Within contemporary sake you will find categories such as junmai and daiginjo. However, we have come to doubt sake which does not challenge the traditional framework of these categories.
The legendary origins of sake first appear in the Kojiki, Japan's first chronicle. It is said that the god, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, brewed the first sake and gave it to the eight-headed dragon, Yamata-no-Orochi, in order to defeat it. This first sake was called yashiori sake.
It is said that yashiori sake was brewed many times over to create a rich sake. The sake making process now differs in such that a sake that has been re-brewed many times is called saishikomi, or re-processed.
However, even if junmai-shu is made through the method of saishikomi, it would still be placed into the most inexpensive category of futsu-shu.
We wonder if modern sake brewing has not lost some of the accumulation of sake varieties there once existed. We believe that the varieties forgotten can bring new possibilities to modern sake brewing.
Kojimaya re-questions the essence of what is tradition by embodying the freedom of diversity.
Tradition is the freedom to be diverse.
About Kojimaya
Kojima Sohonten Co., Ltd. 24th brewer CEO Kenichiro Kojima
[ » 日本語 Ver. ]
Sake used to have an alcohol percentage lower than what it has today. It was a sake that everyone could savor and pair with food.
We will return to that original concept once more, to a sake made unhindered by categories.
Untitled is our way of expressing going beyond the concept of categories.
Kojimaya's symbol mark is designed by Mr. Ryoji Arai, an artist / picture book writer from Yamagata Prefecture. The designs hiding various motifs express the diversity that Kojimaya aims.
We set out to make a sake which is light yet complex and can be paired with contemporary cuisine yet also a sake that hints to our history.
It is a sake that is inspired by the yashiori sake of the Kojiki, yet is made through our brewery’s own sakeyondan shikomi, or four-step brewing method.
The “four-step brewing” method of Kojimaya
The elemental form of the four-step brewing method, Untitled #01 has a light yet complex flavor.
As a result of seeking conflicting elements, such as lightness and complexity, we finally came up with our own unique four-step brewing method. With the lightness of the alcohol, Untitled #01 aims at achieving complexity through re-processing after the four-step brewing.
The power of the cedar barrel. The tradition of using barrels continues.
In the past, sake was stored and transported in cedar barrels. It also had a lower alcohol percentage than it does today. In this series, by layering the natural flavor of the cedar barrels on top of the cohesiveness of Untitled #02, one can discover the charm Japanese barrels.
This sake is the result of adding our original barrel-aged kijoushu to the fermentation mash during the four-step brewing method. In this sake, the cedar brings out a fascinating woody fragrance with notes of luxury fruits. It has a faint aroma of cedar that pairs well with the original kijoushu. In the end the barrel-aging of Untitled #02 creates a more complex and expansive sake.
For inquiries concerning “Kojimaya”, Please contact us below at “Toko Kojima Sohonten”.
Please contact us from below.
TOKO Kojimasohonten Website