A short history of sake
Sake's roughly 2,000-year history began with rice farming in the Yayoi period and was shaped by the Nara and Heian court, Muromachi temples, Edo-era Nada and Fushimi and science from the Meiji era, before the 1990 grade rules helped it reach the world.
- Yayoi
Born with rice
Rice-based alcohol probably appeared after rice farming spread in the Yayoi period. Offered to the gods and shared at festivals, sake is still tied to Shinto ritual today.
- Nara · Heian
The court's sake
The imperial court had its own sake office, and the 10th-century Engishiki law code records how several kinds of sake were brewed.
- Muromachi
Temple sake
Temples around Nara became famous for their sōbōshu. Techniques we still use grew here, such as morohaku (using polished white rice for both the koji and the main mash).
- Edo
Nada, Fushimi and "down-country" sake
Winter brewing (kanzukuri) became standard and production grew. Sake from Nada and Fushimi was shipped to Edo (Tokyo) and prized as kudari-zake. In Nada, mineral-rich miyamizu water helped create strong, crisp sake.
- Meiji – Shōwa
The age of science
A national brewing research institute was founded, and the Brewing Society of Japan began distributing selected "association yeasts" (kyōkai kōbo), which made quality far more reliable. During and after the war, rice shortages led to heavily extended sake with added alcohol.
- Heisei – today
Ginjo and the world
Labelling rules for premium grades (tokutei meishōshu) started in 1990, and ginjo and junmai became household words. Small regional breweries now win fans with distinctive sake, and sake is enjoyed around the world.
Terms in this article
Also read
- A short history of shochu and awamoriDistilling arrived from the southern seas, reaching Ryukyu, Satsuma, then all Japan.
- How sake is madeRice, water, koji and yeast, in ten steps from polishing to bottling.
- Types of sakeJunmai, ginjo, honjozo, and styles like nama, genshu and nigori.
- How to read a sake labelGrade, polishing ratio, ingredients, SMV and acidity, nama and genshu, bottling date.