Tochigi Prefecture is well-known for the internationally famous tourist spot Nikkô. It is also known in Japan as a region that produces a wide array of vegetables and fruit, in particular, strawberries. In recent years it has been garnering increasing popularity as a key region for sake fans as well. Like its prefectural neighbors of Gunma and Ibaraki, many of the kura in the region were originally run by toji (master brewers) from the Echigo guild hailing from Niigata Prefecture, but now many young brewers are popping up and sake production is being driven by a new sensibility.
The backbone of this new trend is the Shimotsuke Toji guild. The toji system came about long ago when farmers from the countryside would travel from their homes to work in sake breweries (see more about toji in Sake Today #8). The main guilds took their names from the old names of the various regions from which the workers came, such as Nanbu, Noto, and Tajima, and these groups continue to exist in each of these regions. However, the group bearing the old name of this region, Shimotsuke, is not that of a guild of craftsmen that existed in this region from long ago. It is an entirely new group that was created to train people to carry on the traditional craft of sake brewing, with three people certified in 2006, the first year it was established. Currently, there are ten certified Shimotsuke Toji.
There are in fact systems in other prefectures that also support educational programs for employees or the offspring of brewery owners, such as the “Fukushima Prefecture Seishu Academy.” While the Shimotsuke Toji effort assigns titles to its members, similar to what is done in other toji guilds, what makes it unique is that there is a general curriculum that includes a written test and another for technical skills. Furthermore, the program includes education related to cultivating the dignified character of a toji as well as teaching awareness of being what amounts to a PR representative for the prefecture’s sake. It is not just a matter of technical training, but also instruction on how to be charismatic leaders, something that is assessed via an interview prior to certification.
Just like in other toji guilds, the members are constantly trying to polish their skills and will occasionally get together to discuss and find solutions to mutual concerns and problems. In doing so, they have raised the overall morale of the local brewing community. They are surely a big reason why Tochigi has prospered and become more recognized of late for their sake production. The Shimotsuke Toji guild–just like other guilds such as the Nanbu Toji guild–has joined the “Nihonshuzô Toji Kumiai Rengokai,” or “Sake-brewing Toji Guild Association,” and are attracting attention as a new toji organization highly focused on the preservation of traditional brewing skills. Breweries like Sohomare, with brewing operations headed by Shimotsuke guild member toji Tôru Akita, exemplify this with their focus on making kimoto (sake made using the traditional labor-intensive method; see Sake Today 7). Sohomare has also focused on using the best available Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture for many years–much longer than other breweries in this region.
For its part, the prefecture has actively worked on developing new yeast and sake rice varieties, and this is seen as one reason why Tochigi is a step ahead of all the other prefectures of the Kanto region. The Tochigi Prefecture Industrial Research Center has created two yeasts for use in making ginjo-shu that are used by all the sake breweries in the prefecture: “T-S” and “T-F.” The southern part of Tochigi, lying on the northern edge of the Kanto plain, produces a vast quantity of grain. In addition to great table rice, the area also yields some sake rice, including the variety Gohyakumangoku, which grows well in colder environments. In 2005 Tochigi #14, an original rice strain developed in the prefecture with support by the public sector, was finally registered as an official sake rice.
There are many Tochigi breweries that source their rice locally or even grow it themselves. Utsunomiya Shuzô (Shikisakura) is a brewery that early on began using rice grown locally in the farmland of Utsunomiya City’s suburbs. Sawahime is a brand that has declared itself to be a “true local brewery” and accordingly uses only locally grown sake rice, mainly Hitogokochi, a parent rice of Tochigi #14. The sake brewery Senkin adheres to the wine-world concept of terroir by using only rice and water from their city of Sakura. Kikunosato Shuzô, producer of the sake Daina, grows not only their own Gohyakumangoku rice, but also Gin no Sato rice, originally from Japan’s southern island of Kyûshû. One can see great diversity across the brewers of Tochigi, not only in the rice they use, but also in their various philosophies.
Originally, Tochigi sake was considered “amakuchi,” or sweet overall. It is located inland, away from the ocean, and from long ago the preferred local food was often preserved food, flavored with salt or soy sauce. The special pickles made in this prefecture are decidedly salty at first taste. Places that have this kind of culinary culture tend to have sweet sake to pair with the food. However, there are a good number of sake made here that are light and dry. This is a result of the significant number of Echigo Toji (master brewers from Niigata, where that sake style dominates) in the area, as well as the fact that Tochigi is in the same tax jurisdiction as Niigata. Since Tochigi sake is therefore judged and assessed together with Niigata sake, and because of the strong role that the National Tax Agency plays in developing local sake styles, Tochigi sake has been influenced by that style. Furthermore, Tochigi is close to Tokyo and seems to have adjusted its sake styles to appeal to the refined preferences of consumers there.
These days, Tochigi produces a lot of modern styles of sake, including those resulting from the use of Tochigi yeast, which lends itself to aromatic sake that is soft on the palate. Modern flavor profiles like full, umami-laden sake with an acidity that makes it smooth–an expression of the sake sensibilities of younger brewers–is quite common as well. Sake flavor profiles are changing with the times, and along with that sake breweries are changing as well. Tochigi sake very accurately reflects these changes. Continuing to develop and adapt while maintaining awareness of recent trends, close proximity to a major metropolitan area, and making the most of the enthusiastic efforts of younger brewers are all factors that are somewhat interrelated. Surely these things have collectively played a part in the rise of Tochigi sake.
The prefecture’s sake may still only be popular among those that know and love sake. But as Tochigi increasingly becomes a commuter area for those working in the nation’s capital, not only long-time residents, but newcomers to the area as well will surely celebrate it as a matter of local pride.
