Tatsuya Kojima
Toji
As we met for the first time, he exuded a sense of peace and calmness that enveloped everyone who stepped foot into the brewery. And what we learned during our time with Tatsuya Kojima was beyond the technical aspects of producing Sanin Ginjo, which left us utterly speechless. But we learned, most importantly, the sacredness of sake and the circle of life between the people who grow the rice, create the sake, offer to the gods, grow old and become one with the earth that is used to sow and grow again the rice. This spiritual nature is reflected in the sakes he produces, staying true to the earth and the place of the brewery with minimal human intervention to give the sakes unique local nuances. To taste his sakes is to taste the earth and spirit of Izumo.
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MUKYU TENON SERIES
The brewery believes that this series is the closest form to sacred sake. The name of this special series come from the Buddhist scriptures. Mukyutenon means that if the heavens are calm, there will be no distress (trouble), and it expresses the hope that the world and its future will be peaceful. This high-end series undergoes an extended Koji production time of 3 days and an extra-long fermentation process of up to 45 days under natural freezing winter temperatures. As we visited the brewery in the midst of a cold spell, the open roof allowed fresh snow to fall upon his fermentation mash.
Tenon makes their koji by hand, sight and smell. The koji room is much drier than other breweries. There is no use of thermometers nor humidifiers. Their unique koji is produced over 3 days instead of the usual 2 days. They believe that the longer cultivation process produces a deeper flavor, chestnut aroma, pleasant nuances and a gentle lingering aftertaste.
Izumo & Umgebung
Izumo ist ein sehr heiliger Ort in Japan und wird als Geburtsort des Sake-Gottes anerkannt. Es heißt auch, dass sich die Götter hier jedes Jahr im Oktober versammeln (kamirari-zuki), um das Schicksal aller Lebewesen und die Ehen der Menschen in Japan zu besprechen. Als wir mitten in einem Schneesturm landeten und das jahrhundertealte Ryokan neben dem wunderschönen Izumo-Taishia-Schrein erreichten, wirkte die verschlafene Stadt mystisch und magisch.