Kuramoto (president of the brewery)
for "Yuki Otome," Sagara Shuichi
30 million...
Dang, it's gonna cost a lot~.
"Brewery Worker's Diary"
"Yuki Otome" Brewery Worker
Sagara Naoki
I decided to keep a diary from today.
As a favor to a relative,
I got to live here since the end of summer, so
I figured the least I could do was clean up the kura before everyone came.
Liquid
The Ogre's Sake, the Miraculous Kura
"Yuki Otome" Toji
Washio Yusaku
How long has this well been around?
It was dug during my grandfather's era. According to my father,
underground water vein from Mount Kuchisanpo is flowing right below us.
He laughed and said our kura may be poor, but we have plenty of water.
The quality of this water is one of the best in the Kaga and Noto regions.
Is that right?
The soul of sake is water and rice.
Next is rice.
In order to promote the ideal of this kura,
Episode 2 The Ideal Sake
I'd like to make junmai (sake with no additives) daiginjo (sake brewed with rice milled so that no more than 50% of grain remains).
We're going to make daiginjo?
To do that, we need top quality brewing rice. It won't be cheap.
And that's this rice called Ishikawamon?
It's rice suitable for brewing sake developed by local rice farmers and
Ishikawamon - a new variety of brewing rice grown in Ishikawa Prefecture
agricultural experiment station over a period more than 10 years.
Actually...I just assumed we were going to use the well-known Yamada Nishiki.
Yamada Nishiki - a variety of rice that originated in Hyogo Prefecture used for sake like daiginjo
I, too, used to brew daiginjo with Yamada Nishiki.
Ever since the previous owner appointed me toji at the age of 38,
I've been making sake to preserve the name of Kagaryu. But...
I've come to believe that Japanese sake should be the product of
the climate and natural resources of that region.
With Ishikawa's rice, Ishikawa's water, and Ishikawa's yeast,
using the technique of Noto's toji, I want to make Ishikawa's sake
that's as close to 100 percent pure as possible.
Ishikawa's sake that's 100 percent pure...
I like that! I'll get right on procuring it.
I know of a source.
- Although this Ishikawamon has some issues. - Issues?
The best brewing rice farmer in the Hokuriku region
lives deep in the mountain of Kanazawa.
He's an odd fella. He pays no attention to the profitable Yamada Nishiki
and devotes himself to growing Ishikawamon.
He doesn't sell it to just anyone either. Therefore, he can charge whatever he wants.
He sounds like a tough cookie...
You looking for me?
I'm Sagara from Kanazawa. I called you earlier.
Brewing Rice Producer
Kunishige Goro
Oh, you must be Yusaku's minion.
Oh, do you have a visitor?
He ain't no visitor. No need to serve him tea.
Come this way. Let's hear what you have to say.
You can't beat cigars from Havana.
I heard you liked them so I had them ordered.
You'd better be careful of Yusaku.
That guy won't hold back anything if it's for the sake he wants to make.
He'll just use you and dump you.
I'm fully aware of that risk.
- Is he saying that he wants my Ishikawamon? - Yes.
Did you hear what happened between Yusaku and I in the past?
No.
Then go back and tell the old fart that I said,
I don't have any rice to sell you!
- Please, we need your cooperation. - In the first place,
why doesn't he come ask me himself?
If he wants my rice that badly,
- he should come pay me a visit. - Well, that's why
I'm here as the kuramoto...
I'll accept these since you brought them.
End of discussion. I'll have to ask you to leave.
I had an inkling he'd turn us down.
What in the world happened between you two?
It's unjustified resentment.
That doesn't sound too good.
Anyway, let's figure out what to do next. See you then.
Well done.
I can see why you're the main office's loan screening department chief.
Make that the former chief.
Anyway, I'm surprised you were able to persuade him.
According to my acquaintance in the brewing industry,
I hear he's a cantankerous old geezer.
His nickname is Ogre, after all.
He makes absolutely no compromise when it comes to making good sake.
In any case, his name power more than makes up for that and
an unknown sake brewery was able to obtain it. Washio Yusaku's influence is immeasurable.
Assistant Branch Manager Yagishita
I'll get the loan approved at this week's meeting.
However, it won't be for the full amount you requested.
How much can we borrow then?
20 million. That's the best we can do for Sagara Brewery.
