The cedar ball is a sign that new sake has been made.

Have you ever seen a ball made of cedar branches hanging from the eaves of a sake brewery? This is called a sugidama or "sakabayashi" and is a symbol that announces that this year's new sake has been made. It is replaced every year, starting out as a fresh green, but gradually darkening to a brown color, evoking the gradual maturation of the sake from the new sake.

The special cedar ball of Omiwa Shrine

Ogami Shrine in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, is known as the shrine for the god of sake. Every year on November 11th, the sake brewing safety prayer festival (sake festival) is held, and sake brewers and master brewers from all over the country attend and receive gohei and cedar balls for safe brewing.

The giant sugidama in the worship hall, which is replaced prior to the festival, is made from cedar from Mt. Miwa, the object of worship for Omiwa Shrine, and is a massive structure measuring 1.5 meters in diameter and weighing 200 kg. The sugidama given to members of the Sake-Eiko Association who attend the festival are also handmade by priests using cedar from the same mountain, and come with wooden tags branded with the words "Sugidama of Aspiration" and "Miwa Myojin, God of Sake." Many sake breweries make their own sugidama, but the ones given to them by Omiwa Shrine have a special feeling to them.

Is the origin of the cedar ball still a mystery?

The custom of hanging cedar balls at sake breweries seems to have spread throughout the country in the mid-Edo period, but its origins are unclear. However, the reason why cedar was revered is that the cedar leaves of Mt. Miwa, the object of worship at Ogami Shrine, were used as talismans. It is also thought that cedar has antiseptic properties, and was used to make tools such as paddles and barrels.

Make your own miniature cedar ball

Carve a floral foam for flower arrangements (you can use melamine sponge instead) into a ball and stick cedar leaves into it without any gaps. Cut the surface into a round shape, and stick in a hanging string or decorative tassel attached to a wire to finish. You can also make a pom-pom out of green yarn.
It's easy to make, so try making one as an alternative to a Christmas wreath or as a New Year's decoration.

Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
He has had the opportunity to broaden his horizons at a sake specialty store in Osaka, where he has encountered a wide variety of sakes and sake breweries. His favorite sakes are Akika and Oroku, among others. His hobbies outside of alcohol include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.