"Miketsukuni Premium Dinner @ ESHIKOTO" was a one-night event held in 2023, but the scale will be expanded in 2024. A master chef from a famous Kyoto restaurant paired dishes made with ingredients from Fukui with premium sake from Kuroryu Sake Brewery, and service staff from Fukui's "Kaikaitei" and local sommeliers livened up the venue.

The venue, the ESHIKOTO Garyu Building, was designed by Simon Conder and is a solemn and special space. It is reminiscent of a cathedral, with its architecture made from local Shakudani stone and its 11m high ceilings. It is usually closed to the public, with half of it used for the secondary fermentation and storage of sparkling sake in bottles, and the other half used as free space for events. This unique space adds a special touch to the Christmas event.

Inside the Garyu Building, there are two counters made from a 8-year-old cedar tree selected from a local mountain by Kokuryu Sake Brewery's eighth-generation head brewer and president, Mizuno Naoto. On the front counter, there is an exhibition of traditional Fukui crafts such as Echizen lacquerware, washi paper, and marquetry by Kamiki Mie, allowing visitors to enjoy the "beauty of Fukui" visually as well.

The lineup of sake from Kokuryu Sake Brewery on this day was as follows (from left):
・ESHIKOTO AWA 2020 Extra Dry
・ESHIKOTO Suisen 2023 Junmai Daiginjo
・ESHIKOTO Tokoshie Gohyakumangoku Special Junmai
・ESHIKOTO Tokoshie Sakahomare Special Junmai
・Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu

Mizuno Mayu, the next head brewer at Kuroryu Sake Brewery and manager of ESHIKOTO, gave us a brief explanation of the facilities and the sake.
ESHIKOTO, which opened in 10 after 2022 years of planning, has further evolved in November 2024 with the addition of the auberge "Kanshukuen ESHIKOTO", the soba restaurant "Sobayamaya", and the bakery "Hareya". The name "Kanshukuen" comes from a Buddhist term meaning "to rejoice in a once-in-a-lifetime connection". "I am very happy to be able to hold this event to further promote sake, which has been registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO," said Mizuno. Some participants came from inside and outside Fukui Prefecture, and even from as far away as Tokyo, for this event. "I hope that many people will come to Eiheiji Town, visit Eiheiji, and purify their body and mind with the fine sake and cuisine of Kuroryu," Mizuno said.

The toast will be with "ESHIKOTO AWA 2020 Extra Dry," a sparkling sake that has undergone secondary fermentation in the bottle for over 15 months at Garyuto.

The appetizer was chestnuts with Shiraae sauce prepared by Takahashi Takuji of Kinobu. Chestnuts from Tanba, Kyoto, were boiled for three days with their skins on, and ginkgo nuts and Rikyu-fu were mixed with Shiraae sauce. It was inspired by the vegetarian cuisine of Eiheiji's head priest, Nishimura Masanori, and was highly praised by Nishimura himself. The taste and aroma of chestnuts, the nutty flavor of ginkgo nuts, and the richness of deep-fried Rikyu-fu blend with the off-dry, clean acidity and subtle bitterness in the background, and the fine bubbles envelop the mouthfeel of the Shiraae batter. It was an excellent pairing right from the start.

The next drink served was "ESHIKOTO Suisen 2023 Junmai Daiginjo."
The pretty daffodil on the label is the work of Rieko Morita, a Japanese painter living in Kyoto. In honor of the winter-blooming flower of Fukui Prefecture, the daffodil, this rare gem is only available in ESHIKOTO stores during the winter. It has a subtle yet elegant floral scent reminiscent of a daffodil, and a soft mouthfeel. The deep flavor of Yamada Nishiki rice from Hyogo Prefecture spreads throughout your mouth. The flavors of the sake, dashi, and cooking are in harmony. The craftsmanship of the master is shining through.

On the second day of the event, the 2th, two chefs who had trained at Kinobu performed alongside their master, Takuji Takahashi, and the host, Yoshinori Tanaka of Torimai. Takahashi commented that "the flavors were unintentionally consistent on Kinobu Day." (From the left in the photo, Takuji Takahashi of Kinobu, Masayoshi Ozasa of Matsumasa, and Kodai Kitakura of Matsuhiro.)

The hot dish was steamed Wakasa Guji (tilefish) with turnip and wasabi. It was prepared by Masayoshi Ozasa, head chef of the restaurant "Matsumasa" in Kameoka, Kyoto. Touching on the history of Wakasa Guji, which was once salted and shipped from Wakasa to Kyoto, Ozasa said with confidence, "In this steamed turnip, we have balanced the fat and saltiness of Wakasa Guji with the sweetness and umami of Kameoka's specialty turnip to create a gentle flavor."

We paired this dish with the aforementioned "Suisen" and "ESHIKOTO Tokoshie Gohyakumangoku Tokubetsu Junmai." The latter is a special junmai sake made using the kimoto method, and is characterized by its prince melon-like aroma, creamy smoothness, elegant flavor, and clean, crisp aftertaste. Interestingly, when these two types of sake are paired with this steamed turnip, the overall impression is different. "Suisen" brings out the umami of the fat of the sea bream and the sweetness of the turnip, while "Gohyakumangoku" highlights the fresh melon-like flavor and mellow mouthfeel of the turnip. It's surprising how the same dish can produce such different impressions.

