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Five years have passed since I moved into Sado Island alone at 27 years old. I am from Kanagawa prefecture, where I majored in sake brewing at a junior college of Tokyo Agriculture University. When I was a second-year student there, I luckily got a chance to do a 10-day-internship at HOKUSETSU SHUZO which had a history of over 140 years. I was so much impressed by the real site of sake production that I decided to work there after graduation from the university.

When returning to the college from the internship, I learned to get the basic knowledge of sake brewing again, especially focusing on the subjects such as “The theory of sake production“ and “Japanese sake producing practice“. To gain more knowledge I transferred to a four-year university after finishing the college and finally graduated at the top of my class from the university. Thinking that nothing other than number 1 means anything to me, I devoted myself to studying at the time.

When I entered HOKUSETSU SHUZO, everything looked fresh and I enjoyed every day work. However, as time went by, I began to realize how severe sake production really was. Because of my impatient disposition, the variation of my analysis values falsely became large or I wrongly controlled the temperature of shubo, yeast mash. Each time I made such blunders, I was rebuked by my boss. I felt depressed wondering why I had come over to this island.

One day during a vacation, I travelled to New York. My destination was a restaurant named “Nobu New York”. It is jointly run by the world-famous movie star, Mr. Robert De Niro and Mr. Nobu Mitsumasa. Surprisingly, it deals with our HOKUSETSU SHUZO’s sake. I felt deeply moved when I drunk sake I had made at the super-luxury restaurant where celebrities often dine. We make sake locally in Sado Island, but its stage is the world! I realized once again that all our efforts are to be rewarded. I made a promise to myself that I would never cut corners to provide good sake to our customers.　

“Food is a worldwide common language. We play a role as a bridge across cultures through good sake.” This is HOKUSETSU SHUZO ‘s motto. I truly understood it though my experience during my trip to New York. Good sake is a language. It enables people who make sake and people who drink it to understand each other. Through our good sake I would like to play a role as a bridge connecting various cultures.

HOKUSETSU SHUZO has always tried new things. For example, we apply ultrasonic to our sake in a refrigerator to make it matured. Application of ultrasonic to sake and shochu, clear distilled liquor causes the water molecules to cover the alcohol molecules and consequently their tastes become better and smoother. As it also makes our sake quick to resolve alcohol components, it does not easily cause a hungover. We also have our sake listen to music and sound of waves at a high volume for one year. It is scientifically proved that vibration brings about good effects on maturing sake.

The other day, I passed the second-grade test of Niigata prefecture Sake Production Techniques at the top and I am now developing a strawberry sake. It has not been completed as goods, but I felt confident in that it could sell a small amount last year. As long as I work in sake production industry, I should be determined to strengthen a basis as a kurabito even though it might take a long time.

I fell in love with HOKUSESTU SHUZO in Sado at first sight when I was 20 years old. Looking back, I am sure that my decision was right.
Please come over to Sado Island of “Sake Island”. If you taste a real delicious sake here, you will surely realize that “good sake is a world common language”.