THE GRAINS OF JAPAN
― 粒の中心に、酒の真ん中がある。 ―
山田錦と誉富士。代々にわたり蔵とともに技を磨いてきた契約農家が育てる、由緒ある酒造好適米です。Yamadanishiki and Homarefuji — heirloom sakamai grown by partner farms whose families have polished their craft alongside ours for generations.
食べるためでなく、醸すための米Rice grown for sake, not for the table
Sake-rice is not the rice you eat at dinner. The grains are larger, the starch core (shinpaku) sits clearly at the heart of each kernel, and the outer layers — fats and proteins that would muddy the brew — are gently polished away.
The kura works directly with terraced farms in Hyogo and Shizuoka. Their soil, their water, and their hands shape the ingredient long before it ever reaches the tanks. Some plots have supplied the brewery across three generations.
Polishing rates of 40–60% strip the kernels back to their starchy heart. What remains is essence: clean sugars that the koji will translate into the soul of the sake.
酒米は食用米とは別物です。粒は大きく、中心には心白という白い澱粉の塊があり、外側に多い脂質や蛋白質は、丁寧に磨いて削ぎ落とします。
兵庫・静岡の契約農家とともに、土と水と人の仕事から米を選びます。三代にわたり、蔵に米を届けてくださる田もあります。
精米歩合四十%から六十%。残るのは粒の真ん中、澱粉の核だけ。麹はこの清らかな糖を、酒の魂へと翻訳していきます。
「ワインのヴィンテージのように、同じ手で、ゆっくりと米を育てる。」“We grow rice the way you would grow a vintage — slowly, with the same hands.”
数値で辿る、山のかたちThe mountain, in measurements
- 品種VARIETIES山田錦・誉富士Yamadanishiki · Homarefuji
- 2 種2
- 精米歩合POLISH RATE残る重量比By weight remaining
- 40〜60%40–60%
- 契約農家PARTNER FARMS2 県にわたるAcross 2 prefectures
- 12 軒12
- 収穫期HARVEST一畝ずつ手で確認Hand-checked rows
- 9月下旬Late Sep
四つの所作、ひとつの静かな手。Four movements, one quiet hand.
収穫HARVEST
収穫
穂の上で十分に実った酒米を、9月下旬に収穫します。Sakamai is gathered late September after the grain has fully matured on the panicle.
精米POLISH
精米
外側の糠を少しずつ削り、澱粉質の芯だけを蔵人のために残します。Outer bran is gradually removed; only the starchy heart remains for the brewer.
洗米WASH & STEEP
洗米
一仕込みごとに洗い、秒単位で時間を計って、必要なだけの水を吸わせます。Each batch is washed and timed to the second to absorb just enough water.
蒸米STEAM
蒸米
じっくり蒸すことで外側を締め、麹のために芯はやわらかく保ちます。Slow steaming firms the outside while keeping the core soft for the koji.