It’s inspiring to consider what the ancients knew. Their discoveries and canons of knowledge, developed without the benefit of modern digital technology, are astounding. True, their understanding of the world may not have been as ‘complete’ or as well-balanced as we believe ours is today, but sometimes particular advances they made were extraordinary. There are examples from many ancient cultures across the world. Perhaps the most famous is ancient Greek culture, which developed sophisticated engineering, epic poetry, geometry, and even an analog computer (the Antikythera mechanism).
In Japan, we need look no further for evidence of erudition than its magnificent temple architecture from medieval times. Early builders were certainly deeply indebted to techniques learned from the Asian mainland, but later designers developed unique indigenous features like the “hidden roof”. Some of the more impressive structures make no use of nails and are relatively stable against severe weather (typhoons) and even earthquakes. Architecture, actually, is a field in which native genius seems to flourish in many cultures.
What about Japan’s literary heritage? Scholars cite Hamlet as ‘the’ groundbreaking depiction of human interiority, but the 11th century Tale of Genji was no less a penetrating study of psychology. It is also a literary masterpiece. My old classmates and I once had to map out a sentence from the original Japanese on a chalkboard for a professor; it took several minutes to transcribe it all. It was an uncannily complex piece of sinewy prose packed with allusion, aesthetically pleasing structural devices, subtle shifts in the language to denote the social status of characters, and information to drive the plot. How did a single mind not simply organize all this and get it onto manuscript paper with ink and brush, but also sustain the effort for a thousand pages!? We marveled at the accomplishment all semester.
And then there is sake. Ah, absolutely sake. The beverage is much more complex than it seems. In fact, so many variables have to come together in such particular ways to create sake that it almost seems miraculous that the ancients were able to brew it. The act of brewing was definitely a feat of ‘science’ if we consider the rigorous trial-and-error methodology that they no doubt had to apply to their endeavor to understand the process and also improve on the quality of its result. Brewing was arguably the most advanced science the ancients had. It was material culture’s Tale of Genji, an exquisite culmination of deep intuition, tradition and human creativity. Its impact on Japanese society and culture has been profound, and today it continues to spur very serious scientific inquiry.
In this issue, we travel back to the origins of sake brewing in Japan, at least as a methodological process that more closely resembles how brewers do it today than the haphazard abandonment to luck and guesswork that primitive cultures relied on. Haruo Matsuzaki’s feature this issue is on Nara, which is considered the birthplace of sake in Japan. He writes about ‘early modern’ brewing and its place in the ancient capital’s temple culture. John Gauntner builds on this history in his technical feature by describing two later brewing techniques that largely supplanted the developments in Nara: kimoto and yamahai. Our itinerant correspondent Brian Kowalczyk, meanwhile, takes us on a modern journey through Nara. There is much more to the prefecture and the eponymous capital than the famous temples and shrines that most of us are familiar with. Small businesses, notably those serving local food and sake, can significantly enhance your appreciate of Nara. Ayuko Yamaguchi joins us again for this issue with a special report on a project in the forests of Nara that seeks to use native cedar for the making of vats for sake brewing. The old ways are still with us.
Our first featured brewery is an upstart giant of the modern sake industry, a premium sake producer everyone knows: Dassai. Through our intimate access to the brewery and its principal players, we’ve tried to shine a light on Dassai from within, to provide a new perspective for readers already familiar with the company. The second feature focuses on another forward-thinking brewery, this one, Kobe Shushinkan, hailing from the famed Nada region. And finally, for our overseas feature, we present one of America’s newest craft sake breweries, Brooklyn Kura in New York. We can hardly keep up with all the new openings.
Hungry? We thought you might be. Or if you aren’t, our usual gallery of interesting dishes is likely to make you so. As in the past, we explore a couple of sake-themed bars to see what unique items they’re serving. For this issue, we make some brief stops at casual establishments in Kyoto. Does this town ever disappoint?
If you find yourself still wanting more, we offer supplemental material in digital form. Our website runs digital-only articles in addition to select archived content, and we regularly post imagery and updated information on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We also have an occasional newsletter that you can sign up for free on our website; we’ll ship sips of information and helpful links right to your inbox. All of these resources are a lot more than the ancients had, and just think about the extent of their sake knowledge! They set the bar high. Read carefully, nudge it higher.
