiko is the seventh generation of sake brewers in her family.
01:20 The brewery goes through 140 tons of omachi rice every year.
01:26 Most sake rice varieties are created by cross-breeding other strains.
01:32 This isn't the case with naturally occurring omachi.
01:36 It gives the sake an earthy and herbal flavor.
01:42 The rice arrives at the brewery already milled and polished.
01:48 Maiko and her team start by washing it thoroughly to get rid of any excess powder.
01:55 The rice then sits in vats of cold water to soak, and every second is crucial.
02:03 If it absorbs too much moisture, the rice will be sticky and not good for mold growth.
02:10 The more polished the rice is, the quicker the water will soak in.
02:16 Workers spend up to half an hour watching for a subtle color change.
02:22 They know it's ready when the outside of the grain turns white,
02:27 By the next day, the rice is ready for another critical step - steaming.
02:35 Workers transfer it into barrels called koshiki.
02:41 In the past, they were made of cedarwood, but now they use a different material.
02:48 The rice is then steamed in a steamer.
02:53 In the past, they were made of cedarwood, but those were replaced with aluminum ones in the mid-20th century.
03:02 Maiko uses this wooden tool to spread the rice evenly.
03:08 The cloth traps the heat and allows steam to escape.
03:13 The rice steams for 50 minutes.
03:17 Then it's time to add one of the most important ingredients - koji mold.
03:24 It's a type of fungus used in many fermented foods like soy sauce, miso, and vinegar.
03:32 As the koji grows, it converts the rice starch into sugar.
03:37 But for that to happen, the rice needs to be kept at a steady temperature.
03:42 If it gets too hot, the fungus will die.
03:47 This conveyor belt blows air to cool down the rice as Maiko sprinkles on the koji.
03:56 Once the mold is added, it's a race to get the rice from the chilly brewery floor to the humid, 33 degrees Celsius mold room upstairs.
04:10 Workers spend an hour and a half massaging the koji into the rice, making sure the mold reaches each and every grain.
04:19 Maiko never expected to make sake brewing a career.
04:31 It's always been a male-dominated industry.
04:35 In 2020, out of the 1,200 sake breweries in Japan, only 20 were run by women.
04:42 It wasn't until Maiko started drinking sake herself that she realized this was the job for her.
04:57 This is a picture from 15 years ago, when I first started making sake.
05:05 Everyone was so young, and I was so inexperienced.
05:10 I remember being so absorbed in making sake.
05:15 Maiko and her team wrap the rice in cloth to keep it warm and humid.
05:25 After two days, they pour it through a grinder to smooth out any clumps.
05:30 The next step, called budaimoto, sets Maiko's brewery apart from the competition.
05:38 While most sake brewers today add sake yeast during fermentation, budaimoto relies on naturally occurring yeast.
05:47 It's a method that largely went extinct in the early 1900s,
05:51 but Gozen-shu Brewery has worked hard to bring it back.
05:56 And it's what Maiko says makes the sake here taste savory.
06:01 It starts with special rice water, rich with lactic acid.
06:20 This chemical kills off harmful fungus and creates the perfect environment for yeast to grow.
06:27 Then workers add steamed rice and some of the koji rice to make the yeast starter called shubo.
06:35 Then it's time for fermentation.
06:44 Over three weeks, Maiko adds more water, koji rice and steamed rice to the mix.
06:51 The yeast from the shubo will convert the sugars into alcohol.
06:56 Maintaining a consistent temperature is critical at this stage.
07:02 As sake can ferment only between 0 and 12 degrees Celsius.
07:07 So, Maiko and her team check the temperature twice a day.
07:14 She knows the mash is ready when it begins to smell fruity.
07:18 The mash is then pressed and filtered through this machine.
07:37 But before the sake can hit the shelves, Maiko takes samples to her lab for analysis.
07:44 Here she tests for acidity and alcohol levels right after fermentation.
08:00 The art of turning rice into alcohol dates back 7,000 years to ancient China.
08:07 It came to Japan in the 3rd century BC.
08:11 At first, Japan's imperial court made and regulated sake.
08:16 Only officials and religious leaders could drink it.
08:20 But the fall of the imperial court in the 12th century made the drink more accessible.
08:26 By the 17th century, there were more than 27,000 brewers across Japan.
08:32 The sake industry's peak came in the 1970s when machines and factories allowed for mass production of the drink.
08:40 But demand for sake has dropped as Japan's aging population drinks less
08:45 and younger people opt for other beverages like beer and wine.
08:51 From 1973 to 2022, yearly domestic sake sales fell by 76%.
08:58 Maiko and her team produce 20 different sakes here.
09:11 She says it's been difficult competing with cheaper breweries for a piece of the market.
09:16 Traditionally, sake is made with only water, rice, koji and yeast.
09:22 But rice shortages during World War II caused many breweries to add alcohol to increase their yield and sugar to enhance the flavor.
09:31 Today, Maiko says cheap sake has taken over the market.
09:44 While the average bottle of sake ranges from $7 to $34, Gozen Shu's premium sake can cost up to $200.
09:54 Maiko says most people can't taste the difference between the high-quality drink and ones with additives.
10:01 Meanwhile, artisanal brewers like her have found it hard to keep up.
10:12 Maiko decided the best way to survive was to keep her focus on quality and tradition.
10:18 Slowly, she's seen more and more customers looking for her sake.
10:30 And today, 10% of her sales come from buyers abroad.
10:35 And she's not the only brewer experiencing this.
10:38 While demand for sake has been dropping in Japan, it's growing in other markets like the US, Europe and other Asian countries.
10:47 In 2022, Japan's sake export sales surpassed $300 million, reaching a record high for the 13th year in a row.
10:58 For example, people from abroad drink our sake.
11:03 And there are young people who are interested in Japanese sake.
11:08 So, as a business, she's a light of hope.
11:13 Local bar owner Kojiye Soda says Maiko's sake has also become a favorite among his customers.
11:21 It has a complex aroma and umami. It's also very clear.
11:28 It's also my favorite sake.
11:31 It's a sake that goes well with Japanese food, especially compared to other Japanese sake.
11:37 It's refreshing. It goes well with Japanese food.
11:43 It enhances the flavor of Japanese food.
11:46 It's a perfect sake that has a Japanese touch.
11:51 It's as good as water.
11:56 Koji hopes more people will appreciate the importance of sake to Japan's culture.
12:09 I hope people all over the world will appreciate our sake.
12:15 As long as our store continues, we will continue to sell Japanese sake.
12:23 Maiko's sake has also received recognition across the country.
12:29 In 2022, the brewery's best seller, Mimasaka, won first place at a sake fair in Japan.
12:37 I almost cried. I was so happy.
12:42 While she does not know what the future holds, she is determined to keep the legacy of traditional sake alive.
12:49 If the Japanese sake industry is destroyed, so will the Japanese agriculture and food culture.
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