
Sado Gold Mine Aged Sake Manotsuru Daiginjo BY2019
Obata Sake Brewery | Niigata Prefecture
Obata Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
Manotsuru inherits the "four treasures of brewing" - the pure water and high-quality rice of Sado Island, the skills of the master brewer, and the island's culture. Sake brewing with a passion for environmental conservation on the island where the Japanese crested ibis dance is cultivated here.
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Obata Sake Brewery was founded in 1892 in Mano, Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, taking over a famous brewery that had been in operation since the Edo period. For over 130 years, the brewery has continued to make sake that makes use of the island's bounty.
The underlying principle of this is "Shihou Wajo," which represents the harmony of the four treasures: the three elements of sake brewing - rice, water, and people - plus the fertile land of Sado.
Sado Island, known as a "miniature of Japan," is blessed with an ideal environment for brewing, not only because of its rich history, natural and cultural diversity, but also because it is cool in the summer thanks to ocean currents, and even in the winter, which is the sake brewing season, it is not bitterly cold and there is little difference in temperature between day and night.
Mano Town, where the brewery is located, is known on the island for the quantity and quality of its water, and Obata Sake Brewery uses water pumped up from 70 meters underground for brewing. Melted snowwater from the two mountain ranges that run north and south of the island is naturally filtered over many years to become cool, clear, soft water, which gives Manoteru its light, smooth sake quality.
The rice used is carefully selected for its suitability for sake brewing, such as "Gohyakumangoku" from Sado, "Echitanrei" which is grown exclusively in Niigata, and "Yamada Nishiki" from Sado Island.
Sado Island, one of the leading rice-producing areas in Niigata Prefecture, is also home to the Japanese crested ibis, an internationally protected bird. The vast rice paddies play an important role in the survival of the Japanese crested ibis, and in order to protect the environment that nurtures the creatures that serve as food for the ibis, Sado City has established the "Credible Ibis Rice Certification" system and is promoting rice cultivation using reduced amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
Obata Sake Brewery is joining the circle of these environmental conservation efforts, and is pursuing harmony with nature through sake brewing. A prime example of this is their partnership with Sado Aida Rice Farming. The farm practices reduced pesticide cultivation using the "oyster shell farming method," which harnesses the power of microorganisms by passing irrigation water through oyster shells. The farm has commercialized "Manoteru Junmai Ginjo Toki to Kurashi," which uses 100% sake rice "Echitanrei," which is grown using this method and is certified as "Toki to Kurashi Satozukuri Rice." The company's efforts in environmentally friendly sake brewing are embodied in this product.
In 2014, Obata Sake Brewery opened a sake brewery called "Gakkogura" in a renovated abandoned school on the island. This second brewery initially started out producing liqueurs, and in 2 it became a sake brewery after receiving the Cabinet Office's first certification as a special sake zone. Since then, it has continued to evolve as a "sustainable brewery" while brewing sake in the summer, with the four pillars of "sake brewing," "coexistence," "exchange," and "learning."
A distinctive feature of the brewery is its focus on recycling resources, energy, and people. The brewery uses sake rice from Sado, which is biodiversity-conscious, and by-products such as sake lees and koji are used in the on-site cafe. Renewable energy from solar panels is used for energy. Joint research is also underway with the University of Tokyo's Future Vision Research Center, with the aim of further evolving the ecosystem and becoming a zero-carbon brewery.
In addition, the "School Brewery" hosts a long-term stay "Sake Brewing Experience Program" and a workshop "Special Classes at the School Brewery." As a place of learning where participants from Japan and abroad gather, a new community is expanding every year.
While carefully carrying on its 130-year history, Obata Sake Brewery is also working to find new possibilities for environmental conservation and sake brewing. Its challenge, which looks to the future of Sado, has only just begun.