Removing one piece of jigsaw puzzle says "Heisei"

Heisei Era (1989 to present)

Clearly with cold sake

-Abolition of "Classified System"-

Adopted in 1943 (Showa 18)The taxation system according to the first to fourth grades has been revised repeatedly, and has subsided into three levels: special grade, first grade, and second grade..

The reason for introducing the classification system isStrengthening liquor tax for the purpose of raising war costs under the wartime systemis. In general, if it is classified by class, people will judge that sake is better than grade 2 and special grade is better than grade 1.

Then,In search of better sake, we will choose higher grade sake. Using that consumer sentiment, we set a higher liquor tax for high-grade sake.

Specifically, if the liquor tax for special-grade liquor is about 1.8 per liter (1,000 liter), the liquor tax of about 500 for the first-class liquor and about 200 for the second-grade liquor.

In other words, in special grade and second grade,A difference of 800 yen opens at a bottle sizeThat's why. It may be closer to say that you're no longer taxing than drinking.

The general criteria for each grade was:“Special grades are those with good quality. First grades are those with good quality. Second grades are those that do not fall into special grades or first grades.”That's it. It is the Liquor Council of the National Tax Bureau that certifies the equality. It was judged by conducting a sensory examination.

Sake breweries provide Japanese sake as a sample from their own tanks and receive a screening of the grade you want.is. Actually, when sake is finished,All second-class liquorsIt was treated as. The sake brewery applied for “I want to sell this sake as a premium sake”, and it was recognized as a premium sake only after passing the examination.

There seemed to be many breweries who were dissatisfied with such a classification system and advocate. Among them, there is a fine sake in the special sake class,Some places sell it as a cheap liquor without going through screeningNow comes out.

As a result, sometimesThe reverse phenomenon that the second-class liquor of the local small sake brewer is more delicious than the special-grade liquor or first-class liquor produced by major companies began to happen..

In addition to these phenomena, along with the growing momentum to rediscover Japan,The so-called “local sake” produced by small local breweriesThe local sake boom arose.

The representative who led this boomIshinomoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture)is. “Keshino Kanmei”, which sparked the icy dry boom, was produced in a small amount and was called “Phantom Sake” for a time, and it was distributed at a price many times higher than usual.

In this way, the classification system that gradually became a form was gradually abolished. Special grades were abolished in 1989, and first and second grades were abolished in 1992. The system, which lasted for more than 50 years, has begun with its long history.

-Birth of a new "named liquor" system-

Instead of the classification system,A new system has been introduced that determines the taxable amount according to the alcohol content.

具体的には、アルコール度数が15~16度の日本酒の場合、1キロリットル当たり140,500円となり、15度を1度超えるごとに1キロリットル当たり9,370円がプラスされ、逆に15度を1度下回るごとに、9,370円がマイナスされるという仕組みとなったのです。

Also, how to classify sake"Specific name liquor"This system has become popular. This was established in 1989 by the liquor industry association law.

Junmai Daiginjo Sake, Junmai Ginjo Sake, Daiginjo Sake, Ginjo Sake, Special Junmai Sake, Junmai Sake, Special Honjozo depending on the raw materials such as whether or not to add brewed alcohol, the polishing rate, and the production method It is classified into 8 types of sake and brewed sake.

Most of the specially named liquors display the names corresponding to the labels, so you will often see them.

New names such as Junmaishu and Honjoshu are different from the triple-brewed sake that has been the mainstream for a long time and praised the sake.Received the positive image of "Pure sake made with only rice, unmixed pure sake" and "Real genuine brewed sake" and became popular..

By the way, theseAll wines that do not meet the criteria for specified sakeIt is called. Of course, ordinary sake is a common name, and there is basically no ordinary sake written on the label.

~ Ginjo sake boom that occurred in the bubble era ~

From the 1980 era to the first half of the 1990 era, Japan was in an unprecedented boom. This is the so-called “bubble period”. What happened at this timeGinjo sake boom.

Ginjo Sake finished with a gorgeous aroma and fruity taste, far from the traditional Japanese sake imageWas accepted by women and wine enthusiasts who were not so interested in sake until then.

