Jan 11,2024
The water and soil of the Fuji Misaka region of Yamanashi yield incomparable sake and wine. Both are produced by Sasaichi Sake Brewery, whose history goes back to 1661. Sasaichi Sake Brewery started out as the Hanada-ya inn, which also made miso, soy sauce, and sake. Later, the first in the present line of brewers took over the business, and in 1919 he gave it its present name. In 2013, the brewery ceased mass production altogether and reverted to the traditional sake-brewing process, which involves producing the koji (rice malt) and sake starter by hand. Meanwhile, it has gone global and now attracts interest around the world. The current and fifth head of Sasaichi, Amano Rei, is boldly venturing into new territory while remaining true to the brewery’s 360-year tradition. We interviewed him about the art of making sake and wine at the brewery’s retail outlet, the Shuyukan, which reopened in 2020 after a facelift.
Sasaichi Sake Brewery is the only place in Yamanashi Prefecture that makes both sake and wine. It was founded in 1661 under the name Hanada-ya in the historic town of Sasago in the present-day city of Otsuki, a thriving post town on the Koshu Highway during the Edo period (1603–1867). It acquired its present name, Sasaichi, in 1919.
“The sasa in Sasaichi name means ‘sake,’ and the ichi means ‘one,’ alluding to our commitment to being the best in Japan. Our logo is bordered with a design representing the Eight-Span Mirror, one of the three Japanese imperial regalia. We’ve been using this logo since 1919. It keeps alive the spirit of those early days.”
So explains Amano Rei, the current and fifth head of Sasaichi.
The Eight-Span Mirror was selected as a motif because 1919 was the “eighth” year of the Taisho era. Eight is considered an auspicious number in Japan because the character for “eight” (八) tapers outward, auguring well for the future.
The Sasaichi Sake Brewery sign greets you as you enter the Sasago district of Otsuki, the gateway to Yamanashi when arriving from Tokyo by the historic Koshu Highway.
It was Rei’s great-grandfather Hisashi who took over Hanada-ya and renamed it Sasaichi. Rei himself, however, was not initially in line to succeed to the family business.
“My cousin used to be president, but he died young, so my father ended up taking over the business. I wasn’t living in Yamanashi at the time, but I later moved back here. These are familiar surroundings for me, because ever since I was little, we would always visit whenever our relatives got together. I’m delighted to have been able to take over our treasured family business, which goes back a long away. I also consider it an important responsibility. The actual task of making the sake is performed by our master brewer and the rest of our brewery staff. The policy governing how the sake is brewed is a matter of gut feeling. I just know what kind of sake our family would produce. That’s the most important criterion for making the same Sasaichi sake that’s been made for decades.”
In 2013, Rei and the previous president undertook a major reform at Sasaichi Sake Brewery. They decided to stop mass producing sake and revert to the traditional method of sake making, which involves producing the koji (rice malt) and sake starter by hand.
“We were determined to produce a sake that could hold its own anywhere in the world. That was in part because domestic consumption was in decline due to Japan’s falling population. But there was another major reason as well. Yamanashi had long been part of the Tokyo commuter belt, but with the registration of Mount Fuji as a World Heritage site, it had suddenly become a global tourist destination. To meet global standards, we needed to achieve higher quality rather than higher volumes. So we replaced all the mass-production equipment that had been used at the brewery for decades.”
As Sasaichi reverted to the traditional way of doing things, it also launched a new brand called “Dan,” written with the character 旦.
“The character ‘Dan’ represents the sun rising above the summit of Mount Fuji. It symbolizes the same thing as ‘Sasaichi’: our commitment to making the best sake in Japan. Our goal was to make the ultimate dinner sake.”
Vigorous and striking, the calligraphy for the label was brushed by internationally renowned calligrapher Kanazawa Shoko.
The ultimate dinner sake doesn’t mean a sake with a pronounced character. It means one focused on a well-balanced bouquet and palate, with the idea of bringing out the pure flavor of the rice. Everything about Dan is uncompromising, and it’s netted numerous international awards. It won platinum at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Sake Selection 2018. It was awarded 91 Parker points in Robert Parker’s list of the 78 best sakes in the world. And in 2022, it won platinum at Kura Master, a global sake competition held in France, catapulting it to international fame.
And it’s not just a question of how the sake is brewed. Sasaichi has an unparalleled advantage, Rei argues.
“What we consider most important to the sake-making process is the water. We brew our sake with natural water from Mount Fuji, which is drawn from our own well. This water has quite a pedigree. Emperor Meiji took it with him to Kyoto, so it has imperial associations.”
The water used in brewing is also served at the cafe (though it’s not for sale). It has a smooth, mellow taste.
Why does the place have such excellent water? The secret lies in the geology of the area around Sasaichi Sake Brewery.
“Sasaichi Sake Brewery is in an area called Fuji Misaka, which has a history that goes back eons. In fact, it’s where the Ogasawara Islands collided with the Eurasian continent when the tectonic plates shifted. Yamanashi Prefecture has no coastline, but fossils of ancient marine life can be found in the mountains. The area has volcanic geological features, like the subsurface of the Ogasawara Islands. Because volcanic terrain is made up of highly porous lava, rainwater is filtered as it percolates through. Thus what accumulates in the aquifers is pure soft water containing no foreign matter. That’s the water we draw from the well to make sake.”
Edo-period map of the local river system on display at the Shuyukan
Further, the excellent drainage that characterizes volcanic terrain is also conducive to winemaking.
“Sasaichi has been making wine for a long time, even for Yamanashi. In fact, we’ve been at it for seventy years. The volcanic terrain with its excellent drainage is an environment well suited to growing wine grapes. Thanks to the nature of the land, we’ve been able to make sake and wine for decades. The water is great for sake and the soil is great for wine.”
Sasaichi’s signature sake, Tokubetsu Junmai Daiginjo
The wine section occupies roughly half the Shuyukan’s sales floor.
Now that Sasaichi has completely overhauled its production process and established global sales channels, its sake is attracting international interest. What motivates Rei to venture into new territory while remaining true to the brewery’s long tradition is his vision for the future. He wants to “keep going for centuries by always making the sake right for the times,” he says.
“We’re here today, I believe, because the people who went before us made the kind of sake that met the needs of their day. That’s why I keep asking myself what we should be doing in this day and age. A case in point: this facility here was originally a cafeteria and a small sales outlet. Well, we’ve rebuilt it and turned it into the Shuyukan, a facility with its own cafe that young people and international tourists can casually drop by.”
Sasaichi Shuyukan, which reopened in 2020. A chic-looking building that blends into the natural surroundings.
A week before my visit, the new sake and wine festival took place. It’s a unique event held only at Sasaichi Sake Brewery, for there the first pressing of sake coincides with the release of the new vintage.
“The festival attracts a large turnout every year. I mentioned our obsession with making a dinner sake earlier when discussing the concept behind Dan. Good food is indispensable to enjoying Sasaichi sake. We therefore enlisted the aid of some of Yamanashi Prefecture’s most high-profile chefs, so visitors could enjoy different food pairings. That, we hope, will make more people aware of why Yamanashi food and sake are so special.”
Hatsushibori Nama―the first sake of the year, only available now. With its fresh taste and pleasant aroma, this unpasteurized sake has developed an extensive following, even among the sake-averse.
Part 2 will be all about the Shuyukan and its attractions!
(To be continued)
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