EDITORIAL
Alcohol is a cure for all ailments.
TRADITIONAL JAPANESE PROVERB
AUTUMN SAKE
TIME TO CELEBRATE
Autumn is a special time in the sake season as many breweries start to produce first sake
of the year using the freshly harvested rice crops from the fields. Unusually, sake follows
its own special calendar, starting from the 1st July and ending on the last day of the
following June. However, most of breweries start their first sake production around mid
to late October, with the first pressing happening in mid-November. These sake will be
labelled as “BY 2015” (or BY27, following Japanese emperor’s year 27) and will start to
be on the store shelves from this season up until next summer.
In addition, there is another style of sake called Hiyaoroshi or Aki-agari, which is
once-pasteurised sake brewed in the previous year. These benefit from having been left to
mellow and develop for about half a year. You may have sometimes seen the green/brown
balls hanging in front of breweries or restaurant bars in Japan; these are called Sugidama
or Sakabayashi, made with Japanese cedar leaves and hung green once the new sake
production starts in the autumn time. When they turn brown with the passing of time,
it is said they indicate that the sake is matured and ready to enjoy. In this coming season
you can enjoy both well-matured sake from BY 2014, perfect to pair with rich autumn
ingredients, and freshly brewed Nama (unpasteurised) sake from BY 2015.
Autumn is also an important season for celebrating sake, culminating in Sake Day, or
Nihonshu no Hi (日本酒の日) on the 1st of October. Before sake new year was set on 1st July,
it used to be 1st October. (As many rice varieties were harvested earlier than in the past
and more producers started to brew sake before October, the date was changed to July
1st in 1965.) The date of 1st October is not a random assignation, but has symbolic links
- the tenth year, hour and month are represented in the Chinese zodiac by a traditional
character that is also the symbol for sake. This date is honoured with sake tastings and
other events to enjoy sake worldwide. In this issue, we draw on social media to share Sake
Day celebrations from around the world.
Whether you celebrated World Sake Day or not, it’s never too late to enjoy a chilled or
warm glass of sake this autumn. Kampai!
NATSUKI KIKUYA
DIRECTOR & CURATOR, MUSEUM OF SAKE
MUSEUM OF SAKE JOURNAL 3