20249The Niigata Sake Brewers Association's "A Short History of Sake Brewing" was published in2　"Niigata, the land of sake, opening up the future."

From 20022024In addition to compiling a record of the association's activities up to the year, we have also interviewed key people who have contributed to the association's activities up to now, and written a feature article that unravels Niigata sake through keywords important to Niigata sake.

 

During the interview, I heard that2This is a series that will introduce ``anecdotes'' from time to time, including things and impressions that could not be included in ``The Latest Issue.''

The first1This issue focuses on the sake rice "Koshitanrei," which was harvested in various parts of the prefecture this year.

 

"Koshitanrei" is the newest sake rice developed by Niigata Prefecture.2004(Heisei16It was named in 1999 by then Governor Hirayama Masao.

 

Until then, "Yamada Nishiki" rice from Hyogo Prefecture was often used for high-end sake brewing, but now they use sake rice from Niigata Prefecture, in order to realize "all Niigata sake brewing."15This sake rice was developed after years of research.

 

A miraculous combination born out of chance

As fans of Niigata local sake and Niigata sake experts know, "Koshitanrei" is a variety that is a cross between "Yamada Nishiki" and "Gohyakumangoku."

"Gohyakumangoku" is1957(Showa32This sake rice was developed in Niigata Prefecture in 1945, and is now the second most produced in Japan after Yamada Nishiki. It is an important sake rice that gave birth to the light and refreshing taste of Niigata sake.

As the saying goes, "Yamada Nishiki" in the west and "Gohyakumangoku" in the east, these two yokozuna are relied upon by many sake breweries across the country. I thought that "Koshitanrei" was born by crossing these two in a targeted manner. However, the truth was different.

 

Following "Gohyakumangoku," there is another sake rice variety called "Ipponjime" that was developed in Niigata Prefecture.1993(Heisei5This sake rice was named in 1999 and is easy to grow and does not easily break, making it a sake rice that combines both cultivation and brewing characteristics. However, because it is easy to grow, it has been cultivated with a lot of fertilizer and high yields, which has led to an increase in protein content, and the quality of sake made using this sake rice has become inconsistent. "Sake breweries left before it could show its true potential," said Kenichi Watanabe, former director of the Prefectural Brewing Research Institute.

 

Learning from that failure, the development of "Koshitanrei" prioritized brewing characteristics from the selection stage onwards.

A large number of hybrid varieties were cultivated in small quantities at the Prefectural Agricultural Research Institute Crop Research Center, and were quickly turned into sake at the Prefectural Brewing Experiment Station for selection and evaluation. Among them, there was one lineage that repeatedly survived. This is what would later become "Sake72The name of the variety was "Go". It was a cross between "Yamada Nishiki" as the mother and "Gohyakumangoku" as the father.

 

When I heard this story, I got goosebumps. I felt embarrassed that I had thought that the two Yokozuna had been crossed easily. The one that was selected from many hybrid varieties in search of high-level brewing characteristics was coincidentally a variety that had both Yokozuna as its mother and father. How dramatic.

Sake rice samples on display at the Niigata Prefectural Sake Research Institute. From the right, Ipponjime, Gohyakumangoku, Ipponjime, and Koshitanrei. The length of the Koshitanrei is clearly visible.

Koshitanrei (left) and Gohyakumangoku, Koshitanrei's father. The white part in the middle is Shinpaku.

 

"Sake72The number is2001(Heisei13) of the fields owned by the Crop Research Center in26It was grown over a large area of ​​1000m2, and a trial brewing of Daiginjo was carried out at the Prefectural Brewing Research Center on a practical scale. As the results were good, the technical committee of the Prefectural Sake Brewing Association asked the breweries and cooperating producers to grow it from the following year onwards, and expanded the trial brewing.72We continued to confirm both the cultivation and brewing characteristics of the new variety.

 

Even after naming the rice in 2004, they continued to accumulate data and stuck to the policy of not releasing sake made with this rice until the cultivation and brewing methods were stable. The brewery understood this and together they carefully nurtured "Koshitanrei."

Sake using "Koshitanrei" has been named2years later2006(Heisei18) and finally made his debut in .

The Cultivation Research Society held a study meeting and analyzed all producers' sake rice at the testing facility.

Every year, new sake rice varieties are actively developed all over the country. However, for most of them, the goal is just to develop new varieties.