Washio Yusaku may be the best toji in Japan, but he's not a magician.
Making good sake comes with a price tag.
We need an operating fund of 30 million at the very least.
At least, 5 million more... No, 3 million will do.
- Isn't there something you can do? - Sagara.
You were once a loan officer too.
"Don't lend the full amount to a client who's in desperate need of money."
Did you forget that ironclad rule?
Ample loan can make the borrower dependent and lackadaisical.
Bankers aren't just money lenders.
We also take on the responsibility of urging the borrower to get back on track.
I'm fully aware of that. It's a convenient logic for the bank.
If you don't like it, give it up.
No...please give us the loan.
The money should be deposited in the company account by the end of the month.
However, we expect to see improved performance.
If we don't see any improvement by next fiscal year-end,
we will promptly withdraw the loan and proceed with foreclosure. Is that understood?
Yes.
- Hi there. - How's it going?
- Aren't you at school? - I'm on lunch break right now.
I'm calling from the Nurse's Office since they have wi-fi here.
I'm good friends with the nurse too.
- Good for you. - You look like you've got something on your mind.
I don't have the rice.
Rice? Are you eating properly?
- I don't have any money either. - Papa, are you all right?
Yeah. It's not bad enough yet that I feel like I'm dying.
- Oh, yeah? Then you must be all right. - That's cold.
When you say "not bad enough that I feel like I'm dying,"
you're usually all right. You just want sympathy from Mama and I.
You see right through me, don't you?
Oh well, I've got the ogre on my side, so I guess I'm okay.
- Ogre? - Whether he's a good ogre or
a bad ogre is yet to be seen, but one thing I know for sure is that he's amazing.
I'm home~.
Hi~.
Sorry. I'll get started on dinner right away.
- I talked to Papa today. - Oh, yeah?
He was complaining that he didn't have money or rice.
He was probably talking about the rice to make sake,
- not the rice to eat. - Really?
Yeah. All the kuramotos want good rice, so
- so there's a mad scramble for it. - You're pretty knowledgeable.
Your late grandfather in Kanazawa told me about it.
But I wonder if he'll be all right?
He was saying weird things like he got the ogre on his side.
Ogre?
That if he's not careful, he'll be eaten alive.
The new crop of buckwheat was out so I made some soba.
Are things going well with Yuki Otome?
I'm sorry. That's none of my concern.
Kuramoto's running around trying to raise money.
Is the soba okay?
Yeah.
Koji liked this too.
October 11.
I've been making Kuramoto's meals.
When I was working as an apprentice to be a cook, I used to make the meals for the kitchen staff.
Compared to that, it's easy since it's just the two of us.
Kuramoto has a glass of wine with both lunch and dinner.
Like white wine with grilled fish, and
red wine with niku jaga (stewed meat and potato).
W-w-would you like s-s-seconds?
Oh...just half then.
I don't understand money matters too well, but
I do know that it takes a lot of money to make sake.
Naoki-kun.
Come on up here. Let's have a drink together.
Come on.
Keep me company for a change.
Have a seat.
That night, Kuramoto was unusually drunk.
You can drink, can't you?
This is the wine I bought for myself as a reward
when I got promoted to department chief.
This bottle cost me 50,000 yen, you know.
What? F-f-f....
It's good, isn't it?
I was saving it for a special occasion, but
I figured I might not be able to drink it if I waited too long.
I'm thinking about setting aside the ones I just can't bear to part with
and selling the rest.
Wh.. wh...wh...
Because I need the money, of course.
There must be about 200 bottles in the cooler.
I don't have any other hobbies, you see, so I've been collecting them one at a time.
They're quite valuable for a wine connoisseur, you know.
They might bring in about 3 million.
- Th..th...th... - I'm thinking about selling my car too.
I can sell it for 2.5 million.
In order to revive the kura, I'll do anything.
In order to make good sake, I can do anything.
October 13.
Washio-san, the toji, came to the kura.
I was able to secure the Miyama Nishiki (variety of rice) in the quantity you desired, but...
Miyama Nishiki is fine for honjozo, but for daiginjo...
Ex...excuse...m-me.
Thanks.
He's my cousin. He's a bit awkward and can be apprehensive at times, but
he's an honest good guy at heart.
And he pours a mean cup of tea.
