❶ Sake vessels as a NakamaDry character of ‘Tosa Sake’ is easy to go down.The character of ‘Tosa Sake’ can generally be summarised as having a “crisp acidity, minimal off-flavours, and a clean finish”. However, it’s not merely conventionally dry. Although it has low levels of glucose and therefore feels less sweet in the palate, it has a well-defined freshness, expansiveness, and ‘Umami(delicious)’. Because it also has a clean aftertaste, you can enjoy sip after sip over a long session, without growing tired of its flavour. In other words, it’s perfect for ‘Tosa Okyaku (parties)’, where we share our cups with others through Tosa traditions like ‘Henpai(return a cup of Sake)’ and ‘Kenpai(devote a cup of Sake)’, play time-honoured drinking games, and move around the room, swapping seats and drinking with friends. This is why ‘Tosa Sake’ makes parties more fun! ❷ Cuisine as a NakamaIt brings out the flavors of Tosa’s abundant fresh food, whether from the mountains, the rivers, or the sea.The dry Sake mentioned above might not seem like enough on its own, but it really shines when you pair it with food. It goes particularly well with Tosa cuisine, a style of Japanese cuisine that boasts abundant fresh food from the mountains, the rivers, and the sea. The Sake bolsters the qualities of the ingredients themselves, much in the way that Dashi (Japanese soup stock) does, and draws out even more flavor, masterfully pairing and harmonizing with food. When you alternate between eating and drinking, you may find that you won’t be able to put down your cup or your chopsticks. This is why it’s the best kind of Sake to bring out the flavors of a meal!
❸ Craftsmanship as a Nakama‘Tosa Sake’ breweries willingly share data to raise the profile of ‘Tosa Sake’.‘Kochi Sake Breweries Association’ commissions the ‘Kochi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center’ not only for developing new brewing yeasts, but it also for visiting and coaching all 19 breweries during sake-making season, and for collecting and monitoring ‘Koji(japanese malt)’ and ‘Moromi(mash,moromi)’ samples from each brewery and sending all of the data collected to all of the breweries in the prefecture. By sharing brewing data with all of the breweries, the overall quality of ‘Tosa Sake’ improves. No other prefecture shares this much information in this way, and within the industry this method is called the “Kochi System”. This is why any ‘Tosa Sake’ you try will be tasty! ❹ People as a NakamaTosa sake has a magical power to joint hearts of people in no time.With the previous three merits (sessionability, food pairing, high quality), ‘Tosa Sake’ is a beverage that helps people get closer just by drinking it together. It’s a highly effective social lubricant that improves relationships, and an excellent tool for communication. In some ways, it could even been a better communication tool than the internet! This is why ‘Tosa Okyaku (parties)’ are, above all else, unrestricted. Regardless of social status, gender, age, number of people present, even total strangers: all are welcome. ‘Tosa Sake’ has great potential in Japan and overseas.
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※TOSA=Kochi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture, once known as the feudal domain of Tosa. This is where you can find the liveliest Sake culture and where a passion for the quest of creating new Sake countries to born. |
