On a cold winter night, in the still, silent brewery, moromi—the mash that will become sake—is growing, bubbling gently.
The person making the rounds at night to check on the moromi is Yamanari Sake Brewery’s toji (master brewer), Watanabe Yoshio.
At Yamanari Sake Brewery, the New Year marked the start of the busiest season for sake brewing, and preparations for the year’s sake were underway.
Yamanari Sake Brewery continues to brew sake using clear water drawn from the underground flow of the Oda River, which runs beside the brewery, carefully grown rice, and techniques passed down through generations.
Here we introduce the historic Yamanari Sake Brewery in Yoshii-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture, and its toji, Watanabe Yoshio.
The information presented was current when this article was published in February 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Overview of Yamanari Sake Brewery
Yamanari Sake Brewery is located in Yanase, Yoshii-cho, about a 10-minute drive from central Ibara City.
Founded in 1804, it is a sake brewery with a 220-year history.
The brewery practices kanjikomi, or cold-season brewing, making a year’s worth of sake during the coldest season.
On the day of our visit, it was the peak of the brewing season, and moromi was being prepared.
The freshly pressed sake will be available for purchase at the shop in front of the brewery from around mid-February.
A large noren (traditional shop curtain) bearing the name of Yamanari Sake Brewery’s signature sake, “Ran no Homare”, serves as a landmark.
“Ran no Homare” was named after the Analects phrase “Shutsuran no Homare.”
It means that, just as blue comes from indigo yet is bluer than indigo, it is an honor for students and subordinates to surpass their teachers and superiors.
Historical figures connected to Yamanari Sake Brewery
Yamanari Sake Brewery has connections to several famous historical figures.
Sakatani Roro, Shibusawa Eiichi, and Tanizaki Junichiro.
Sakatani Roro was a Japanese Confucian scholar who established private academies and schools in Ibara City and taught people there. The academy was called Oukei Juku, and the school was called Kojokan, which later became Kojokan High School. Sakatani Roro’s mother’s family and his wife’s family ran Yamanari Sake Brewery.
The businessman Shibusawa Eiichi, known as the “father of modern Japanese economics,” met Sakatani Roro while visiting Okayama on business, and the two became close.
Sakatani Roro’s fourth son married Shibusawa Eiichi’s second daughter, making the families relatives.
The writer Tanizaki Junichiro had a niece who married into the Yamanari family. Through this connection, he became a regular drinker of Yamanari Sake Brewery’s sake.
The only historic sake brewery in Ibara City
There were once many sake breweries, but today Yamanari Sake Brewery is the only one remaining in Ibara City.
There are several reasons for the decline in the number of sake breweries. Changes in lifestyles have reduced the number of celebratory occasions marked with sake, while shochu became popular as an alternative to sake.
At the historic Yamanari Sake Brewery, six buildings dating back to the Meiji period—including the shop and main house, the brewery, the east brewing building, and the west brewing building—are designated National Tangible Cultural Properties.
The beams of the brewery, assembled around a single central pillar, are magnificent.
Sake brewing
Yamanari Sake Brewery uses the cold-season brewing method.
The busiest brewing season of the year begins soon after the New Year.
In mid-December, steamed rice is kept at around 36.7°C, the same as human body temperature, and koji spores are cultivated in the koji room.
Once the koji is ready, it is combined with water to make shubo, the starter for the sake.
After about two weeks, the shubo develops yeast. Once it has matured, steamed rice, brewing water, and fresh koji are added to make moromi.
The rice is steamed in a traditional Japanese kettle that has been in use since the brewery was founded. From the national highway, you can see clouds of steam rising from the brewery roof as the sake rice is steamed.
When the rice is done steaming, a brewery worker calls out cheerfully, “Here we go!” and removes the stopper from the kettle to release the steam. It gushes out with force, and in an instant the area turns completely white.
For a while, nothing can be seen inside the brewery, which is filled with steam.
The freshly steamed rice, now translucent and made up of small grains, is carefully spread out on cloth and cooled to the required temperature.
The cooled steamed rice was placed into the tanks one batch after another.
Watanabe stirs the tank containing shubo, koji, brewing water, and steamed rice with a paddle, while checking the moromi’s temperature and the amount of steamed rice.
The moromi matures over 20 to 30 days and becomes sake.
Types of bubbles
As the sake matures, the shape of the bubbles in the tank changes too.
