Master Brewer Teaches Tradition To Rival Sake Makers

A 130-year-old sake brewery in northeastern Japan devoted to manual labor has gained a unique reputation for putting aside any thought of protecting its normally closely-guarded trade secrets to train staff of rival producers, Rui Azuma reported for Kyodo News.

Photo Insert: For Dewazakura President Masumi Nakano, 60, sharing his knowledge with other brewers is more important than protecting his intellectual property.

The acceptance by Dewazakura Sake Brewery Co. in Tendo, Yamagata Prefecture, of trainees from around the country, many of whom are the heirs to famous breweries, is rare in an industry in which processes are kept confidential and even facility tours are often not offered.

But for Dewazakura President Masumi Nakano, 60, sharing his knowledge with other brewers is more important than protecting his intellectual property. "I hope the industry will grow as a whole, stimulated by the growth of each brewery," he said.

Last December, at Dewazakura's brewery in the city of Yamagata, Risako Kinoshita, 27, a trainee and the person who is set to inherit Kitaya Co. in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, appeared perplexed when trying to determine the correct temperature setting as she peered into a large brewing barrel.

"Raise it one degree by tomorrow morning," Nakano instructed. Kinoshita was learning a special brewing method that uses highly polished rice, water, and koji culture (rice malt).

Although partially mechanized, Dewazakura's production method has remained more or less unchanged for 100 years. For two years, trainees learn the whole production process, including bottling. Manual labor is involved at almost every step.

"As the overnight work here of producing koji is rare these days, I have learned what should be left to machinery and what shouldn't," said Heiki Isawa, 31, the heir to Katsuyama Shuzo Co. in Sendai, Ibaraki Prefecture, who joined the training course last autumn.

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