Tales of old tōji

You’ve no doubt heard plenty of complaints about the ageing workforce in sake, and aside from simply not having enough people to do the work there is also the risk of losing invaluable experience and wisdom as senior workers retire.

The nihon no dentoutekina koji-kin wo tsukatta sakezukuri gijitsu no hozokai (日本の伝統的なこうじ菌を使った酒造り技術の保存会, roughly translated as Society for the Preservation of Techniques for Traditional Japanese Sake-making Using Koji Mold) received a grant from the Agency for Cultural Affairs to conduct a series of interviews with veteran tōji, asking why they chose to brew sake, how they trained and the techniques they use. The interviews were published in Mar 2024 and are available to download, but are in Japanese only.

The first group of five interviews were with

• Saburō Naka, Noto Tōji Association: Born in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture in 1937, he started brewing after graduating from high school and was a brewer at Yamanaka Masayoshi Shoten (Shizuoka Prefecture) [Now Fuji Takasago Sake Brewery?] for nine seasons, and was promoted to master brewer in 1966. He moved to Shata Shuzo (Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture) [makers of Tengumai] in 1971 and served there for 38 seasons. He won many awards including golds at the National New Sake Tasting Competition. He became a consultant tōji at Shata Shuzo in 2009, and was awarded the Medal with Yellow Ribbon by the Japanese Emperor in 2011. [Awarded to those who have become public role models through professional diligence and perseverance.]
• Tsunemasa Nakakura, Noto Tōji Association: Born in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture in1942, he also started brewing after graduating from high school in 1961. He trained at Kikusui Sake Brewery in Ishikawa Prefecture, at other breweries in Shiga and Toyama prefectures, and at the National Tax Agency Brewing Research Institute in Tokyo. He became tōji at age 29, and worked for 11 seasons at Nakano Sake Brewery (Ishikawa Prefecture) [Kameizumi?] and for 29 seasons at Fukui Yahei Shoten (Shiga Prefecture) [Haginotsuyu]. He has received numerous gold awards, became the chairman of the Japan Toji Guild Association in 2014, and was awarded the Medal with Yellow Ribbon in 2015.
• Kiyoteru Ojima, Tamba Tōji Association: Born in Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture in 1940 and started brewing at Honkanou Shoten (now Kikumasamune) after graduating from Hyogo Prefectural Sasayama Agricultural High School in 1958, working in a number of roles before becoming tōji in 1991. He became chairman of the Tamba Toji Association and vice-chairman of the Federation of Hyogo Prefecture Toji Associations in 2004, currently serves as permanent advisor to the Tamba Toji Association, and is an honorary tōji at Kikumasamune. He was awarded the Medal with Yellow Ribbon in 2008.
• Kenji Ikeda, Hiroshima Tōji Association: Born in Akitsu, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1942 and started brewing in 1958. Worked at Fujii Shuzo (Hiroshima Prefecture) [Ryusei], Kurushima Shuzo (Hiroshima Prefecture, master brewer), Kamotsuru Shuzo (Hiroshima Prefecture), Ogiwara Shuzo (Tottori Prefecture, master brewer), and finally Tosatsuru Shuzo (Kochi Prefecture, master brewer). He retired from active brewing in 2009 and became an advisor to Tosatsuru. As well as numerous national gold awards he was also named a Contemporary Master Craftsman in 2006 and awarded the Medal with Yellow Ribbon in 2010.
• Hiroaki Kunishige, Hiroshima Tōji Association: Born in Akitsu, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1936 and started brewing in 1954. He started at Horimoto Shuzo (Hiroshima Prefecture) as an office worker and then moved into brewing, later working at Kamotsuru Shuzo (Hiroshima Prefecture) and Ayagiku Shuzo (Kagawa Prefecture) as tōji. He has an impressive streak with golds at national competition, winning 20 times in total and 13 times in a row for his ginjo made with Kagawa Prefecture’s Oseto rice. He was awarded the Medal with Yellow Ribbon in 2007 and currently serves as Ayagiku’s honorary tōji.

Another five interviews were published this year, thanks to another grant from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, this time with:

• Toichi Takahashi, Yamanaka Tōji Association
• Nakao Sugawara, Nanbu Tōji Association
• Juichi Sato, Aizu Tōji Association
• Tokazu Tamura, Tajima Tōji Association
• Hatsuo Yadori, Kurose Tōji Association

There are also two more articles included with the second set of interviews, one by the project’s advisor Yoshihiro Samejima, titled “The Skills of a Shochu Master Brewer as Seen by an Engineer,” and another featuring excerpts from a talk by Kazuko Shiiya, Japan’s first female first-class sake brewing technician, at the Traditional Sake Brewing Symposium held in Kanazawa City in Jan 2025.

The interviews should be available as a book some time in 2025.

References
ベテラン杜氏への聞き書き調査結果について (日本の伝統的なこうじ菌を使った酒造り技術の保存会, 21 Mar 2024, Japanese)
ベテラン杜氏への聞き書き調査結果について II (日本の伝統的なこうじ菌を使った酒造り技術の保存会, 18 Mar 2025, Japanese)

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It certainly makes you wonder about brewers today putting themselves through degrees at the Tokyo University of Agriculture when most of these decorated veterans started working straight out of high school…