Teruaki Hashimoto

Seven with Signor Sake: Teruaki Hashimoto (Miyoshino Jozo, Nara) 

I’m asking seven questions to my favourite sake makers to hear their story and get their take on the centuries-old craft. 

Although fermenting with ambient yeast is a given in the natural wine world, most sake makers choose not to, even though it was the only option before commercial yeasts became the standard. The reasons sake brewers avoid these natural airborne counterparts are varied; some don’t like the final results, some want more consistency, and some feel that the risks are simply too high. There are makers that have the odd experimental tank, but very few have their entire range made with ambient yeasts. That’s where Teruaki Hashimoto of Miyoshino brewery is a little different. Since 2017, his entire range has been made without commercial yeast, and it took him ten years to realise that goal.

After graduating from Tokyo Agricultural University, Teruaki did a three-year stint at 500-year-old Kenbishi in Kobe, which prides itself on traditional methods largely unchanged for centuries. It was here that he developed a taste for letting bacteria and yeast do their own thing, focusing more on guiding rather than controlling the microorganisms. He also had to unlearn a lot from his university days.

With that experience under his belt, it was time to head home to the family-owned brewery in the ancient capital of Nara—arguably the birthplace of sake. Miyoshino Jozo is also surrounded by nature with the world heritage Mount Yoshino and the Yoshino river. The nearby Yoshino forestry produces cedar for sake barrels, which is seeing an uptick in usage recently. Teruaki is also a member of the Yoshino Cedar Project, which aims to promote the benefits of Yoshino forestry. For Teruaki, community was always on the cards, whatever style he brewed.

1. You’re the 4th generation to take on the role of brewery owner and head brewer. Did you feel any pressure when you first joined?

Not really. I was only studying the sake-making side of things, so I probably didn't understand much about management itself, but my desire to brew sake was stronger. My motivation came from my studies at Tokyo University of Agriculture, and after graduating I spent three years with Kenbishi, which made me realise that what we thought we knew wasn’t all there was to sake making. I was interested to see what kind of sake we could make when I returned to my own region of Yoshino.

“At that time, there were many shrines, and about three of them were breweries that made sacred sake.”

2. What are the origins of the Hanatomoe name?

The brand name 'Hanatomoe' comes from Yoshinoyama, a mountain famous for its cherry blossoms and the head temple of Shugendo (a mountain religion), whose sacred tree is the cherry blossom. In the past, 1300 years ago, believers planted so many cherry trees that the mountain was covered with them. At that time, there were many shrines and breweries that made sacred sake. We are told that one of them made a brand called Hanatomoe. The brewery from those days was destroyed by a fire in the Meiji era (1868-1912) and no longer exists. After that, the name was transferred to our current location. It is said that the flower of the logo symbolises cherry blossoms, and Tomoe symbolises the spread of Yoshino cherry blossoms.

3. What were your goals on returning to the brewery?

First of all, I had never brewed sake on my own before, so I wasn’t sure if it would turn out properly or if I could even make it. Then, of course, there was selling it. That was the most difficult part. The first step was to get people to know about it, get them to drink it, and then make it again the following year.

Next, I wanted to think about brewing in close contact with the Yoshino region. That is our current goal. To be rooted in the region and to be needed. We are looking for a way of brewing that not only uses local products, but also makes people feel happy to have us in the region.

“The concept of the Hanatomoe label is a style of sake in which the acidity of the fermentation process is not suppressed, but released to create flavour.”

4. Can you explain the difference between your labels?

The concept of the Hanatomoe label is a style of sake in which the acidity of the fermentation process is not suppressed, but released to create flavour. At that time, we borrow the power of the brewing process, such as Sokujo, Yamahai and Mizumoto fermentation starters, and later we borrow the power of wooden vats, hollow tanks and thermal tanks, as well as the power of the pressing machine, the power of maturation, and many other necessities to create the flavour. We make Hanatomoe with specific types of people and restaurants in mind who might like this flavour.

The concept of our Natural Selection line is “the sake tastes like this when it’s brewed here without overworking. Why don't we enjoy it together?” A type of sake people should enjoy without looking at where everything came from. If Hanatomoe is for the marketability for a specific market, Natural Selection is more like “there was nothing we could do.” In order to survive, we can only work with a specific combination of things, so we end up with this type of sake. That is Natural Selection. We can make it thanks to (the existence of the marketable) Hanatomoe, but at the same time, I think that Natural Selection makes Hanatomoe interesting too.

