Product Specification of Geographical Indication “静岡 (Shizuoka)”
＜Interim translation＞
Seishu / Sake
Ⅰ Matters relating the characteristics of liquor which is essentially attributable to its geographical origin
- (1) Characteristics of liquor
The seishu (Sake) made in Shizuoka prefecture is generally less acidity, with a light and gentle umami taste, and a clean and mellow sake quality.
With a gentle banana-like aroma, Junmai Ginjo-shu and Ginjo-shu also have fruity note like melon.
Shizuoka's seishu with a soft mouth feel and a crisp is suitable as sake drunk during the meal that brings out the features of ingredients.
It is also the ideal drink to accompany the region's rich seafood, such as fresh bonito and tuna sashimi or raw whitebait. - (2) Essential attribution of its geographical origin to characteristics of liquor
- A. Natural factors
Shizuoka Prefecture is located almost centrally in Japan, stretching around 155 km from Atami in the east to Hamamatsu in the west.
There are Mt. Fuji, the Akaishi Mountain Range with Mt. Nokogiri-dake and Mt. Aino-dake and Mt. Amagi (around 1,400 m above sea level) in the Izu Peninsula towering over the northern part of to the prefecture. Water from these mountains forms various rivers, including Fuji River, Oi River, Abe River, Tenryu River and Kano River.
The abundant underground water these rivers bring is generally soft, as is the pure spring water from Mt. Fuji. The use of this water for brewing have combined to produce the light and mellow sake of Shizuoka.
- A. Natural factors
- B. Human factors
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Sake from this region first became widely popular back in the Edo era.
Since the beginning of the Edo period, traffic along the Tokaido road that is a key route connecting Edo, Kyoto and the relay point Sunpu (Shizuoka) kept increasing. Numerous people also travelled to and from Mt. Fuji, sacred and worshipped since ancient times as well as Miho no Matsubara, a designated beauty spot and one of three great pine groves in Japan.
Shizuoka Prefecture has 22 post towns along the Tokaido Gojusan-tsugi (53 Tokaido Road stations) and Sake brewing in this area that goes well with local seafood became popular for being hospitable to tourists. This reflects the fact that most of the regional sake breweries are dotted along the old Tokaido Road in the southern coastal area of the prefecture.
Sake brewing was supported by the Shida Toji, a group based in Shida Plain at the Oigawa River estuary.
In The southern Shida Plain with many wet fields, farmers unable to grow crops in winter and fishermen unable to fish in the rough seas of Suruga Bay devoted themselves to sake brewing within the prefecture to as migrant workers.
Although Shida-Haibara Sake Brewers' Toji Association, established in 1919, was dissolved in 1989, Shida Toji style of sake brewing to suit a temperate climate, even in winter, has been passed down from generation to generation.
Post-Meiji, as the Showa period began, breweries brought in skilled toji from outside the prefecture, such as Hiroshima, Noto, Echigo, Nanbu and elsewhere. As a result, the toji from each school competes with each other and their brewing skills was impoved accordingly.
Later, the Prefectural Research Institute of Brewing was established (abolished in 1943) in 1929, and the Brewing Division of the Shizuoka Prefectural Industrial Research Institute (currently known as Numazu Technical Support Center, Industrial Research Institute of Shizuoka Prefecture, hereinafter called "Prefectural Research Institute") was established in 1954. Trial brewing began at the brewing factory, whichi was constructed in 1960, and the various efforts have been made to contribute to improvement of the brewing technique.
In the 1970s, when sake consumption began to decline after rapid economic growth, there was a pressing need to improve quality drastically and create demand for sake. In response, the Prefectural Research Institute was led by the late Mr. Denbei Kawamura (employee of the Prefectual Research Institute) and carry out research and development with volunteers from sake brewing companies in the prefecture as a goal of producing high-quality seishu (Ginjo-shu) suited to the climate and water of Shizuoka. Eventually, they succeeded in development a new yeast with banana-like aroma so-called "Shizuoka Yeast".
