20258Month7Day. Niigata CityANAThe Niigata Sake School's school festival was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Niigata.

1984 (Showa59) opened in2024A year40The Niigata Sake School's school festival, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, was proposed by the first principal, Shima Teishi, and has been a traditional event since the school's founding.1The school festival has been held every year since. After being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year34This is the th time.

Current students and alumni gathered together to celebrate graduation.3Alumni who have reached the age of 18 will give speeches sharing their experiences.

Mr. Odaira Shunji, Chairman of the Prefectural Sake Brewers Association, giving a speech as the head of the Educational Association

Toshio Aoki, Director of the Prefectural Brewing Research Institute, giving a congratulatory speech

After singing the school song, greetings from Principal Kenichi Watanabe and Chairman of the Education Association Toshiharu Ohira, and a congratulatory speech from Director Toshio Aoki of the Prefectural Brewing Research Institute,36classmates15Name(15Storehouse),35classmates1The event featured presentations by 100 students, all of whom were graduates who were forced to take a year off from school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The graduates split into two groups and went up on stage to give presentations about their experiences.

 

The graduates went up on stage, listening to their classmates' speeches with nervous expressions on their faces as they waited for their turn.

The themes of the 16 presentations were:

"As a leader"

"Difficulty in procuring rice"

"Graduating from Sake School and experiencing an unprecedented infectious disease"

"Behind the Scenes of Delicious Sake: Quality Supported by Invisible Processes"

"The importance of encounters"

"Initiativess and worries after becoming a manager"

"Graduating from Sake School"

"Lessons and Growth from Sake School"

"Three years of experience and what I discovered during my professional life after graduation"

"Looking back on my time after graduation"

"Changes in demand and quality of rice produced in the prefecture"

"It's obvious"

"I like what although Nare good"

"About men taking childcare leave"

"Changes after graduating from Sake School"

"What has changed since graduating from the Sake School, and what needs to change in the future"

 

When the school was first established, its main purpose was to train successors to become brewers, but now it accepts people involved in the Niigata sake industry in a wide range of fields, including not only production but also bottling and other products, and sales.

The presenters this time came from a variety of occupations, and as you can see from the theme, they spoke about post-graduation topics from various perspectives, including sake brewing, product and shipping, how to interact with people, how to work, and how to pass on sake culture.3They looked back on the year and shared their thoughts in their own words.

 

It must have been a valuable opportunity for the current students and alumni listening to the talk to reflect on their own actions and relate them to the current situation.

As someone outside the industry,1This book made me realize once again that many people are involved in various ways and with their own thoughts in order to deliver safe and delicious sake to us consumers.

 

After the presentations, a special lecture entitled "The Achievements of Professor Kinichiro Sakaguchi and the Future of Sake Culture" was given by Kasahara Shoji, Director of the Sakaguchi Memorial Museum in Joetsu City.

Shoji Kasahara, Director of the Sakaguchi Memorial Museum

1897 (Meiji30Born in Takada (formerly Takada City) in Joetsu City in 1930, Dr. Kinichiro Sakaguchi is a world-renowned authority on fermentation. Through his research into fermentation, he has introduced the unique production methods and profound knowledge of sake in his classic works such as "Japanese Sake," and is revered by those involved in sake brewing as the "Doctor of Sake."

Once "from NiigataRSakaguchi Kinichiro was featured in the magazine's series "Walking through places associated with great people."

Writer Yuzukizaki Toshihisa interviewed Kasahara at the Sakaguchi Memorial Museum and wrote the article.

The article explains that the professor loved reading from a young age, that some of his books are on display at the memorial museum, and that Professor Sakaguchi's achievements live on today in a wide range of fields, from food to medicine, concluding with the words, "It is no exaggeration to say that this is a contribution to humanity."

The Sakaguchi Memorial Hall is about 30 minutes by car from Joetsu IC or Kakizaki IC. If you are traveling by train, it is about 30 minutes by taxi from Joetsu Myoko Station.

Located in Kubiki Ward, Joetsu CitySakaguchi Memorial HallIt is,It is located on the site of Rakuhoan, the second home where Professor Sakaguchi lived as an evacuee from the end of the Pacific War until after the war. This place is also the birthplace of Kubiki Toji, one of the Echigo Toji group.The Sakaguchi Memorial Museum is a tourist facility that not only introduces the achievements of Professor Sakaguchi, but also conveys the sake brewing culture of Echigo, including the Kubiki Toji.

Furthermore, it is a sacred place not only for sake brewing but also for people involved in fermentation.

The main building's "Sake Tojikan" exhibits books that tell of the professor's achievements, as well as many poems that he composed, as he was also a poet. You can also learn about valuable sake brewing tools, the history of Kubiki brewers, and sake brewing songs.

 

At Rakunui-an, a space with an open hearth that was used by the teacher during evacuation and after the war, and which was named Rakunui-an after the war, you can also sample local Joetsu sake (for a fee).

The late master brewer, Yuzuru Yamakawa, who was awarded the Medal with Yellow Ribbon, said that he entered the world of sake brewing after meeting Professor Sakaguchi. In a previous interview, he said that his family home was close to the former Rakunui-an, and that listening to his teacher talk about sake had drawn him to the world of sake brewing, leading him to switch from farming. Just how fascinating were the stories about sake he heard directly from Professor Sakaguchi?

The Sakaguchi Memorial Hall houses approximately 1,000 snow camellias, which are designated as Niigata Prefecture's tree and which the professor has endeavored to preserve and cultivate.190There is a snow camellia garden where the flowers are planted.

In his special lecture, Kasahara shared his thoughts on planting and cultivating the snow camellias.

"Even in rice-growing regions, there will come a time when there will be a surplus of rice. When that time comes, my teacher's wish is for people to sell snow camellia seedlings and turn it into an industry."

The museum also sells original sake cups featuring snow camellias and sake bottles.

I would like to visit the memorial museum, learn about the professor's achievements, and slowly immerse myself in the deep world of sake and fermentation.

 

After Mr. Kasahara's special lecture, the participants gave a presentation on their experiences.36A social gathering was held, moderated by a student from the same year.

The friendly atmosphere of classmates who have gathered for the first time in a long time, the juniors taking the opportunity to ask their seniors questions about sake brewing, and the students reminiscing with their teachers at the sake school and reporting on their current situations...1To mark the occasion of the event's opening, scenes from the event could be seen all over the venue.

In June, after the entrance ceremony, I was in charge of a group class called "Self-Expression through Writing: How to Write Letters," and there was an unforgettable event for me.1The first-year students came to me with smiles on their faces to report, "I've written a note since then!" Although the class was not directly related to sake brewing, I was very happy that they had said they rarely wrote letters or postcards, and that the class had inspired them to take action.

 

As the next season of sake brewing begins, people in the sake brewing industry will be inspired and energized by others. The school festival is surely one such opportunity.

We are proud to be involved in sake brewing in Niigata, the place where Dr. Sakaguchi was born and raised, and we hope to see delicious Niigata sake next season as well!

 

Filming assistance (school festival): Yoshitaka Yoshizawa (Sake School annual lecturer)

 

 

 

Neil

(Publisher of "cushu notebook" and "Niigata R")

Mariko Takahashi