“Suji-awa,” “Mizu-awa,” “Iwa-awa,” “Taka-awa,” “Ochi-awa,” and “Tama-awa” are names for the bubbles that change as fermentation progresses. The toji monitors the state of alcoholic fermentation by observing the bubbles.
| Bubble appearance | Fermentation stage | State of fermentation |
|---|---|---|
| Suji-awa | Days 2–3 of the moromi | The bubbles form streaks. The yeast is multiplying, and the alcohol content is 5%. |
| Mizu-awa | Days 3–4 of the moromi | Bubbles rise in areas other than where the suji-awa has formed. Aroma and carbon dioxide begin to develop. |
| Iwa-awa | Days 6–7 of the moromi | Bubbles form rough, rock-like clumps. The alcohol content is rising. |
| Taka-awa | Day 10 onward of the moromi | So many bubbles form that they seem about to overflow the tank. The aroma is good, and carbon dioxide is produced. |
| Ochi-awa | Day 14 onward of the moromi | The bubbles gradually settle back to the surface of the liquid, but fermentation remains active. |
| Tama-awa | Day 18 onward of the moromi | The surface bubbles become fine and form a film. There is also plenty of carbon dioxide, and the sake is nearly ready. |
Yamanari Sake Brewing’s Products
The following are representative sake products from Yamanari Sake Brewing.
| Product name | Features |
|---|---|
| Unpasteurized Sake · Ran no Homare | Unpasteurized sake brewed from “Akebono” rice polished to 70%; four-stage brewing; rich umami and a subtle sweetness |
| Junmai Sake · Ran no Homare | Junmai sake brewed from “Akebono” rice polished to 70%; a clean, refreshing taste without strong flavors |
| Unpasteurized Daiginjo · Roro no Sato | Unpasteurized daiginjo brewed from Grade 1 “Yamada Nishiki” rice polished to 50%; refined aroma and refreshing sweetness |
| Junmai Ginjo · Okei | Unpasteurized junmai ginjo brewed from locally grown “Omachi” rice polished to 60%; Omachi’s distinctive acidity, gentle aroma, and soft mouthfeel |
▼Other products:
- Unpasteurized Ran no Homare Enpei (named after former toji Yamanari Enpei)
- Sake lees
- Koji
- Daiginjo vinegar
- Narazuke pickles
- Meiji Gobo burdock-root karinto, Yuzu karinto made with yuzu from Yoshiicho, and Ran no Homare sake-lees karinto from “Kashi Kobo Yoichi”
- Unpasteurized sake cake “Orion”
“Kashi Kobo Yoichi” is a karinto shop run by Watanabe.
Terroir Sake “Okei”
The junmai ginjo “Okei” is a new sake that was created in 2022.
Yamanari Sake Brewing had hoped to brew terroir sake that captures the appeal of the region, using local sake rice, water, and air.
Terroir is a French word meaning “the distinctive character of a place and its natural environment.”
It is brewed with groundwater from the Oda River, the clear air beneath a beautiful starry sky, and “Omachi” sake rice, which local farmers have succeeded in cultivating.
“Okei” was named after Sakatani Roro’s private school, “Okei Juku.”
We recommend enjoying this sake’s aroma in a wine glass, or serving it on the rocks to make the most of its high alcohol content as an unpasteurized sake.
It pairs well with all kinds of dishes, including Western, Japanese, and meat dishes, as well as cheese and dark chocolate.
We interviewed Yamanari Sake Brewing’s toji, Watanabe Yoshio, about the brewery and his work as a toji.
An Interview with Yamanari Sake Brewing Toji Watanabe Yoshio
We asked how Watanabe, the owner of a karinto shop, became a toji who makes sake that captivates people.
Please tell us how you became a toji.
Watanabe (honorific omitted)
In 2010, we started “Kashi Kobo Yoichi,” a karinto shop next to Yamanari Sake Brewing that uses local specialties such as “Meiji Gobo,” with my wife.
When my wife, whom I was dating at the time, asked, “Would you like to open a Meiji Gobo karinto shop?” I was unsure at first.
I had no experience making sweets, and I had been working at a company for about four years, so my life was stable.
Meiji Gobo is a specialty of the Meiji district in Yoshiicho. Thick as a branch, it has fine, tender fibers and a pleasant aroma, making it a premium burdock root.
My wife’s grandfather was a Meiji Gobo grower.
The elderly owner of a karinto shop was planning to close the business.
I was moved by my wife’s wish to “share the wonderful qualities of the Meiji Gobo that my grandfather grew.”
I had moved around for work, but after marrying my wife, I settled in Ibara and happened to open a karinto shop next to Yamanari Sake Brewing.
Approached by Yamanari Sake Brewing’s Toji
Watanabe
One day in 2011, Yamanari Sake Brewing’s toji, Yamanari Enpei, asked me, “The person who worked mornings only is leaving. Could you help out?”
I started helping out at the brewery, but I usually drank beer or shochu and wasn’t familiar with sake.