As well as helping develop this yeast, he created a direction to keep sake of unique quality, well-rounded sake with a light and delicate flavor. He also provided uncompromising technical guidance on how to make koji, how to manage the fermentation process and how to wash raw rice to improve prefectural techniques across the board.
The Shizuoka Sake Brewers' Association also holds sake brewing seminars to teach the latest brewing techniques as well as providing regular tasting and training for sake. At the Shizuoka Sake Awards, a quality examinations policy was established as a benchmark for the quality of sake guided by the Prefectural Research Institute and to symbolize the uniqueness of Shizuoka.
21 breweries from within the prefecture exhibited at the Annual Japan Sake Awards held in 1986, 17 of which won awards, 10 of which were gold medals. Ever since, it has attracted nationwide attention. The sake brewed with Shizuoka Yeast and Shizuoka water is called "Shizuoka Ginjo" and has won wide acclaim as the Ginjo Kingdom Shizuoka.
Ⅱ Matters relating to ingredients and production method of liquor
- (1) Ingredients
- A. Only domestically produced rice (rated as third grade or higher under the Agricultural Products Inspection Act (No. 144 of 1951)) must be used for rice and rice koji.
- B. Only water collected within Shizuoka Prefecture must be used.
- C. The yeast used for fermentation shall be Shizuoka Yeast (it refers to a brewing yeast jointly developed by Shizuoka Prefecture with the control body specified in Ⅲ (1)). However, yeast designated by the control body can be used only if using together with Shizuoka Yeast.
- D. Only ingredients for "Seishu" stipulated in Article 3, item (vii) of the Liquor Tax Act (Act No. 6 of 1953).
However, among the ingredients for seishu stipulated in Article 2 of the Enforcement Order of the Liquor Tax Act, ingredients other than alcohol, which is limited in the case where the weight of alcohol does not exceed 10% of the weight of rice, including rice koji, among ingredients, shall not be used.
- (2) Production method
- A. It must be produced within Shizuoka Prefecture according to the sake brewing method stipulated in Article 3, item (vii), 7 of the Liquor Tax Act.
- B. it must meet the requirements for manufacturing method quality listed in the right column of the table in paragraph (1) of the Quality Labeling Standards for Seishu Manufacturing (National Tax Agency Notification No. 8 of November 1989). (Limited to products manufactured using only polished rice, rice koji, and water as ingredients.)
- C. In the process of sake brewing, sake must be stored in Shizuoka Prefecture.
- D. Bottling must be completed within Shizuoka Prefecture with containers planned to be delivered to consumers.
Ⅲ Matters relating to management for maintaining the characteristics of liquor
- (1) Role and Location of the "Control Body"
In order to use the geographical indication (GI) "Shizuoka", the liquor that uses the GI is required to be confirmed by the following control body (hereinafter referred to as "the control body") pursuant to guidelines for work implementation, prepared by the control body as to whether the relevant liquor satisfies "1. Matters relating to the characteristics of liquor which is essentially attributable to its geographical origin" and "2. Matters relating the raw materials and production method of liquor" by the time the relevant liquor is shipped to places (excluding places subject to the provision of Article 28, paragraph 1, of the Liquor Tax Act) from its brewing place (including places deemed as brewing places with the permit to produce liquor by the provisions of Article 28, paragraph 6 or Article 28-3, paragraph 4 of the Liquor Tax Act). - Name of control body：Shizuoka Sake Brewers Association
- Address： 4-18, Seikan-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture
- Telephone：054-255-3082
- Website: https://www.shizuoka-sake.jp
- (2) Management of "yeast used for fermentation"
The yeast used for the fermentation prescribed in Ⅱ (1) (c) shall be managed by a control body in accordance with the guidelines for work implementation to ensure its characteristics remain unimpaired.
Ⅳ Matters relating to liquor classes
Seishu /sake (Article 3, Item 7 of the Liquor Tax Act)
