Showa period (1) Before the war-During the war (1926-1945 years)
~ Birth of "Yamada Nishiki" ~
Entering the Showa era, brewing suitable rice "Yamada Nishiki" is born at the Hyogo Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station. Stable yield and brewing suitability are recognized,Designated as a recommended variety in 1936 (Showa 11)It was done.
Many of the rice suitable for brewing were replaced between 10 and 30, and new varieties were being developed one after another.“The King of Sake Brewery”Continues to be in an immobile position. This is an exceptionally long service life.
By the way, “Yamada Nishiki” did not quickly become a star of rice suitable for sake brewing.
Hyogo prefecture's largest sake producerThe sake brewery did not try to use "Yamada Nishiki" as sticky riceIt isSticky rice is a rice for making koji, which is the important rice that determines the taste of sake..
Since the Edo period, the sake brewery has been using rice from northern Osaka called “Hokusetsumai” for making koji. Because sake largely depends on the skill of craftsmen, I didn't like to change from familiar rice to new rice.
However, when the war began, the buying and selling of rice became controlled, and it became impossible to purchase from outside the prefecture. I tried using Yamada Nishiki and found that I was able to make a higher quality sake than expected. If war did not happen, perhaps “Yamada Nishiki” may not have been in a position like now.
As an aside, there is still an episode that the “Yamada Nishiki” father “Takanori Ferry” was brought to the United States by immigrants from Japan and became the roots of California rice. In other words, “Yamada Nishiki” and California rice are related.
-The road to making "Ginjo Sake" that began with the development of a rice mill-
During the Showa era, the technology of sake brewing further developed.
It should be noted thatDevelopment of vertical rice milling machine.A machine called Kogane Roll, which scrapes the surface of rice little by little with a rotating disc-shaped grinding wheel..
Before this rice milling machine was invented, there was only analog technology that could be boiled.At most 10-30%was. However, with this vertical rice milling machine,Now you can scrape more than 30%It is
It should be said later that it is a synonym for luxury sakeThe invention that led to the birth of Ginjo Sake (Japanese sake made by polishing rice to 60% or less)You can say.
However, as will be described later, there is a shortage of rice due to the war, so sake gradually enters the difficult times.
-Strengthening liquor tax collection due to the outbreak of war-
In the wake of the 1937 (Showa 12) year, the Japanese Kanto Army and the Chinese Nationalist Army entered a full-scale war. It is the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War.
Japan has taken over Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Nanjing one after another. Based in Nanjing, where the Sakai administration was established, we have expanded into various parts of China and expanded our power.
The United States and the United Kingdom who were wary of this strongly condemned Japan and added economic sanctions. In this way, Japan decided to war with the Allies such as the United States and the United Kingdom based on the Japan-Germany Ichikoku Alliance. I entered the Pacific War.
In order to raise a huge amount of war expenses, the government will start raising taxes on sake.. You did the same thing during the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War.
First of all, in addition to the “stone-making tax” in 1940 (Showa 15),Combined with “Taxes for Warehouses (Trading Taxes)”It came to do.
As I mentioned before,Stone-making tax means that tax is generated at the moment when sake is squeezed..
Later, in 1943 (Showa 18) year,Adoption of taxation system by class for warehouse tax. Sake was classified from 1st to 4th and different tax rates were applied.
In 1944 (Showa 19), the stone-making tax was abolished.Unification for warehouse taxTo do.
そ し て,As the war situation worsens, breweries throughout Japan will be forced to merge and close business. In 1930 (Showa 5) year, there were about 8,000 breweries drastically reduced,It has been reduced to near 4,000.
Sake breweries baked in air raids have risen to more than 200 houses, and many sakes have been lost. A lot of sake brewers Mr. Tsuji and brewers will be killed.
-To the era of "goldfish sake"-
The person who knows about “Goldfish Sake” may be a person who is old or a person who is very familiar with sake.
Of course there is no “sake with goldfish and drink”.An expression that points to “Sake that is thin enough to swim for goldfish”Such you.
Due to the Sino-Japanese War in the early Showa era and the prolonged recession, the degree of material shortage in Japan has become more serious. Rice is given priority for military use.