Making ginjo sake itself was technically possible, but it was expensive and time-consuming, so when it was commercialized, the price setting had to be quite high and therefore not very common. .

However, the bubble period was a time when many people wanted luxury items. Not only is sake with a new taste,Attracted attention as a high-quality luxury liquorIt is

Inside,Thousands of yen for a glassEven sake that seems to be able to appear has appeared.

Many yeasts for ginjo sake were also developed. Has attracted attention in recent years"Flower yeast"It was also researched and developed at Tokyo University of Agriculture for ginjo sake.

Flower yeast is a yeast made by separating yeast that gathers in nectar of flowers.is. 14 types of flower yeasts are currently being developed, such as Nadesico, Begonia, Tulbara, Abelia, Rhododendron, Everyday Grass, Carnation, Sunflower, Cosmos, Azalea, Strawberry, Moon Beauty, Cattleya, Marigold.

I think it will continue to increase. I want to expect a lot.

-The era of "new sake" led by young brewers-

Virtue and Choco

When the bubble collapses, changes will come to the sake industry.The trend of pursuing sake that the maker himself really wants to make was caused by the excessively high-class reaction that occurred in the Ginjo Sake boom..

Should be called origin return,The number of sake breweries trying traditional methods has increasedIt is. Sake made from traditional methods, such as unfiltered raw sake, pure rice sake, aged sake, ginger sake, and nigari sake, was introduced to the world and attracted people's attention.

In addition, Mr. Kuramoto, mainly young people, has increased.That is one of the big changes.Mr. Satoshi Kuramoto is a person who concurrently serves as a manager and production managerSay. It can be said that it is a pioneer being familiar with "14th generation"Takagi Kenzo of Takagi Brewery Co., Ltd. (Murayama City, Yamagata Prefecture)It will be.

Until then, the sake brewery had a complete division of labor, such as breweries for management and Mr. Tsuji for sake brewing. The implicit rule was not to speak to each other's place.

Mr. TsujiWork at the brewery only during the sake brewing season, and return home in the springSuch seasonal employment was the basis.

The reason why the young brewer Kuramoto was born was partly because of the aging of those nieces, but there were also cases to tackle the rebuilding of the sake brewery after the collapse of the bubble.

There were not a few breweries that made excessive capital investment during the bubble era. After the collapse of the bubble, the succession of the younger successor who took over the family business and started off with the negative heritage would have been very difficult.

The successor to the sake brewery is usually studying at the Department of Brewing Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, then training and working in the home brewery.

However, Mr. Akira Kuramoto, who is young, has a lot of backgrounds, such as working in different fields. One of the most famous is “Shinsei”, which has a unique career of working as a journalist from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo.Yusuke Sato from Shinsei Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Akita City, Akita Prefecture)It will be.

As a “revolutionary child in the sake industry”, it is frequently featured in the media, so many people may know your name and face. In the sake industry, which is said to be conservative, Mr. Satoshi Kuramoto worked on sake brewing that he thought was delicious one after another with flexible ideas.

In addition to the generation change of the sake brewery, combined with further technological innovation, the sake that was previously taboo looked at the acid and finished with a sweet and sour taste, and the low-alcohol sake that is easy to drink even for those who are not drunk in sake , Such as sparkling sake, which has a cheerful feeling reminiscent of champagne,A variety of unique Japanese sake has been sent to the world and has gained new fans.

~ Sake event is very popular ~

In recent years, sake-themed events are also booming nationwide. The number of events held is increasing, and it is crowded with many sake lovers.

One of the biggest events among the many events is “Niigata Sake no Jin”. It is a major event in Niigata that takes place every Saturday and Sunday of the beginning of 3.

The popularity increases with each time,Number of visitors in 2018 in 2 days exceeds 14 millionIt ’s an amazing excitement. Most of the sake breweries in Niigata Prefecture, which boasts the highest number of sake breweries in Japan, are exhibiting, and sake fans awaiting the event are gathering in Niigata City from all over the country.