Are you still stuck on Kunishige Goro's Ishikawamon?
How's the money situation coming along?
I managed to get the loan, but
it's not enough. I still have the loan to repay from last year,
and frankly, I'm struggling.
If we don't have the rice,
there's no battle to fight.
Take a drink.
- It's good. - Didn't you notice?
It tastes the same as the mother water in Sagara's kura.
This is on the south side of Mount Kuchisanpo.
Sagara's kura is at the foot of the western side.
But of course.
This brewing rice was grown with water from the same source as the mother water.
They're compatible.
You're still alive, eh?
I'm falling apart, but I'm hanging in there.
My daughter went to Kanazawa today so I can't serve you any tea.
- Please don't worry about it. - Sell us your rice.
Didn't you quit Kagaryu because of your heart and diabetes?
Face it, you're too old for that sort of thing. Just hang it up.
I don't care if I die.
But...?
until I make my ideal sake,
I can't die and rest in peace.
I want...your rice.
Anyway, come in.
Meet my 100 percent organic Ishikawamon that I grew with tender care.
There's an equivalent of 100 koku*. (*1 koku = 100 approx. 150 kg, 330 lb)
Are they sold already?
4 or 5 kuras made me an offer, but
I haven't responded yet.
I got a call from your disciple, the foreman at Kagaryu too.
But...
now that you left that kura,
no one there can bring out all the goodness of this rice, so
I refused.
This is my masterpiece.
Are you saying that you'll sell us your Ishikawamon?
To drink the finest sake made from Ishikawa Prefecture's water and rice
is my dream in my old age.
It seems I've heard that line before somewhere.
This Ishikawamon has been polished up to 50 percent.
Ishikawamon - Seimai buai (degree to which rice has been polished before brewing) 50 %
The grains are large.
I can see why it's used to make daiginjo.
Are you planning to make daiginjo with this?
I just assumed we were...
Actually, uh...
this rice has one flaw that makes it inferior to Yamada Nishiki.
The shinpaku (white opaque center) is a bit fragile.
Gah...That hurts.
It'll get even more fragile once it absorbs water.
With Yamada Nishiki, the shinpaku is so strong you can grind it 30% and the rice won't break down.
But if you grind this down to that degree, it will break down.
At most, seimai buai 40% is the limit.
- A little bit more would be nice. - Uh...
excuse me for interrupting, but
how much are you asking for your Ishikawamon?
For a 30-kilogram bag...
this is it.
Would you agree to this?
What the...
The biggest discount I can give you...
is this.
That's expensive...
Let's settle with this.
- Don't be ridiculous! - Hey~. Come on in.
What are you doing?
Ta...Tae-san!
How have you been?
Wh...why didn't you tell me she was here!
Thank you for all your help with this matter.
I'm truly grateful.
I brought Goro-san's favorite dish, simmered taros...
Sake too. Let's have a drink together for a change.
May I borrow your kitchen?
Please...come in.
Instead of becoming my wife,
she might have been happier
if she had married Goro.
Ah, I see...
By the way, Kuramoto...
there's something I have to insist that you buy.
October 15.
Starting today, I switched to hojicha (tea made from roasted, rather than steamed, tea leaves) .
When I was working at a tunnel construction site in Toyama, Shigeko-san, who cooked for the workers,
taught me that "You should switch to hojicha in the fall."
It's a state of the art machinery that makes it possible to evenly polish each grain of rice
by using 3D computer technology to measure the volume of the grain.
That's amazing...
Kuramoto has been extremely busy these days.
Bankers, real estate agents, wholesale rice merchants.
All kinds of people have been coming to see him one after another.
Moreover, our rice polisher uses diamond for grindstone.
- Diamond? - Yes.
A man from a commercial machinery manufacturer is here today, and
he's in deep conversation with a stern look on his face.
I tell you, it's a good buy.
30 million...is it?
Would you happen to have like... used machinery?
October 20.
The piece of property behind the kura was put up for sale.
It's the place Kuramoto and I used to play catch when we were kids.
My father was the head of brewery workers
at a small kura in Nanao.
Dad always used to say that Washio Yusaku is a great man who revolutionized Japanese sake
and that he's a stern man known as Ogre.
Why are you washing the utensils there?
- Oh...uh...um... - Why don't you use the tap water?