The amount of rice that can be used for sake brewing has been steadily lacking, and of course the production volume has decreased. In such a situation,A sake brewery that inflates sake has appeared. The birth of “goldfish sake”.
However, I think that no matter how thin the sake was, the goldfish could not swim enough, but people started to call it like this.
It must have been a bitter product to balance the supply and demand of sake.For liquor lovers, the era of hardship has begun..
Showa period ② Postwar period-High growth period-Bubble period (1945-1989 years)
-Merits and demerits of "triple brewing sake" that lowered the evaluation of sake-
Have you ever heard the word “triple brewing sake”? Perhaps some younger generations, such as the 20 generation, are new to it.
Often abbreviated as “Mimasaka”“Triple brewing sake” is, as its name suggests, “Triple brewing sake”is. To the finished sake,Add twice the brewing alcohol and dilute, resulting in three times the amount of liquorIt was so named.
However, as a matter of course, if you dilute with such a large amount of alcohol for brewing, the taste of Japanese sake will be lost. Therefore, various additives were added to make this sake a “savory taste”.
Specifically, sugars such as glucose and syrup, and seasonings such as glutamic acid, succinic acid, and lactic acid. Isn't it very unnatural and suspicious?
With this “triple increase sake” method, you can make a lot of sake from a little rice.. Japan after the war was faced with serious food shortages. Against this backdrop, “Triple Masou Sake” was officially recognized as a Japanese sake in 1949 (Showa 24).
Originally started with post-war rice shortage“Triple sake brewing” was made, but it continued for a long time even after the rice supply became normal. On the contrary, it was the mainstream of sake until it was abolished in 2006.
It may not be unreasonable because it can be produced in large quantities at a low cost. However, “triple brewing sake”Sweet and sticky taste due to the addition of sugarIt is said that the cause of lowering the rating of sake is said to have caused headaches and hangovers.
By the way, the method of adding alcohol for brewing was devised in Manchuria, which existed in the current northeastern part of China, where Japan was governed between 1932 (Showa 7) and 1945 (Showa 20) .
Many Japanese settled in Manchuria, but because it was a cold place and there were many young settlers, the consumption of sake per 1 per person was twice that of Japan. became. However, the supply of sake from Japan is not in time,Sake brewing began in Manchuria.
However,The local water was very hard, the Manchurian rice was not suitable for sake brewing, and the brewing facilities were poor, and sake with quality problems such as forging continued..
Therefore, research on Manchu original sake brewing is underway. That was how it was developed.How to add brewing alcoholThat's how it was. This led to the birth of “Triple Zouzo”.
“Triple Masou Sake” is a liquor that was born in an era when even the rice you eat is not satisfactory, which is not possible in today's rich Japan. After that, it may be certain that the reason for lowering the evaluation of sake was made.
However, it is true that it was salvation alcohol for the soldiers who finally came to Japan after the war ended and were wounded by terror, and the Japanese who worked desperately for reconstruction.
The fact that the sake brewery can make plenty of pure rice sake made only from rice, and consumers can fully enjoy it is evidence that the war is over and peaceful.
We are so blessed to live in such a modern age.
-Resurrection of Shiki-brewing-
1961 (Showa 36) year,Japanese sake brewing is revived.
Shiki brewing means making sake throughout the year throughout the four seasons, just as you read it.is. Sake was originally made throughout the year every time a god festival was held.
However, during the warm season, the moromi during fermentation was rotten and often lost, so it was so called to make liquor in winter since the middle of the Edo period.Concentration on “Cold Building” has progressedIt is
However, the quality of brewing facilities will evolve more and more after the war. It has become possible to adjust the temperature and humidity of the brewery to be constant, and it has become possible to stably produce high-quality brewing throughout the year.
With the revival of Shiki brewing, it becomes possible to supply sake that matches the season and special events.Even in hot summer, it is possible to drink freshly squeezed fresh sake (Japanese sake that has not been pasteurized)It is
The four seasons were brewed actively throughout the country,Major manufacturer familiar with the “Laurel Wreath” brand, Laurel Wreath Co., Ltd. (Kyoto, Kyoto)It is said that.