The dish was once again prepared by Takuji Takahashi of Kinobu, who served parboiled grouper and cloud roe with aromatic vegetables from Fukui Prefecture and topped with a ponzu jelly. This was an excellent match for Gohyakumangoku sake. The creaminess of the cloud roe and the soft mouthfeel of the sake were particularly well-balanced.

The bowl was created by Kodai Kitakura, head chef of the restaurant Matsuhiro in Fushimi Fukakusa. It is a masterpiece of crab shinjo made with Echizen crab, garnished with lotus rice cake, yuzu, and red ginseng. The shinjo is made with scallops and Echizen red snow crab, and is garnished with fried lotus root rice cake. The bonito broth also has a crab flavor.

This sake goes perfectly with "ESHIKOTO Tokoshie Sakahomare Tokubetsu Junmai." It is a different type of Tokubetsu Junmai sake mentioned above, made with 100% Sakahomare rice from Fukui Prefecture. It has a distinctive citrus aroma reminiscent of yuzu and grapefruit peel. This sake has a slightly strong umami flavor and a long aftertaste, and is generous enough to withstand the umami of crab, the aroma of the sea, and the richness of fried lotus root mochi.

The fried food was also made by Takahashi of Kinobu. Dried mullet roe is sandwiched between shrimp potatoes and deep-fried, then topped with dashi sauce and sprinkled with yuzu. The soft texture of the shrimp potatoes, the rich flavor of the dried mullet roe, and the aroma of yuzu are complemented by the citrus flavor and umami of Sakahomare Tokubetsu Junmai.

The stew is a dish by Yoshinori Tanaka of Torimai, a famous chicken restaurant in front of Matsuo Taisha Shrine. The duck is topped with a layer of simmered Yodo daikon radish and finished with Kuzuryu maitake mushrooms and fresh kotake mushrooms.

For this stew, we use "Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu." This long-selling sake was launched in 50 by seventh-generation brewer Masato Mizuno, who applied wine aging techniques to sake, and marked a turning point for the company.
The transparency and complexity of sake are sometimes contradictory. There are many sakes that are complex and interesting but lack transparency, and conversely, there are many sakes that are clear and beautiful but too simple and unsatisfying. However, this "Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu" is a rare sake that harmonizes transparency and complexity at a high level. The layered aroma of apples, pears, pineapple, and Yubari melon, the soft mouthfeel, and the concentrated umami leave a beautiful, relaxed aftertaste. This sake beautifully brings together the umami of the duck, the aroma of Kuzuryu maitake and kotake mushrooms, and the sweetness of the whole radish like a master conductor.

The words "Now it's time for dinner" are a sign that the kaiseki meal is coming to an end, but the rice dishes at this event were also well-presented. While the porridge was cooking, the four participating chefs engaged in a light-hearted cross-talk. There was also a moment when Matsumasa's Ozasa said, "It was my dream to participate in an event with my master," and the audience gave him a warm round of applause. The proceedings were a perfect mix of laughter and emotion, showing off the skills of the chefs at Shokunomiyako.

And finally, the potato porridge arrived, made with Ichihomare potatoes from Fukui Prefecture and Tomitsukintoki potatoes from the Futtsu area of ​​Awara City. Takahashi told me that the porridge has a shelf life of 10 minutes, but I learned for the first time that freshly cooked porridge has a "rice aroma." Add to that the strong sweetness of the fluffy sweet potato, and it was on a completely different level to the haphazard cooking I'd done up until now when I'd had a cold, starting with cold rice. Hats off to the professional technique.

The final dessert was milk ice cream, caramelized Brazil nuts and strawberry espuma, the perfect way to end a wonderful feast.

This event was made possible through the collaboration of ingredients from Fukui Prefecture, Kuroryu Sake Brewery, and masters of Japanese cuisine in Kyoto. As a new initiative for the second year in 2, the chefs visited production areas in Fukui to gather information and use what they learned to create a menu. Yoshinori Tanaka of Torigome, who served as the event's general host, said that the chefs had learned a lot from a prior inspection trip to visit the production areas of ingredients, such as fishing ports and farms in Fukui. "For example, we were able to understand the production area and environment of Kuzuryu Maitake mushrooms, internalize it, and then use it in our cooking," he said with joy.
Takuji Takahashi of Kinobu said, "It is important for Japanese chefs to go directly to the production areas to hone their skills and exchange information. I hope that this event will provide such an opportunity and brighten the future of Japanese cuisine and the production areas of ingredients." Expectations are already building that this event will surely evolve even further next year.

Writer: Ayuko Yamaguchi
Sake journalist. Certified as a national guide-interpreter, international sake sommelier, Japanese sake studies lecturer, and WSET Sake Educator. Since 2019, he has been teaching the WSET Sake course in English in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. He writes articles about sake in both Japanese and English. He will obtain WSET Spirits Level 2023 in 3 and also writes about spirits.

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