“First of all, we changed everything to additive-free because there’s no longer any point in adding it.”

5. Since 2017, you brew your entire range with ambient yeast, a rarity in the sake world. What motivated you to do this?

First of all, we changed everything to additive-free because there’s no longer any point in adding it. There are many different types of rice and many different climates, but if the yeast is not strong enough, the degree of freedom is reduced. If there are restrictions on how the yeast must be brewed because of the type of yeast, there are more restrictions on what to do with this type of rice, or in this type of climate. Cooling tanks may support that way of brewing, but wooden vats cannot be of any use. 

We wanted a strong yeast in order to have more freedom—a yeast that wouldn’t die no matter what we did. So we switched to ambient yeast. The reason why it’s stronger is that although it may not have the same stability to produce specific aromas and flavours, it has a higher degree of reliability in withstanding highly concentrated environments such as fermentation concentration and concentration pressure. In the process of making the fermentation starter (shubo), the concentration is increased, but only yeast strains that can survive in the concentrated conditions will remain. This is the concept of natural selection. 

The idea is to bring out the nuances of the yeast by adding cultured yeasts that are now regarded as superior, and this is the concept of pure cultivation. But it shouldn’t be about “if you add yeast A, the taste will be dominated by only A,” but rather, by creating a dense and difficult state in which there are many A, B and C yeasts, and only A remained, or A and B remained. It doesn’t always have to be the same.

The shubo filters for the strong yeast. I know that as long as that process is in place, there is a sense of stability (in the following processes), so I was not worried when I started working with ambient yeast.

“It was difficult to stop because the brand power of rice varieties is so strong, but last year we stopped everything.”

6. You don’t specify the rice variety on your labels like most makers do. Why is that?

We used to before, but we stopped. We try to make it look as if the taste varies depending on the type of rice and the region, and of course there are characteristics of the type of rice, but that is our side of the business, and I don't think that a specific type of rice always produces the same flavour. We may say that we need to use this type of rice to create this kind of nuance, but we don’t want the rice to be seen as the determinant of the characteristics of the product. 

As I said earlier, it’s not the rice’s origin but the brewing process that allows us to interpret various rice patterns and incorporate them into the taste. Since we ferment naturally without adding yeast, I have always thought it unnecessary to label the bottle with the rice variety.  It was difficult to stop because the brand power of rice varieties is so strong, but last year we stopped everything. We rarely write the name of the producer on the label. However, when we finish brewing, we make sure that we can trace everything, such as the producer, milling ratio and the rice used for the koji. We just don't put it out there. Some rice is grown conventionally. I have heard that those who do crop rotation don’t use fertilisers, and some producers are organic.

“It's called "residual manure". Rice can be grown with just the remaining fertilizer.”

7. Can you tell us a little about the crop rotation method?

Local farmers’ base crops are persimmons and plums, but they also make a rotation crop of onions and rice in between. Onion seedlings are planted and harvested in May. I was told that because the rice fields are (intentionally) flooded once, it eliminates bacteria and nutrient imbalances in the soil. Even plants that cannot be planted in the same place for a long time due to continuous crop failure can be planted once in the rice field. That's the advantage of onions.

Even crops that cannot be planted in the same place for a long time due to continuous crop failure can be planted in the same place by turning it into a rice field. That's the advantage of onions. The advantage on the rice side is that the fertilisers and onion leaves from the onions are directly absorbed into the soil, so there is a "residual fertiliser" and the rice does not need to be fertilised. The cost of fertiliser is lower because the remaining fertiliser is sufficient. There are advantages to both.

SIGNOR SAKE FAVOURITE SAKE

Teruaki does not specify the type of rice, and uses locally grown rice. He uses mizumoto, yamaha, and sokujo fermentation starter methods, and believes that the power of the yeast and how the lactic acid propagates determines the flavour.

Hanatomoe Yon-Dan
Standard sake methods follow a three-stage fermentation process. This release has one extra addition of rice and water resulting in more body, intensity and sweetness. Signature Hanatomoe high lactic acidity with depth. Notes of yoghurt, passion fruit, and mango.

Rice type: N/A
Polished to: 66%
Yeast: Natural
Alcohol: 17.5%
Grade: Junmai Ginjo
Subcategory: unpasteurised, no charcoal fining
Style: Sweet & Rich