I had no intention of becoming a toji, either.
But I was moved by how delicious the “Unpasteurized Sake · Ran no Homare” was when I tried it for the first time.
Unpasteurized sake is sake as it is, with no water added after pressing the moromi.
The freshly made sake was delicious, and I came to love working at Yamanari Sake Brewing.
I Was So Sad at the Thought of No Longer Being Able to Drink This Sake
Watanabe
In 2017, when Toji Enpei became ill, I felt very sad at the thought that I might no longer be able to drink the sake made here.
“If I’m going to lose the chance to drink it, I want to try being the toji myself. I want to make sake.” I felt strongly about it.
Was the karinto shop okay while you were doing that?
Watanabe
Sake brewing is very busy from the end of the year until around March, but things are quieter at other times.
When the brewery is busy, my wife’s mother comes to help, so we manage somehow.
It Doesn’t Go Well When You Actually Try It
What was the path to becoming a toji like?
Watanabe
I had been helping out at Yamanari Sake Brewing for nearly ten years, so I thought I understood the workflow, but when I actually tried doing it, things didn’t go well.
I started as an apprentice toji in 2018, learning from Enpei.
The 2018 “Ran no Homare” turned out as well as the previous year’s, but the daiginjo and junmai sake still weren’t the flavors I had envisioned.
Before I had managed to make sake I was satisfied with, I became an independent toji in 2019.
Training at Another Sake Brewery
I wanted to learn more about daiginjo, so I went to train at another sake brewery.
I trained for two years at Kikuchi Sake Brewing Co.,Ltd. in Kurashiki City, where I learned how to make daiginjo.
Kikuchi Sake Brewing Co.,Ltd. starts brewing a little earlier than Yamanari Sake Brewing, in October. I went there to learn around November and trained for a week, then returned to Yamanari Sake Brewing to serve as toji when brewing began there in December.
It was difficult to adapt the scale of brewing I learned at Kikuchi Sake Brewing Co.,Ltd. to our brewery.
There were challenges, such as figuring out how to handle processes that were easy with Kikuchi Sake Brewing Co.,Ltd.’s equipment using our own equipment.
Can you now make the sake you have in mind?
Watanabe
Yes. Thanks to Enpei’s guidance and what I learned at Kikuchi Sake Brewing Co.,Ltd., things are going well now.
Quiet Nights Watching the Koji, Shubo, and Moromi Develop
Is there a stage of sake brewing that you particularly enjoy?
Watanabe
During the day, time flies as we rush to keep up with the brewing work.
After the brewery workers go home in the evening, I come back at night to check the temperatures of the koji and shubo several times.
I like going to check on things inside the brewery during the calm, quiet hours.
The moromi changes from moment to moment, and I like having the time to slowly observe its current state.
“Buying by the Label” Instead of “Buying by the Cover”
How do you recommend choosing sake when you want to try it?
Watanabe
It’s a good idea to choose sake by its label.
Sake labels have become very stylish lately.
I’ve also started buying sake based on its label more often, and the label tends to match the taste.
Cute labels tend to have a light, easy-to-drink taste, while subdued labels suggest a mellow, deep flavor.
It’s “buying by the label” instead of “buying by the cover.”
If you find a sake with a label you like, be sure to give it a try.
I Want to Make Sake That I Can’t Help Admiring
Is there anything you’d like to take on in the future?
Watanabe
I want to make sake that moves someone, like the Unpasteurized Ran no Homare that moved me when I first tried it—sake that I myself can’t help admiring.
The newly created sake “Okei” is based on the starry sky of Bisei Town, Ibara City, and I hope it will become a sake that represents Ibara.
From the Writer
Yamanari Sake Brewing is a historic brewery that makes sake using the cold-season brewing method.
They brew with clear groundwater from the Oda River, carefully cultivated rice, and traditional techniques.
Their new junmai ginjo, “Okei,” was created as a sake to represent Yamanari Sake Brewing.
At the start of the new year, the brewers steam sake rice in a large traditional iron kettle and work on brewing, sweat beading on their foreheads.
On a cold night beneath the beautiful stars, Watanabe watches the moromi fermenting inside the brewery.
The first new sake from Yamanari Shuzo, carefully brewed, is ready.
Sales began on February 9, 2024, at the shop in front of the brewery.
Be sure to try this sake, brimming with local character and brewed with rice, water, and air from Ibara.
Yamanari Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. Information
| Organization Name | Yamanari Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Representative | Yamanari Yoshinao |
| Year Established | Founded in 1804 |
| Address | 23 Yanase, Yoshii-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0866-72-0001 |
| Website | Yamanari Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. |
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