~ 桶 Sale, 桶 Buy ~
Since the Showa 40 era, the act of “buying and buying” has been rampant as a business practice.
桶 Selling / buying is a transaction in which a small local brewery sells sake directly to a major brewery manufacturer without selling the sake that they have made in their own products.Say.
The manufacturer who bought it sells that sake as it is, or blends it with another sake and commercializes it as “Sake at their place”.
At that time, brewing suitable rice was distributed to breweries based on the brewing height of 1936 (Showa 11). Therefore, major manufacturers are distributed compared to sales forceBecause the amount of rice suitable for brewing is insufficient, it was necessary to make up for the lack of ricestarted.
As mentioned earlier, sake is taxed when it is shipped in a bottle.桶 Sell and 桶 Buy are not trade as merchandise but trade between manufacturersSo it is not taxable at this time. The taxable target isWhen the purchased side ships as a productThat's why.
For this reason,桶 Selling, 桶 Buying was also called “non-tax payment transaction”. It can be said that it was also important as a tax-saving technique. There seemed to be many breweries that sold all of them.
Even in the famous local sake breweries that became famous, there were a number of places where they used to be sold. 大 手 Some of the major manufacturers who buy 桶 place importance on quantity and price, but there are certainly major manufacturers who pursue quality.
By responding to the demands of a major manufacturer that sticks to such high quality, the sake manufacturing technology has been improved and it has gained strength, so it may be the cause of establishing its current position.
This custom of selling and buying isDecreased consumption of sake, reduced merits due to the change of brewing suitable rice from the distribution system to the self-distributed rice system, and the need to personalize local sakeOver time, the cause of the problem overlapped and gradually declined.
Many small and medium-sized sake breweries that relied on selling for sale fell into poor management, and bankruptcies continued..
~ Sake consumption peaked and declined during high growth period ~
During the high-growth period, the consumption of sake increased with the booming economy. The “season brewing” and “sale and purchase” that I wrote earlier helped mass production.
そ し て,It will peak in 1973 (Showa 48). The taxable amount this year was 176 million kiloliters(By the way, the taxable quantity in 2015 (Heisei 27) isAbout 55 10,000 kiloliters and less than 3 minutes 1is).
From this year of 1973 (Showa 48), consumers have been away from sake and the sake market has been sluggish. There are two main reasons for this.
The first isMore liquor options than sakeis mentioned.The consumption of beer, whiskey, cocktails, shochu, chu-hi, wine, etc. has expanded..
Highball, which splits whiskey with sodium carbonate, has recently revived due to Suntory's mechanism, but the first boom occurred around 1955 (Showa 30), graduallyWhiskey popularityIncreased.
In 1982, Chuhai, who divides shochu with sodium carbonate instead of whiskey, also became a big hit. Because it's a shochu highball, it's called Chu-hi.
By the way, the Can Chu-Hi “Suntory Juice” was called “Octopus, Octopus. .
The wine and its stylish image also gradually spread among Japanese people. In the bubble periodBeaujolais Nouveau boomTo. Since Japan's date changes the earliest, Beaujolais Nouveau was released the earliest in the world, and it was very exciting for the festival.
The second possible factor isThe image of Japanese sake has gone down, especially among young peopleAlso mentioned. While Western liquor with a stylish and sophisticated atmosphere is emerging one after another,The number of young people with the image of sake is “old and old-fashioned drinks” has increased..
In addition, “Triple Mizou Sake” is also a chance to lower the rating of sakeIt is said that it became. Although it should have been made with the plan of bitterness due to the shortage of rice after the war, it has continued to be produced after the shortage of rice has been resolved, so distrust of the sake maker and sake itself may have grown.
There were also many criticisms that it was sweet and sticky because of the addition of sugars, and liquor that tends to cause headaches and hangovers.
And, “sale and purchase” seems somewhat unpleasant for consumers, and such business practices are rampant.You may have been deceived by the sake industryThat negative impression spread.
In this way, sake that peaked in the high growth period of the Showa era and sluggish,Later, when the world entered the Heisei era, the sake industry would undergo major changes.. We will make a major shift to the new sake era and start moving.