Did you know that October 1st is globally celebrated as Sake Day? However, it is more elaborately observed in Japan.
This national holiday, called Nihonshu no Hi in Japanese, was first introduced in 1978 to appreciate not just the brewery workers and rice farmers, but to serve as a symbol of ancient ingenuity, history, and productive culture.
The exact origin of Japanese sake is not exactly known. There is the history that links its first origin to China and there are others which try to confirm its existence in the 3rd Century CE, in the 8th century, around 500 BC, and the Nara period.
You may simply refer to sake as rice wine because it is produced from fermented rice. This Japanese national beverage, for a long time, has held a firm position in the drinking culture in Southeast Asia.
The history of sake is worth the discovery, as you will soon find out. Sit back and let your hot sake be served. Kanpai!
History and Significance of Sake
It is said that sake originally came from China, but the Japanese further developed new techniques and methods for fermentation in order to achieve It.
In Japan, sake is important because it has a place in history; people drink it together—therefore, it embodies the spirit of goodwill. Events in history showing sake’s origin are:
The Nara Period (AD 710-784)
The Chinese method of making sake became unpopular during the Nara period. At this time when government officials (Mikino Tsukasa) brewed sake at the imperial court, the sake brewing industry was not large, and the sake produced was for a select few.
With a change in government, brewing sake was then performed as another sacred activity—in their temples!
Nara was an ancient capital; with many temples and places of worship to show off. Then, there was a particular temple called the Shoryaku-ji where the technique called Bodaimoto was established, and to this day is referred to as the foundation for refined sake brewing.
Sake produced in this temple was called Narazake. Such origins as this inform its continued use at festivals and ceremonies.
The Imperial Court, Temples, and Shrines
Officials of the imperial court called Dainairi monopolized the production of sake until they could no longer do so. Sake was considered sacred; a drink of the Kami (gods) of Shinto. It was offered to the gods, drunk at funerals and shinto weddings.
Sengoku and Edo Period
The Sengoku Period from 1469 to 1603 had monks as the key players in making sake. Polishing was introduced, and white rice replaced brown rice.
Sake became widely accepted and used here. The Edo Period from 1603 to 1868 recorded an increase in available flav
ours and the introduction of new processing methods such as carbon filtration processing.
Cloudy sake, also called Nigorizake or Doburoku came into existence at this time. Doboruku involves the use of steamed rice, while Nigorizake allows some of the rice mash to pass through the filtration mesh.
Meiji Restoration
During the Meiji Period, specifically in 1873 at the Vienna International Exposition, sake was reintroduced to the world as Nihonshu which means ‘”Japanese sake”.
Laws enacted during the Meiji Restoration escalated production. Any person with the means was allowed to brew sake, and too many people opened their own sake breweries. To curb the situation, taxation was used to discourage many producers.
World War Two
World War II nearly saw the collapse of sake. Prior to the war, sake taxation was based on the raw sake produced, which made a lot of producers care less about the quality of what they were selling.
During the war, rice was no longer even enough to go around the Japanese population, but sake consumption continued. This rice shortage necessitated the sale of fortified sake, which was made with a desperate method to satisfy great demand—adding distilled alcohol and glucose to the rice mash. On the bright side, Japan gained a new brewing process.
The First Sake Breweries
The first written record of sake brewing appeared in the 8th Century, although Chinese documents evidenced its use at ceremonial events prior to this time.
The oldest sake brewery today dates back to the 12th Century, and it is known as Sudo Honde. Sudo Honde is situated in Kasama city, an area blessed with quality rice. Other ancient sake producers include:
Kenbishi Shuzo (Hyogo), 1505
Yamaji Shuzo (Shiga), 1532.
‘Shichihonyari’ Tomita Shuzo (Shiga), 1534.
Shusenkurano (Nagano), 1540.
Yoshinogawa (Niigata), 1548.
‘Shirayuki’ Konishi Shuzo (Hyogo), 1550.
Ueda Shuzo (Nara), 1558.
Haneda Shuzo (Yamagata), 1592.
Koya Shuzo (Yamagata), 1593.
‘Kinkon’ Toshimaya Honten (Tokyo), 1596.
‘Toukou’ Kojima Sohonten (Yamagata), 1597.
Kikuhime (Ishikawa), 1570-1600.
Sake Production
Sake production in Japan dates back centuries, likely some 2,500 years ago.
Why was sake-making such a big deal? Perhaps in that period and age, there were not as many options as we have today?
To produce sake, rice grain is essential. Water and yeast are the other significant ingredients in the mix. The rice grains are 
polished, washed, and placed in a Koshiki.
It is left to ferment over a period of at least three or at most five weeks. During the fermentation process, more rice may be added and mixed. Sake production is done in sake breweries, traditionally called kura.
Sake brewers work hard to keep the nation drinking sake. The sake industry, as a corollary of culture and history, will exist as long as Japan does.
Types of Japanese Sake
Sake is classified based on specific features, including but not limited to:
The rice polishing ratio,
Whether distilled alcohol was added,
Location of the Sake brewery,
Quality of the polished rice,
Type of sake yeast.
Premium Sake
As the name implies, premium sake is regarded as the best quality of sake in the market. It usually refers to Junmai daiginjo, Junmai ginjo, and Junmai Honjozo. Junmai is a word that describes sake made from pure rice wine. If you have never tasted Japanese sake, but desire to, you should try out this sweet sake first.
Other types of sake
There are many other types of sake, besides premium sake. Less popular types include nigori sake, namazake, kijoshu, and genshu.
Honjoshu has a high quality and mellow taste. Sparkling sake imitates sparkling wine with its well-known effervescent quality.
Futsuu-shu makes up for the greater majority of sake consumed. It is any regular type of sake that does not adhere to strict quality requirements.
Conclusion
Sake, a Japanese alcohol, drunk from a small porcelain cup called sakazuki is an important part of Japan’s cuisine, history, and culture.
It has come a long way, first in China, in raw form as a fermentation technique. We can say it is a native of Southeast Asia. Today, as was the case many years ago, Japan is involved in large-scale sake production for export around the world.
Sake is an alcoholic beverage sold like many others on Wiredforwine. Its manufacture is generally credited to wet rice cultivation in 3rd Century Japan. What is a Chinese method without rice?