I...I...I thought th...th...this is better.
Why is it better?
M...m...my fa...fa...father said....
You dad said so?
Listen. Even clean water like this contains fungus and germs.
That's why it's best to wash the utensils with this same water used for brewing sake.
Dad...
Hey, I have a favor to ask.
Dad... I talked with the Ogre for the first time today.
October 22.
I'm running an errand for Toji to the National Research Institute of Brewing to
Ishikawa Prefecture
National Research Institute of Brewing
get Yeast No. 7 to be used for honjozo and Yeast No. 14 to be used for daiginjo.
Are you sure you want Yeast No. 14?
What's gotten into Washio-san?
Institute Yeast No. 14 (Kanazawa Yeast)
When he was at Kagaryu, he only used the tried and true Yeast No. 9.
- Are you a newbie? - Yes.
See this here? It's in the process of being cultivated right now, but
Institute Yeast No. 14, also known as the Kanazawa Yeast,
is sake yeast born in this town.
Being that I'm from Kanazawa,
I'm excited to see what kind of sake Washio Yusaku will brew with this.
Thank you.
October 27.
The rice polisher arrived at the kura.
Polishing brewing rice is different from polishing regular rice.
In particular, polishing to the high seimai buai for use in ginjoshu is a delicate process.
It's polished slowly over time in a precise rice polisher.
Rice polisher for brewing rice
In particular, brewing rice for daiginjo is ground to the limit in order to
completely remove the impurities. For example, to polish the rice to seimai buai 35 percent,
it will take 2 whole days.
Naoki-kun. What do you think? It's the newest model.
Although it's a used one.
Here's your packing slip and invoice.
Kuramoto.
I will use it with great care.
Of course.
I'd be in trouble if you didn't...
October 31.
Kuramoto, what are you doing?
Oh, I see you're all here.
The brewery workers have arrived.
Great job cleaning the place, Naoki-chan.
Brewery worker
Tajima Naotaro (formerly a cook)
Th...th...thank you.
Here's your work clothes.
Brewery worker
Suzuhara Yoji (formerly homeless)
Thanks.
Brewery worker
Shimizu Maika (formerly a sommeliere)
It feels like...
I just joined the Self-Defense Force.
November 1.
Work at Sagara Brewery's kura began.
5 months of brewing sake will start from today.
Dad...
I'm happy right now.
Stop!
100 koku of 100 percent organic Ishikawamon!
Signed, sealed, and delivered.
Invoice.
What's that?!
Oh, it's Beethoven's "Emperor."
Huh?
Although he's more of a dictator than an emperor.
Hey, move it! We've got rice to polish!
"Kagaryu" Todoroki Brewery
Kuramoto Todoroki Katsuhisa
This year is the first brew after the retirement of the master toji, Washio Yusaku, but
- will you be changing your sake brewing policy? - Can we talk about something else?
I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over.
- Actually, he didn't really retire. - That's true.
I imagine Washio-san must be having a hard time working for a small kura.
Apparently, Yuki Otome will be using the all Ishikawa combination of
organic Ishikawamon and Kanazawa Yeast for their brew this year.
Yes, that's what I hear.
Excuse me.
- You wanted to see me? - About making do with the workers we got...
If I have you move up to become the toji,
will we have enough workers to fulfill the three roles?
Yes. For the time being, I can serve concurrently as the foreman, so I don't see any real problem...
But still...
you said you wanted an experienced person for the steaming vat.
Gateau chocolat?
I thought that was something even I could make.
Can you ask Mama for the recipe?
Why don't you ask her yourself?
I'm asking you because I can't.
All right. I'll ask her casually.
Is Ogre doing well?
Oh, that's right... I forgot that Ogre doesn't like sweets.
December 1.
A month had passed since work began at the kura.
"I wish you luck in your endeavor."
"With both gateau chocolat and sake making."
"How to make gateau chocolat"
Oh, this is Liszt's La Campanella.
- Ca...campari soda? - Campanella.
Our kuramoto has quite a fancy taste, doesn't he?
In France, there are wineries that play music for wine maturing in barrels.
They say it makes the wine taste better.
Are you serious? But it's useless to play music for rice.
You idiot. Good grapes and rice have this thing called sensitivity.
That's creepy.
That's something you don't have. Sensitivity.
