Osawa Shuzo 大澤酒造
Meikyo Shisui 明鏡止⽔
Meikyoshisui: the mind as serene as a polished mirror or still water, which signifies a light heart (calm) and free of any evil intent.
Established in 1689, Osawa Shuzo, with its original white walls is located in the tiny village of Motai, within Saku city of Nagano. Currently the 14th generation Makoto Osawa runs operations with the help of his little brother Minoru, who is in charge of production as the brewery’s toji.
Following the principles that great sake is the sum of many people (brewery staff, rice growers, retail staff, etc) but also great sake creates new friendships or connections through sharing, the brothers at Osawa brewery take great care in crafting their sakes and have great respect and pride for what they do.
It was in 1989, after many trials and experiments, that the ‘Meikyoshisui’ brand sake was born and had gained attention of sake aficionados very quickly due to its beautiful restraint, purity, and refinement. There’s also another sake under ‘Seki’, a sake that is aged in cooler temperatures at the brewery for over a year before release. It takes its name from their great-grandmother who during the war, protected the brewery and its operations when the government was forcing small/mid-size companies to shut down operations to focus on war efforts. Then it was the 13th generation who revived what remained of operations so the brothers could take over. The ‘Seki’ is a tribute to them.
With such deep history, the two brothers continue to craft beautifully balanced sakes primarily with Nagano-grown Miyamanishiki, Hitogokochi, and Kinmonnishiki, with some Hyogo-grown Yamadanishiki and Oyakama-grown Omachi used. They also continue to experiment with other varieties. Water is sourced directly from Mt Tateshina, which is high-quality soft water, frequently used also by village residents.
Production methods are a blend of modern and traditional ways, incorporating a rice washing machine that shoots out tiny air bubbles for more consistency rather than hand washing, the koji making process is a very manual and hands-on incorporating small boxes which is quite labour-intense and a manual process to manage growth of koji.
On the brewery grounds, a community resource center, the Shinano Forestry Museum, and a calligraphy center have been built. Here, one can observe the traditional equipment used, artwork by local artists, and works from the calligraphy artist in charge of the labels. One can also see the oldest sake recorded, which was found at the brewery and is said to have been brewed in 1689.
The sake’s from the Osawa brothers are magnificent with beautiful clarity, purity and refinement which are definitely not to be missed for any sake-lover!