The reimported sake event “JOY OF SAKE” from Hawaii, held in Gotanda, Tokyo every year in 11, is also gaining popularity..

This is a party to open to the general public of the sake that has been exhibited at the “National Sake Appreciation Committee”, and is held in order at three venues in Honolulu, New York and Tokyo. On the day of the eventIn addition to nearly 400 types of sake, you can enjoy snacks that match sake from famous restaurantsAnyway, it is an event that will make the taste of gourmets, not to mention sake fans.

Also produced by former Japanese national football player Hidetoshi Nakata"CRAFT SAKE WEEK"Events such as these are also gaining attention year by year.

There are many repeat visitors who go to 4 days every 11 day because they can enjoy the sake of the best sake from all over Japan every day. One of the hallmarks of this event is the location of the venue, Roppongi Hills, or the fact that foreign visitors stand out.

In addition, a wide variety of events are held across the country on a large and small scale. When attending the event, there are many people who can meet directly with the sake breweries and listen to stories, and it is also an attractive place to meet new sake.

There are many core sake fans around me who visit the local events every weekend.

-"SAKE" is an overseas market that is expanding to the world-

In contrast to the emergence of new types of sake and the thriving events, the consumption of sake itself has decreased..

The reasons for this include various factors such as the declining population due to the declining birthrate, the aging population that is accelerating, the alcohol away from young people, and the decrease in corporate spending.

The sake brewery itself decreased, and it was close to 30 in the Showa 4,000 era.Now it has dropped to below 1,500. The number will be even smaller if it is limited to the actual brewery.

However, even though the consumption of sake is decreasing,What is drastically decreasing belongs to the so-called “ordinary sake”is. The consumption of high-class sake classified as “specific name liquor” such as Junmai Daiginjo Sake is steadily increasing.

The movement of the local government to establish the “Cheers Ordinance” that recommends toasting with locally-produced sake is starting to spread from Kyoto City, and it is expected that it will encourage people to know the charm of sake culture. The

In addition, In fact, sake has been greatly appreciated overseas in recent yearsDo you know that? Export amount is between 2006 and 20173 timesIt is also growing.

The country with the most exports is surprisingly the United States, followed by Asian countries such as Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore.

The 1 that triggered the global attention of sake was“Japanese food; Japanese traditional food culture” was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013It will be. The appeal of sake that was enjoyed with Japanese food spread and was recognized.

The number of foreigners who visited Japan in 2017 increased by 19.3% year-on-year, reaching the highest record every year. The government has set a goal of visiting 2,869 million people in 2020, but it is becoming realistic.

Among these foreign tourists visiting Japan, sake is becoming increasingly popular. According to a survey conducted by a research company for tourists coming from Japan and the United States in 2017,8 percent drinks sake and 6 percent visited the breweryThat's right. Those who answered that they would like to revisit Japan for the sake tour of the sake brewery also went up to 8.

Also, the most impressive Japanese food during the visit to Japan was 3, followed by sushi and ramen. When you go to a tavern, it is not uncommon to meet foreign tourists.

At such times, even if you are not very confident in your English conversation skills, don't be shy and speak up and tell us about sake. If KAMPAI (cheers) can be made with sake together, it will be a fun international exchange.

As an aside, there are many sake breweries that make sake even overseas.The number is also increasing gradually, and now there are breweries in France, Norway, Spain, USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Vietnam, etc.. If you have a chance to visit these countries, please try it when you see them at the store.

So far, we have introduced the history of sake from its beginning to the present.

Sake is a sake that our ancestors use rice, the staple food of Japanese people, squeezed wisdom over a long period of time and sublimated to the present form through trial and error.is. Exactly`` Kokushu ''It would be a good drink to call.

I feel very happy as a Japanese when I think that it is now widely enjoyed by foreigners. And it's no exaggeration to say that the present age when you can enjoy a surprisingly rich variety of sake is the best time in the history of sake.

Please try various types of sake and find the one with your favorite taste and fragrance. There are a lot of elaborate label designs these days, so-called"Jake purchase"It's also a good idea to start with Enjoy the sake as much as you like with treasure hunt!