Book Overview

The story is set in the Edo period, when Edo sake was considered to be of lower quality than sake from Kamigata (especially Itami and Nada), and even Edoites looked down on it.
The protagonist of the story, Kojiro, comes to Yamaya in Edo from the sake brewery Izumiya in Nada to train, but after a fire breaks out at Yamaya, he loses the trust of the Edoites and the chief brewer and brewers turn against him. Kojiro is tasked with rebuilding the brewery, and he gathers new volunteers to aim for a new start as the new Sumida River.

Aiming to regain trust by brewing sake with friends

The story is set in Edo's sake brewery "Yamaya," where Kojiro is sent to train. After accidentally letting some sake spoil, Yamaya alienates the brewery's chief brewer and workers, and loses the trust of those around him.
Kojiro, who was entrusted with the task of rebuilding the brewery, is grateful for the kindness of his new friends and supporters, and takes on a big challenge with innovative sake brewing. The story also contains detailed descriptions of sake brewing in the Edo period, and you can learn about brewing methods, tools, and how to make the brewery in an easy-to-understand way.

Attention point

There are two main points to pay attention to when reading this work.

1) The personality of the main character, Kojiro

One is Kojiro's sincere and uncompromising attitude towards sake brewing. The sight of Kojiro tackling the challenge with a straightforward attitude, no matter what the difficulties, leaves a strong impression on readers.
Also, be sure to pay attention to the warm human emotions of the friends who appear in the story, who are moved by Kojiro's pure enthusiasm and determination, sympathize with his aspirations, reach out to him, and unite with him!

②Fire incident occurs for the first time in 50 years

A major turning point in the story is the "Hiochi Problem." Hiochi refers to a state in which the quality of sake is significantly impaired and it becomes so spoiled that it is no longer suitable for sale.
In the mountain brewery where Kojiro makes sake, the tools and barrels that should be handled with care were not properly managed, which resulted in a fire during the preparation of the moto, and the sake brewing that year failed. This caused the brewery to lose the trust of the Edokko people, and the head brewer and two brewers resigned to take responsibility, which was a major event that affected the survival of the brewery.

In the story, the idea of ​​"harmony and good sake" is presented in sake brewing. It states that harmony between the brewers and the mold that lives in the brewery, and that good sake is produced by understanding the characteristics of the mold and working together with the brewers. In fact, it is said that a major factor behind the fire-fall incident was that the brewers did not understand the quirks of the brewery (the characteristics of the mold and the environment).

This marks the beginning of a new way of making sake, incorporating the individuality of the brewery and the spirit of "Japanese brewing, good sake," as well as new tools and colleagues.

Impact on the sake industry

There are many famous quotes in the story. Among them, there is one that is particularly memorable and that I would like the people in the sake industry, especially those involved in sake brewing, to know."New, unusual, interesting things".

This is one of the words that Kojiro, who is pondering how to create a new Sumida River in the story, says to him, with the nuance that simply repeating the same cycle of sake brewing every year will only maintain the status quo. It is suggested that it is important to make innovative sake brewing that is different from the conventional, to try unusual things that other breweries have not tried, and to have people around you constantly admire you for your interesting ideas.

This word is essential in the modern sake industry, where consumer tastes change dramatically with the times. This is not just something that applies to sake brewers, but also to liquor stores and izakayas that serve sake.

A story depicting warm human feelings and the profound depth of sake brewing

The Sumida River, which the main character Kojiro and his friends built with one mind, was a wonderful sight, including the background. The knowledge about sake is also easy to understand, so even beginners to sake can enjoy it. One of the pleasures is imagining the story continuing even after you finish reading it, so please read it!