Koshitanrei is making use of its past experience, and with the understanding that development is only the starting point, it is working to establish and improve its cultivation and brewing techniques.

 

Every year, the Prefectural Brewing Research Institute analyzes the brown rice of all producers of Koshitanrei and shares the data with producers and breweries.

 

In terms of cultivation techniques, producers, the sake brewing industry, centered around the prefecture's sake brewing association and the prefecture's brewing research center, have come together to establish the "Koshitanrei Cultivation Research Association" with the cooperation of the Agricultural Extension Guidance Center.4,5The review meeting is being held.

The Cultivation Research Group was established based on lessons learned from the "Ipponjime" cultivation.

"When it came to cultivating Ipponjime, I think one of the reasons they were unable to make full use of the excellent sake rice was the lack of communication between the brewery and the producers, with the brewery directly conveying its requests," reflects Yoshihito Nabekura, who is in charge of sake rice at the Prefectural Brewing Research Institute.

 

The Cultivation Research Association is located in the prefecture.5It is divided into branches (Kaetsu East, Kaetsu West, Sado, Chuetsu, and Joetsu), with Kaetsu East active in the Murakami, Shibata, Tsugawa, and Gosen areas, and Kaetsu West active in the Niigata, Maki, and Sanjo areas.

"We divided the research group's regions into smaller areas to make it easier for local farmers to participate. This allows us to provide more detailed cultivation guidance tailored to the region," explains Kamata Takayuki, who is in charge of sake rice at the prefecture's sake brewers association.

 

From October8By the month3,4At the once-daily study meeting, instructors from the prefecture's extension center give classroom training on cultivation, and based on the weather trends and growth survey results of that year, they explain to the producers what work and measures are needed, and there is an active question and answer session with the producers. Afterwards, they go to the Koshitanrei fields (rice paddies) for on-site guidance. Not only producers but also brewers participate in the study meeting, deepening their understanding of rice.

 

Towards the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, a review meeting (debriefing meeting) is held to conclude the fiscal year, where reports are given on the growing environment conditions of the year, rice quality and yield, challenges and measures for the next year, and the results of brown rice analysis by the Prefectural Brewing Research Institute.

At the subsequent social gathering, the brewers and producers will exchange information about rice cultivation and sake brewing.

The sake brewery thanks the farmers for their hard work over the past year and encourages them to produce good rice the following year. The farmers have high hopes that the sake rice they have lovingly cultivated will produce good sake, and they entrust this hope to the sake brewery. The appreciation party strengthens the farmers' desire to produce good rice and brew good sake.

"I think it's a very meaningful meeting," says Kamata.

 

The pride of the challengers is the driving force behind the creation of sake rice

A Short History2In the "Koshitanrei" special feature in the magazine, the aforementioned Watanabe Kenichi and Kaneoke Mitsuoki, former director of the Prefectural Brewing Research Institute, requested that we "definitely write an article about this." 

Kenichi Watanabe, former director of the Niigata Prefectural Brewing Research Institute, currently serves as principal of the Niigata Sake School.

Mitsuoki Kaneoke, former director of the Niigata Prefecture Brewing Research Institute, currently teaches applied microbiology at Niigata University of Food and Agriculture.

Kaneoke-san said,2002"In 2000, Kiyohiro Wakabayashi of Kita-ku (formerly Toyosaka City) took the risk to carry out large-scale growth trials in actual fields. If we hadn't ignored this fact, 'Koshitanrei' would never have been released to the world."

Watanabe related what Hoshi Toyokazu, then head of the breeding department at the Crop Research Center, said when the decision was made to prioritize brewing characteristics at the early stages of development. 

 Finally, I would like to introduce some words from Hoshi, which were also published in "Short History 2."

 

"The characteristics of tall grass and proneness to lodging are not a drawback when using Japan's best cultivation techniques cultivated with Koshihikari."

 

Producers, sake brewers, researchers. People from different backgrounds took on the challenge of creating a new sake rice, all with pride in their own fields of expertise, all working toward a common goal. I want as many people as possible to know this story. I'd like to keep an eye on Koshitanrei sake, which will continue to evolve as it overcomes challenges.

　Neil

"Cushu notebook""R from Niigata"Editor-in-chief

Mariko Takahashi