SAKE SAMURAI INAUGURATION 2015
SAKE SAMURAI 2015 INAUGURATION CEREMONY
IN SHIMOGAMO SHRINE, KYOTO
“Sake Samurai” is a title is given annually by The Sake
Samurai Association, a junior council for the Japan Sake
Brewers Association Japan to the individuals who contribute
to the appreciation or promotion of sake internationally and
domestically. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of
the Sake Samurai Association, with the growing number
of 60 Sake Samurai Award Recipients. I was extremely
honoured to receive such a title with the other experienced
recipients this year.
All of us moved to the stage located in the middle of the
shrine, and then started the performance of the purification
dance by the shrine maiden, in her beautiful junihitoe - literally
meaning twelve in one - a ceremonial robe which physically
is made up with twelves layers kimono in different colours.
After the explanation of Sake Samurai, each recipient’s name
was called and a letter of inauguration was given. I got to
take a great picture in between Miss Sake 2015 and Mr.
Takeshi Sekiya, chairman of the Sake Samurai Association!
The ceremony took place in Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto,
one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient
Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as World
Heritage Sites.
It was such a special moment for me as I had never experienced
full Shinto rites before, and I had never recognised my past
sake work in such a honourable way!
Solemnly, the inauguration ceremony was started from the
Chozusha, the purification trough for cleaning the hands
and rinsing the mouth. The chairman and Sake Samurai
recipients marched in procession to the main hall of the
shrine. We went inside of the worship hall, pausing in front
of the alter which has numerous bottles of sake as offerings
to God, and followed all Shinto rites of worship.
There were 6 other Sake Samurai assigned. International
recipients are Mr. Marcus Pakiser from the USA, working
for Young’s Market Company which sells sake in 10 different
states, Mr. Alexandre Tatsuya Iida from Brazil, the owner
of Adega de Sake shop in Sao Paulo and Ms. Sachiyo
Suzuki from Thailand, Managing Director at SNS Trading
who distributes sake to all around Thailand. It was truly a
fantastic day!
MUSEUM OF SAKE JOURNAL 29