Unique Alcohol - Sake

As the temperature begins to drop, we can feel the quiet arrival of autumn.
When the lingering heat of summer fades away, I somehow start craving sake.

In recent years, sake consumption in Japan has been declining. Yet, the carefully crafted brews made by dedicated sake brewers are gaining more and more appreciation overseas.

So, where does sake come from?
Rice cultivation began in Japan about 2,000 years ago, and the earliest form of sake is believed to be kuchikami-zake — “chewed sake.”

Kuchikami-zake was made by chewing cooked rice and spitting it into a jar, where it naturally fermented.
This was done by shrine maidens, whose saliva contained enzymes that converted starch into sugar, allowing wild yeast to ferment the mixture.
The resulting drink was likely a cloudy, unfiltered beverage, similar to today’s doburoku.
It was offered to the gods with prayers for good fortune and delicious sake.

During the Nara period (8th century), an official brewing department called Sake no Tsukasa was established, and brewing techniques using rice kōji became widespread.

Interestingly, using kōji in brewing is not unique to Japan — it is also seen across East Asia.
The main purpose of kōji is to convert the starch in grains into sugar.
However, there are key differences in how it is made.

In many parts of East Asia, raw grains such as wheat or beans are crushed, mixed with a little water, and molded into bricks to cultivate molds like Rhizopus or Mucor, forming what is called mochi kōji.
In contrast, Japan uses steamed rice inoculated exclusively with Aspergillus oryzae, known as yellow kōji mold, to create bara kōji.
Because bara kōji has a larger surface area, oxygen spreads evenly, helping the mold to grow well.

Remarkably, this yellow kōji mold exists only in Japan and is essential to sake brewing.

Sake fermentation itself is also unique — both saccharification (conversion of starch to sugar) and alcohol fermentation occur simultaneously in the same tank.
This process, known as multiple parallel fermentation, makes sake one of the most intricate and distinctive alcoholic beverages in the world.

As autumn deepens, I look forward to discovering different kinds of sake —
and enjoying a quiet evening with a small cup in hand.