There will be some nuka (white powder) left on the rice after polishing.
Rice washing process
The work here is to wash that off.
Polished rice absorbs water in no time.
So the rice washing process has to be done quickly and completely. You got that?
Brewery worker foreman Taneda Kanji (formerly toji)
Yes!
Excuse me, but aren't we using a rice washer?
The brewing rice for daiginjo that we'll be making later on will be washed by hand as well.
It's good training for you inexperienced folks.
- Is that understood? - Yes!
Rice washing of the seimai buai 60 percent
Miyama Nishiki to make the honjozo sake had begun.
You're putting too much muscle into it!
Polished rice is fragile.
Do it gently and quickly.
Take note of this guy's hand and copy him.
No. 1, 10 seconds to go!
9, 8, 7, 6
- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. - Bring it up!
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
No. 2, 10 seconds to go!
Three varieties of Yuki Otome will be brewed this year -
honjozo, junmaishu, and junmai daiginjo.
Bring it up!
Honjozo, the most reasonably priced and produced in the largest quantity, is the kura's flagship product,
and this sake holds the key to our future.
That's what Kuramoto said.
After assessing how much water was absorbed from the wash,
the rice is soaked in water to absorb further necessary moisture.
- What's the water temperature? - 12 degrees.
Okay!
- How long should we soak it? - 1 hour and 8 minutes.
Okay. Start!
Shinseki (soaking)
Shinseki, soaking washed rice to make it absorb water.
By making the rice absorb a moderate amount of water,
the center becomes fluffy when steamed and
makes it easier for the koji mold to be absorbed.
This should be good now.
After the rice is done absorbing water, it's drained overnight and
seasoned one final time before it's steamed.
This is really good.
Yum~. It's delicious! It's a taste for adults.
What's this?
It's Chopin's Nocturne.
Good rice has sensitivity so by making it listen to music,
- you get good sake. - Hey.
You can't change the flavor of sake with that.
We're the only ones who can change it.
Depending on the handiwork of the brewery workers,
the quality can go from best to worst. That's Japanese sake.
That day, we washed 200 kg of rice by hand.
You've got to be kidding. If this keeps up for the whole winter, I'll die.
True, it's hard work, but it's also a good learning experience.
I came here with hopes of becoming Washio Yusaku's disciple.
What's the matter?
I'm grateful... I'm so grateful.
Well yeah, compared to the time you were homeless living in the park,
I'm sure you're grateful. You have a roof over your head with a bath,
- and meals too. - No! That's not what I meant!
I get treated like a human being...
I get treated like one of the workers...
I'm going out for a drink. I don't need dinner.
Hey, get the bath ready! You idiot!
December 12. Snow.
- A..a...are you all right?! - Don't touch me!
Recently, Taneda-san has been coming home drunk every day.
N..no smoking cigarettes...
Move! I'm in a bad mood.
Y...you can't smoke here.
I told you to move!
No smoking...here.
You idiot!
You all right?
Naoki-chan, I bet you've always been bullied, huh?
Y...y...yes.
I can tell cuz I was the bully.
Naoki-chan, what's your last name?
Sa-Sa...Sa...Sagara.
I know, right? You're Kuramoto's cousin.
Kanazawa Nishi Junior High?
Don't you remember? Tajima, 1 year above you. I used to exhort money from you...
What the hell! What a blast from the past!
December 3.
Steaming process
Koji production for honjozo began.
- I'll go get Taneda-san. - Never mind.
- He probably overslept. - Don't leave your post!
Rice that had been soaked is steamed in a big steaming vat called koshiki.
Koshiki
Anyway, I can't work under Washio-san anymore.
My pride has been shredded to pieces.
I understand how you feel. But I can't have you leave right now.
I just borrowed it from the kura and
had no intention whatsoever of embezzling.
I'm returning the money.
All right! That ought to be good.
- Temperature? - 35.8 degrees.
All right, carry your load!
Run, everyone! Don't let the temperature of the steamed rice drop!
Run, run, run, run!
Don't carry it with your shoulder! Lower your center of gravity!
Put the weight on your lower back. Run~!
Rice that had been steamed was transported to koji muro,
Koji Muro
(Koji Producing Room)
where the room temperature was being maintained at almost 30 degrees.
We're down to four brewery workers from today. I'll do what I can to help.