Product Specification of Geographical Indication “伊丹 (Itami)”
＜Interim translation＞
Seishu / Sake
Ⅰ Matters relating the characteristics of liquor which is essentially attributable to its geographical origin
- (1) Characteristics of liquor
Seishu of Itami is made using mild koji and high-quality water from Mt. Nagao and the Hokusetsu mountain range, and has the sake quality with moderate sweetness and sharp acidity.
When you put it in your mouth, the full-bodied taste of sweetness and rich flavor from umami spreads in the mouth, while the sharp aftertaste from a moderate acidity and bitterness gives structure to the overall flavor. This allows for a clean and refreshing taste to emerge, complementing the sweetness derived from the rice used as the ingredient.
In addition, Honjozo sake, Ginjo sake and Daiginjo sake brewed in this area have a well-balanced sweetness, umami and acidity, and are even more sharp in its sake quality. - (2) Essential attribution of its geographical origin to characteristics of liquor
A. Natural factors
- A. Natural factors
Itami City, a sake production area, is located in the southeastern part of Hyogo Prefecture, and is a gently sloping hilly area between the Ina River and the Muko River, surrounded by Mt. Rokko, Mt. Nagao and the Hokusetsu mountain range.
Tens of thousands of years ago, there was once an expanse of sea in front of Itami City, and gravel carried by the Ina River and the Muko River piled up and overlapped on the uplifted ground with the changing times, forming a characteristic stratum of overlapping clay layers containing shells and gravel layers.
It is believed that the water stored in Mt. Nagao and the mountains of the Hokusetsu mountain range becomes medium-hard water with moderate mineral content by passing through these strata. By using this abundant and clear water for sake brewing, the fermentation of moromi is moderately encouraged, resulting in a cleaner, less astringent sake with a refreshing, throat-quenching quality.
Furthermore, Itami City has the Seto Inland Sea climate with little precipitation in winter. The seasonal winds from the northwest are blocked by Mt. Rokko, and the dry winds that blow down after rainfall create a dry climate. This climate enables the production of koji, with moderate hazekomi (growth state of koji mold) development that result in a balanced sweetness and umami, which suggests that it is a suitable place for sake brewing in the winter season. - B. Human factors
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Sake brewing in this area began in the Edo period, when the former castle town of Itamigo-cho developed.
In 1574, Araki Murashige, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga, entered Itami Castle and developed the castle town, forming the foundations of Itamigo-cho. In 1661, it became the territory of the Konoe family, and the sake brewing industry developed under their protection.
During this period, sake brewing was mainly carried out as Soboshu (monk’s sake) brewing at temples in Kyoto and Nara, but in the Kamigata region, centered around Itami, it was commercialized by merchants and developed as sake brewing primarily targeting Edo market, which is one of the essential characteristics when talking about Itami sake.
According to “Honcho Shokkan”, which explains the foods of the common people in the Edo period, “Itami Morohaku”, which uses highly polished rice for both the koji rice and kake rice, is said that began to emerge as a sake that suited Edo people’s tastes, gradually became known under the name of “Tanjo” and became popular in Edo. In the Edo market, Itami sake was a luxury product that was traded at a higher price than sake from other regions, and around 1740, it was used as “Gozenshu” (a sake offered to the Shogun) for the Shogun’s household, which shows how popular it was at the time.
As Itami sake gained popularity in Edo, imitations began to appear throughout the country, including in Edo City. In response to that, producers in the region called for measures by the Konoe family and the shogunate, and in 1743 the Konoe family gave each sake brewery a brand with the inscription, “Itami onaratame-sho”. Anyone who sold sake made in other regions under the name “Itami sake”, even if they were Itami sake brewers, was penalized by having their Konoe family brand confiscated, and this became strongly associated with a geographical indication today.
Moreover, Itami’s brewing techniques are characterized by the development of the mokuhai (wood ash) clarification method and Hashira-jochu. The mokuhai clarification method is a production method that clarifies sake by using wood ash to adsorb and precipitate substances in sake. Hashira-jochu is shochu added to moromi to maintain quality during transportation to Edo, and it is said that the development of Hashira-jochu made it possible to send high-quality sake to Edo.
Although these production methods have changed in form, they are important techniques that have been handed down to the present and are considered to be one of the factors behind the development of sake brewing in Itami. In addition to efforts to improve quality, the brewery also made mass production possible by shortening the number of brewing days to meet demand in Edo, and used Yoshino cedar barrels for sake preparation and transportation containers to ensure that the quality could withstand the long-time transportation to Edo.
In this way, by devising production and transportation methods, Itami sake established a firm position in Edo.
Since the Edo period, Sake of Itami has been brewed with great care and ingenuity, not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of transportation methods. This tradition is recorded in ancient books, such as the Nihon Sankai Meisan Zue (Illustrated Guide to the Famous Products of Japan’s Mountains and Seas), as well as in numerous ancient manuscripts held by various sake brewers. These records detail the realities of sake brewing from the early days to modern period, and the fact that these brewing methods are still passed down to the present day has been highly praised. As a result, in 2020, Itami Morohaku was designated as a Japan Heritage by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- A. Natural factors
Ⅱ Matters relating to ingredients and production method of liquor
- (1) Ingredients
- A. Only rice domestically produced must be used for rice and rice koji.
- B. Only water from within the production area must be used.
- C. The ingredients of “seishu” as specified in Article 3, Item 7 (b) of the Liquor Tax Act (No. 6 of 1953) must be used. However, among the ingredients of seishu as stipulated in Article 2 of the Order for Enforcement of the Liquor Tax Act (Cabinet Order No. 97 of 1962), only alcohol (limited to cases where the weight of the alcohol in the ingredients does not exceed 10/100 of the weight of the rice (including koji rice)) may be used.
- (2) Production method
- A. It must have been produced within the production area using the seishu production method specified in Article 3, Item 7 (b) of the Liquor Tax Act.
- B. It must meet requirements for the manufacturing process and quality listed in the right-hand column of the table in Paragraph 1 of the Labelling Standards for the Manufacturing Process and Quality of Sake (National Tax Agency Notification No. 8 of November 1989).
- C. An activated carbon must be used as a filter medium.
- D. If storage is required during the production process, it must be carried out within the production area.
- E. It must be packed within the production area into containers intended to be delivered to consumers.
Ⅲ Matters relating to management for maintaining the characteristics of liquor
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In order to use the geographical indication (GI) “Itami”, 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 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：Itami Brewers Association
Address：1-1-19, Itami, Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture
Telephone：072-770-2200
Email: itamisk@oak.ocn.ne.jp
Ⅳ Matters relating to liquor classes
Seishu /sake (Article 3, Item 7 of the Liquor Tax Act)
