
Daiginjo Yoi no Tsuki
Tsukinowa Sake Brewery | Iwate Prefecture
Tsukinowa Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
Tsukinowa Shuzoten originally operated a koji shop under the trade name ``Wakasaya''. As the name suggests, their ancestors moved from Wakasa (present-day Fukui Prefecture) to Shiwacho, Iwate Prefecture, the birthplace of Nambu Toji. In 1886 (Meiji 19), Tokuichi, the fourth generation head of the Yokozawa family, started a sake brewing business.
The company name and representative brand, "Tsuki no Wa", originate from a historical site called "Moon Ring". During the War of the Nine Years (1051-1062), which occurred in the late Heian period, a large army led by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and Yoshiie father and son was camped near the current Hachi Shrine near the sake brewery. It is said that one moonlit night, Genji's sun-moon flag was reflected in the pond, shining golden in the moonlight. Believing this to be a good omen for victory, they invaded the enemy army and won a spectacular victory, and as a token of gratitude, an island in the shape of the ``sun and moon'' was built in the pond. Nowadays, they are called ``Sun Ring'' and ``Moon Ring,'' and are named after the auspicious ``Moon Ring.''
Nowadays, it is not uncommon for the head of a brewery to serve as the chief brewer himself, but Seisuke, the second generation owner of Tsuki no Wa Sake Brewery, was the first to lead the way. The brewing techniques and sense have been passed down from generation to generation in the Yokozawa family, including the third generation, who did not become a brewer but visited sake breweries in the prefecture and provided guidance, and the fourth generation, who also became the brewer's brewer. Currently, Hiroko, the 2th generation head of the Yokozawa family, is the 3th generation chief brewer. Her philosophy for her brewery is "not as a company, but as a family business," and the techniques and taste of the "Yokozawa family" have been passed down from parent to child.
For sake brewing, they use water pumped from a well on their own premises. Approximately 9% of the sake rice is from Iwate Prefecture, suitable for sake brewing, and the remaining 1% is rice from all over the country. The idea is to gain new insights by using rice from other regions.
Shiwa Town boasts the highest amount of sticky rice production in Japan. Yuko, the fifth generation master brewer, also takes on the challenge of making pure rice sake using local specialties. Generally, glutinous rice is considered unsuitable for sake brewing, but after much trial and error, they succeeded in brewing junmai sake using 1% locally produced glutinous rice. The secret to preserving the ``family business'' may be to not only pass on the techniques of the past, but also to keep trying new flavors.