Rice region. Sake region. There are probably no two greater associations that the Japanese make with Niigata. The prefecture is known as the largest producer of highly-prized Koshihikari rice and is additionally home to no less than ninety sake breweries, placing it second only behind Hyogo. In terms of overall production volume, it is third. Hyogo’s Nada district and Kyoto’s Fushimi district do have large industrial breweries after all. But while Niigata may light up imaginations with those numbers, its reputation as Japan’s overall leader in high-quality sake is what shines most. This narrative owes much to Niigata being a player in the so-called “jizake (local sake) boom” that announced itself thunderously in the 1970s.
Ground zero might have been Kamedagô, which is now the eastern part of Konan Ward in Niigata City. The brand Koshinokanbai, produced by Ishimoto Shuzo in that area, garnered attention in national newspapers and magazines, earning it the nickname “sake of dreams” for its exquisiteness. Japanese sake at the time was dominated by sweeter flavors, due in large part to the prevalence of sanzoshu, or bottom-shelf sake to which so much alcohol has been added that original yields are tripled. Koshinokanbai’s refreshingly light, dry character was of a whole new breed. Made with higher quality sake rice and less added alcohol, the flavor was also subtly complex and clean. As a clearly superior sake in terms of both ingredients and overall quality, Koshinokanbai also helped raise the profile of other difficult-to-obtain Niigata sake brands, including Hakkaisan, Shimeharitsuru, and Secchuubai.
This fortuitously led to a nationwide discovery of hidden gems among local sake. The phenomenon was not restricted to brands alone. Consumers refocused their attentions to brewing styles like honjozo and junmai. The sudden renaissance of quality after the dark ages of sanzoshu saw the emergence of numerous popular brands from regions all over Japan. It would not be an exaggeration to say that if it were not for Niigata, we might not have many of the regional brands we so highly prize today.
The flavor profile that defines much of Niigata’s sake is light and dry, much like that expressed in Koshinokanbai. Sake enthusiasts even coined a word to capture that essence: tanrei karakuchi (the first word being a more elegant, even literary, way to say “light”). Its usage is more widespread today and is said by some to denote an actual style of sake born in Niigata. The rise of this local sake boom paralleled Japan’s rapid development as an economic powerhouse and its transition to a more prosperous age. There would be a concomitant shift in labor practice from manual work to more skilled roles and it almost seemed as if sake anticipated that with its own shift from stronger, more boldly flavored styles supposedly favored by blue-collar workers to lighter, cleaner styles white collar workers might like. At least that was the kernel of some careful marketing. The Niigata Prefectural Sake Research Institute actually conceived of the strategy. This research center was created to support the sake industry, and today there is actually another similar one in nearby Akita prefecture. The very existence of such places is proof that sake brewing is a key industry that provides lifeblood to the prefecture.
One important variable in sake described as exhibiting tanrei karakuchi is tied to the land itself. Niigata is also home to the immensely popular sake rice Gohyakumangoku, a strain that debuted in 1957. The name, which literally means five million koku, was bestowed on the rice in commemoration of production volume in Niigata having surpassed that same amount. It is highly lauded among brewers for its facilitation in making koji and is currently second in overall usage behind Yamadanishiki for sake rice. Compared to Yamadanishiki and other types of sake rice that are cultivated in western Japan, it does not have quite the robustness or assertiveness of flavor. Sake brewed with the rice is considered more subdued and subtle. The refined character of sake from the northern prefectures is in many cases a result of the qualities of the rice as much as the colder weather.
The prevalence of Echigo toji also contributed to the rise of tanrei karakuchi. Most of them hail from the three provinces of Santô, Kariwa and Kubiki, and together they comprise the largest guild by numbers after the Nanbu guild. Echigo toji are renowned for making koji in a way that has less moisture and is harder with less enzymatic content. It dissolves more slowly in the fermenting mash, ultimately imparting to the sake a cleaner, lighter character. Beyond working at breweries inside the prefecture, some of the toji are spread out into the Kanto, Hokuriku and Tokai regions to the south and west. The endeavors of these far-flung toji were also probably responsible for increasing the popularity of tanrei karakuchi. However, with the membership levels of the guild in decline, much like other guilds, the prefecture’s sake association realized it needed to do something to pass those techniques on to posterity. In 1984, it established the Niigata Sake School. As a center for education in the art and science of sake making, it is playing a particularly vital role in developing the next generation of brewers and brewery employees. It has inspired a similar school in Fukushima, and other prefectures are also modeling programs after it with the same aim.
Niigata has been a leader in the sake industry in a number of other ways, too, not just when it comes to tanrei karakuchi character. There have been numerous examples since the local sake boom: Kame-no-o, which pioneered the revival of rice strains; Kubota, which developed a new way of branding through the introduction of proprietary retail system; or Jozen Mizunogotoshi, which blew consumers away with its thoroughly modern aesthetic and concept. These are all brands that have exerted telling influence on the direction of other companies and production regions.
A more recent phenomenon has been the emergence of Koshitanrei, a cross between Gohyakumangoku and Yamadanishiki. It would be no mistake to call this strain “thoroughbred sake rice,” given its birth through the marriage of the top two varieties. Sake brewed with the rice produces qualities less like the aforementioned tanrei types, and more in the lineage of Yamadanishiki in terms of the resultant flavor profile. We have even seen several Niigata breweries pursue sake with heavier and more acidic flavor, indicating a dramatic shift from the tanrei style that once characterized Niigata sake as a whole.
With sweet, full-bodied, highly aromatic sake styles generating significant buzz these days, there are more than a few people calling Niigata’s tanrei karakuchi outdated. But given the sheer numbers of Niigata breweries as well as their considerable marketing prowess, they still possess sufficient enough dynamism to counter that trend. Now and for the foreseeable future, it seems Niigata sake will continue to set a high standard in Japan for sake.
by Haruo Matsuzaki
