vol.5
"Horai" by Watanabe Sake Brewery
Watanabe Sake Brewery is located in Furukawa-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, and brews sake under the brand name "Horai." The store and brewery are located a 4-5 minute walk from Hida-Furukawa Station, and began brewing sake in 1870. The white-walled storehouse from that time, which still remains today, gives a sense of history. Many people visit the store, from local fans to tourists, and they can of course sample sake and purchase sake as souvenirs, but they also enjoy a tour of the brewery (reservations required). It is also a representative tourist spot in the area, where you can see the old-fashioned sake brewing site. On the brewery tour, you can not only see the large wooden barrels used in sake brewing and the "rooms" that are usually off-limits, but you can also enjoy the sound and aroma of koji mold during fermentation. In addition, you can write messages of encouragement to the brewers on the wooden barrels, and the concept is to "enjoy with all five senses!" The experience of visiting the brewery will become a memory, and the experience of stimulating the five senses will become a memory. Memories add depth to the flavor, and memories create a sense of exhilaration. Cheers to special moments with your lover, friends, or family with "Horai"!
Watanabe Sake Brewery's "Horai" + EIRYO
Watanabe Sake Brewery is currently run by the ninth generation owner, Watanabe Hisanori, who has inherited the tradition and is brewing sake that takes advantage of the geographical advantages of the Hida region. Although the liquid is colorless and transparent, behind it lies the history of the brewery, which spans more than 150 years, and it also embodies the unique climate and local culture of the Hida Takayama region.
Sake is made by chemical reactions of simple ingredients: rice, water, and koji. We select and brew sake-brewing rice from all over Japan according to its character, starting with the rare rice "Hida Homare" that is harvested only in the Hida region. "Shikomizu" is natural water from Hida. Rain and snow that falls on the mountains passes through a natural filtering system called leaf mold made from fallen broadleaf trees and becomes groundwater. "Shikomizu" is water that is pumped up from a well. "Shikomizu" is pure water with high purity, making it ideal for making delicious sake. The dynamic natural blessings of the Hida area are the foundation of the taste of "Horai", which has been loved for hundreds of years. Another important element in making delicious sake is the sincerity of the brewers. They work single-mindedly and with single-minded concentration on each and every work process. They believe in the "intuition" in their fingertips and imagine the smiles of their customers who taste their sake. "Horai" is born from the combination of the blessings of nature and the sincerity of the brewers. This sake is also very familiar to people living in Hida. At the "Hida Furukawa Festival", which has been selected as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, it is used as "sacred sake" offered to the gods. It is also used as a lubricant to help participants in the festival deepen their connections with each other. "Horai" connects the nature, people, culture, and traditions of Hida, and will continue to "brew" it into an even more attractive region in the future.
The taste of Hida and "Horai Junmai Ginjo"
Hideyoshi Kudo (left) and Hisanori Watanabe (right)
+EIRYO vol.5
Issued on April 6, 2024
Cooperation: Watanabe Sake Brewery Ltd.
Publisher: Eiryo Kudo
Photo: Shugo Takemi
Design: Rintaro Mizuguchi, Atsushi Fukui
Edited and written by: Atsushi Fukui
Issued by EIRYO Co., Ltd.
5-56-4 Denenchofu, Ota-ku, Tokyo
TEL.03-6822-2274
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