Q.Tell us about the history of Ishikawa Sake Brewery.
A.The company was founded in 1863, which is said to be the 3rd year of Bunkyu, and in terms of the sense of the times, it is the same year that the Roshigumi changed their name to the Shinsengumi in Kyoto. I think this gives you a sense of the end of the Edo period. There was a company called Morita Sake Brewery on the other side of the Tama River, and we started brewing sake by renting a warehouse there. The current head of the family is the 18th generation, but we started making sake in the 13th generation. Next year, in 2023, we will celebrate our 160th anniversary. Before sake brewing, the family was mainly engaged in agriculture and served as the village headman. In addition to farming, the history of the Ishikawa family is that they were in the business of taking ayu fish from Kumagawa village, Haijima village, and Hino's side of the village and presenting it to Edo, as well as in the logistics of lime and textiles. The area was rural, as the names Minami-Tenen and Kitatenen still remain in the place names, and it is said that the family started brewing sake using the surplus rice. For a while after the establishment of the company, farming was the main business, and sake brewing was a sideline.
Q.What is the Ishikawa Sake Brewery's specialties?
A. One of the characteristics of the brewery is that it uses rice. Although breweries all over the country use rice, it is often thought of as "uncool" or cost-cutting, but we dare to use a lot of rice. The reason why rice is not considered good is that the rice grains are small. For example, the size of Yamada-Nishiki sake rice and Koshihikari rice are completely different. When polished, the middle of the rice contains a lot of high-quality starch, but if the grains are small, they can break. Therefore, while sake rice is polished to a maximum of 35%, rice rice is only polished to a maximum of 60%. Our toji says that he wants to make all of our rice rice, because he thinks it is more interesting to make. Sake rice tends to have a beautiful flavor, but with rice rice, various flavors can be produced depending on how the fermentation process is managed. We dare to make a sake with a strong umami flavor, such as a miscellaneous flavor (miscellaneous flavor is also a flavor derived from amino acids) or a strong umami flavor.
Q.What is the concept behind this year's sake brewing?
A. Miscellaneous flavors and acidity tend to appear. This year's concept is to make sake that feels like you are drinking rice. The spirit of our sake brewing is "to make sake that supports the gorgeous dining table behind the scenes. We can live without drinking sake, but we hope that the presence of sake at the dinner table will bring about communication and enjoyable dining. Therefore, our goal is not to make sake that "goes well with food," but sake that "accompanies food. In the words of our toji, "Our sake is good for Monday through Thursday.
Q.Do you decide the concept of sake brewing every year?
A. That's just an idea. (laughs) Our company motto is "Don't be obsessive. In the worst case, we are allowed to do whatever we want. What are you going to drink this year? We enjoy making our own sake, and we make many decisions on our own. Tamanboast" means "to fill the hearts of many people in the Tama area" so that the sake becomes the pride of the area, and we have always wanted our sake to be used on a daily basis. We also go out to win prizes at sake fairs and other competitions.
Q.What is your recommendation for food to go with sake?
A. It has a very strong umami and sweetness derived from rice, so it goes well with any rice-based side dish. Gyoza (dumplings), mapo tofu, curry rice hamburger steak, anything is fine. I don't think you necessarily have to drink fruity sake with gorgeous dishes every day of the week. The greatest feature of our sake is that it can accompany you even when you say, "I'm too lazy to eat natto rice today. The taste is sweet, but with high acidity and a rich umami flavor. In the past, there was a strong belief in dry sake, but nowadays, sweet is good, and the times have caught up with us. The desire to be a part of everyday life has not changed.
Q.What is the formula for good drinking?
A. The robust flavor with umami and sweetness of rice-brewed sake is delicious in winter when it is slowly enjoyed with hot water. Also, for sparkling juicy types, which have a strong relationship with the aroma component, a wine glass is recommended. A gulping glass or a boar's mouth is fine, but if you want to enjoy the aroma, a glass is better. It will change the way you feel on the tip of your tongue. It is hard to say what is best, but we want people to find their own favorite way to drink. For example, I was told by a customer that a series of sakes made with yeast that produces high malic acid tastes good when poured over frozen fruit. I don't think there are even ten breweries in Japan that make this type of sake, but it was developed to offer a new way to drink sake to those who don't like sake.
Famous sake "Tamanboast
The famous sake "Taman Boast" was named with the hope that it will "fill the hearts of many people, while expressing the spirit of Tama, so that it will become the pride of Tama. The brewing water used to make sake is natural Tokyo water (medium-hard water) pumped up from 150 meters underground at the brewery's site. The brewery's brewers carefully and responsibly take charge of each step of the brewing process to produce the famous sake "Tamanboast.
Enjoy Tama's beautiful sake and exquisite Italian cuisine
Exterior view of Ishikawa Brewery Italian restaurant "Fussa Beer Hut At the Ishikawa Sake Brewery's direct sales shop and restaurant, visitors can taste the local sake and beer brewed with the utmost care, as well as sake limited to the brewery's limited editions, before anywhere else. The theme park-like grounds are open to the public, and locals are often seen stopping by on their way to the park to buy beer at the store and enjoy it on the benches by the well. Please spend a wonderful time at the Ishikawa Sake Brewery, where you can enjoy yourself in various ways. Ishikawa Sake Brewery Co.
Location
1 Kumagawa, Fussa, Tokyo
Access
Approx. 20 min. walk from JR Haijima Station
*The contents and services in this article are subject to change.
