 In
the southwest corner of the Nara Plain, in the shadow of the historic
mountains, Mt. Katsuragi and Mt. Nijo (both mentioned in the Manyoshu),
you can find our little brewery. In the mid Edo Period (1603-1876),
the main branch of our family was already making sake. In the 26th
year of the Meiji Period (1888), the head of this sub-branch of the
family, (which had previously made the Japanese spirit, shochu, and
mirin) was passed the baton. I was taught that this was the beginning
of sake brewing at Ume no Yado. In this Nara area, so rich in heritage,
this is far from being a long history. It is said that the renewed
enthusiasm of the founder, Kumataro, led him to take great care about
quality, with increased sales the result. The second and third generation
presidents, Kumaji and Takeshi, also maintained a policy of quality
above all else.
I am the fourth president of the company, and, five years after I
joined the firm in 1971, sake production in Japan reached its peak.
The era of mass production, led by the giant makers, was in its heyday,
and we too, like most smaller breweries, sold sake to these large
concerns - almost three times as much as we currently produce, in
fact. However, we saw that, in the long term, we would be unlikely
to thrive under this system. We resolved to stand or fall with our
own brand. So, in 1979, we began the brewing of ginjoshu - premium
sake which had hitherto been made only for entry in trade contests
? for general sale. In 1985, we were honoured for the first time with
a Gold Medal in the National Contest for New Sake. Then, in the "second
jizake boom" of 1982-1985, the name of Ume no Yado became nationally
known. So we find ourselves in our one-hundred-and-second year, but
a mere stripling as sake breweries go. Even counting four generations
from the founder, Kumataro, to myself, we still have much to learn.
Yet, with the help of the vitality of our young brewing staff, our
aim, more than ever, is to put quality first. Brewing in our characteristic
style of umakuchi, it is my hope, now as ever, to offer you a sake
to evoke the local flavour and colourful history of Nara. |
