Photo/Illutration Steamed rice is spread out for making koji during a traditional sake-brewing process at the National Research Institute of Brewing in Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Dec. 4. (Mika Omura)

Producing a beverage through mold may sound unappetizing.

But “traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with ‘koji’ mold in Japan” is now registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

And the age-old technique has produced tantalizingly tasty products of sake, shochu and awamori.

***

Q: What is “traditional sake-making”?

A: Traditional sake-making refers to sake-brewing techniques using koji bacteria. These methods have been developed by craftspeople involved in sake brewing, including “toji” (master brewers) and “kurabito” (brewers).

It is basically a manual process, and although some breweries now mass-produce sake, the traditional sake-brewing technique is still at the root of the process.

Q: So it is not the sake itself that was registered with UNESCO?

A: It is about the knowledge and technology of sake-brewing. The prototype of the technology was established more than 500 years ago during the Muromachi Period (1336-1573).

It was registered as a national intangible cultural property in 2021.

Q: What are the main points of sake-brewing?

A: There are three main processes: (1) steaming the raw materials, rice and barley; (2) growing koji bacteria on the steamed rice and barley to make koji; and (3) fermenting the “moromi” mash.

Moromi is a combination of main ingredients, such as rice, koji, “shubo” (propagated yeast), and water. There are slight differences depending on the sake to be made.

In the fermentation process, koji converts starch into sugar and yeast produces alcohol from the sugar at the same time. This is called multiple parallel fermentation.

Wine is a form of mono-fermentation, in which grapes and other fruit juices containing sugar are fermented with yeast. Beer is multiple fermentation, in which enzymes in the malt convert the starch in the wheat into sugar, which is then fermented with yeast.

20241205-sake2-2-L
A brewer mixes mash at the Joyo Shuzo sake brewery in Joyo, Kyoto Prefecture, on Oct. 23. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Q: Is the UNESCO registration related to the significance of sake in Japanese society?

A: Sake has long been considered a sacred gift from the gods. Social and cultural factors are also taken into account, as sake is an integral part of Japanese festivals, weddings and other social milestones.

Q: What is UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage?

A: It was started in 2006 to protect “living culture,” such as festivals, performing arts, traditional craft techniques, and social customs, which are handed down from person to person and have no physical form.

More than 600 have been registered throughout the world.

Traditional sake-brewing is the 23rd case from Japan. Others include “noh” plays, “bunraku” puppet plays, and Japanese “washi” paper. In relation to food, “washoku” was registered in 2013.

Q: How is it different from UNESCO’s World Heritage?

A: World Heritage is intended for archaeological sites and nature, and its purpose is to protect the common treasures of humanity that have universal value. On the other hand, the main purpose of Intangible Cultural Heritage is to show the diversity of cultures, and they are not registered because of their global value.

Related News