Product Specification of Geographical Indication “鳥取 (Tottori)”
＜Interim translation＞
Seishu / Sake
Ⅰ Matters relating the characteristics of liquor which is essentially attributable to its geographical origin
- (1) Characteristics of liquor
Tottori's seishu is generally characterized by a soft mouthfeel and a rich and full-bodied taste that brings out the umami of rice to the fullest.
In addition, the sake breweries have long specialized in careful, small-batch brewing of junmai-shu with high proportion of koji, resulting in sake that has both crisp and full of rice’s umami.
Furthermore, many of these sakes have acidity and changing their flavor across a range of temperatures, and their flavor would be enhanced by warming.
Since you never get tired of drinking coupled with the rich umami and crispness, it pairs well with the dishes having rich umami, such as Matsuba crab and enhances rather than overpowers seafood and other dishes, bringing the flavors together in the mouth (mouth seasoning). - (2) Essential attribution of its geographical origin to characteristics of liquor
- A. Natural factors
Tottori Prefecture is a long and narrow region sandwiched between the Sea of Japan to the north and the Chugoku Mountains, including the magnificent mountain Daisen to the south, stretching about 100 km from east to west. As a result, the rivers that originate from these steep mountains have short flow paths and small basin areas. The region's climate is characterized by a Sea of Japan side climate with abundant precipitation throughout the year, due to cold and dry seasonal winds from Siberia absorbing moisture from the warm waters of the Tsushima Warm Current in winter and generating clouds that bring rain and snow as they rise over the Chugoku Mountains.
Under these geographical and climatic conditions, rain and snow that fall on the land, including forests of beech and Mizunara oak, are filtered through weathered layers of minerals that were erupted and deposited during past volcanic activities. However, since the water remains in these layers for a short time, it forms soft and clear underground water and groundwater. By using this moderately mineral-rich soft water as brewing water, Tottori's sake gains its smooth mouthfeel.
Additionally, the daytime temperatures in winter are low due to the short hours of sunlight, but the cloud cover prevents severe nighttime cooling, resulting in a small diurnal temperature range that makes it easier to manage the fermentation of the mash. Furthermore, the seasonal winds from the northwest replenish moisture as they cross the Sea of Japan, creating a humid environment that contributes to the stabilization of the sake brewing process, such as rice soaking and sake pressing. - B. Human factors
The beginning of sake brewing in Tottori Prefecture is said to have started in 1628, by Takasagoya Rokubei, originally from Takasago, Banshu.
Takasagoya had originally operated a sake brewing business in Takasago, Banshu, but moved to Tottori when the Lord of Himeji Domain, Ikeda Mitsumasa, was transferred to Tottori Domain. He then settled in the Tottori castle town and started a sake brewing business using the "sumizake" method similar to the current method of seishu brewing. Later, he was ordered by the Lord of Tottori Domain to teach the method of seishu brewing to all breweries in the domain, and by the Kan'ei period (1628-1644), seishu brewing had became widespread.
In the post-war sake brewing industry, due to the economic recession and rice shortages, the manufacturing techniques of alcohol addition and triple swelling method were widely used. In the 1950s, the number of non-taxable transactions (selling sake in barrels) to major manufacturers increased rapidly in small and medium-sized breweries in the region. In this context, the late Uehara Hiroshi (former appraiser at the Hiroshima Regional Taxation Bureau and head of the Liquor Division at the Tottori Institute of Industrial Technology), who was concerned that the continuation of non-taxable transactions would hinder the healthy growth of the sake brewing industry in the prefecture, took the initiative in returning to the origins of sake: brewing with water and rice, and began developing sake with unique characteristics.
Mr. Uehara believed that junmai-shu was "a sake that cannot be faked" and that if brewers worked diligently on processing ingredients and koji making, the overall quality would improve, so he proposed the production of junmai-shu to sake brewers in Tottori Prefecture. Sake brewers who agreed with his idea began producing junmai-shu in Tottori Prefecture in 1967, the first post-war junmai-shu to be produced using highly polished rice and low-temperature fermentation techniques. The circle of sake brewers who heard about the reputation of the finished sake gradually spread. By the end of the 1970s, most sake breweries were producing junmai-shu.
This was largely influenced by Mr. Uehara's guidance, who emphasized the importance of good steaming with the phrase, "First, steamed rice, second, steamed rice, third, steamed rice," and said that sake should be junmai-shu; when warmed, even better”, noting that junmai-shu has more umami and smoothness when warmed and pairs well with any dish. Tottori's junmai-shu was highly praised in both local and national markets.
Beyond developing junmai-shu, Mr. Uehara believed that having a forum for competition was essential to improve sake brewing techniques. Based on this belief, he made a great contribution to the development of the sake brewing industry. For example, to promote innovation in sake brewing technology and quality improvement, he planned and launched the Tottori Prefecture Sake Competition sponsored by the Tottori Prefecture Sake Brewers Association. He also emphasized that the basis of excellent sake brewing is for each sake brewery to secure high-quality rice through contract cultivation with farmers, and to process the ingredients in a way that matches the quality of the rice.
In Tottori Prefecture, "Goriki" is cultivated as a sake brewing-rice. Goriki is an indigenous variety that has not been artificially crossbred, and is a distinctive sake rice with large grains and a linear white core, making it suitable for brewing ginjo-shu. From 1921 to 1945, it was a recommended variety in Tottori Prefecture, but it is difficult to cultivate due to long panicle length of its rice plants, which were prone to falling over, and it temporarily disappeared.
In 1989, thanks to the efforts of sake brewers in the prefecture, Goriki was revived from a small amount of seed rice preserved at Tottori University. With the industry-academia-government collaboration, including the Tottori Agricultural Experiment Station, cultivation was resumed, and now Goriki is used by many sake breweries as a sake rice variety unique to Tottori Prefecture. Sake brewed with Goriki is characterized by the formation of amino acids during long-term aging, which enhances the rice's umami flavor, giving Tottori's junmai-shu its distinctive character.
Mr. Uehara's philosophy of sake brewing, with a focus on junmai-shu, has been carried on to the present day. Many sake breweries remain dedicated to brewing that begins with rice cultivation. Almost all of them use more than 20% koji rice and stream the sake rice using a traditional steamer. In the koji-making process, they employ handcrafted sake brewing such as carrying out the steps by small batches (using boxes or small lids) after the "mori" (mounding) process.
Thanks to these time- and labor-intensive traditional methods, and high production rate of junmai-shu, Tottori Prefecture is known as the "Kingdom of junmai-shu."
- A. Natural factors
Ⅱ Matters relating to ingredients and production method of liquor
- (1) Ingredients
- A. Only rice harvested in Tottori Prefecture (rated as third grade or higher under the Agricultural Products Inspection Act (No. 144 of 1951)) shall be used for rice and rice koji.
- B. Only water collected within Tottori Prefecture shall be used.
- C. The ingredients of “Seishu” as stipulated in Article 3, Item 7 (a) of the Liquor Tax Act (Act No. 6 of 1953) must be used.
- (2) Production method
- A. It shall be produced within Tottori Prefecture according to the sake brewing method stipulated in Article 3, item (vii), of the Liquor Tax Act.
- B. It must be “Junmai-shu” that 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. A traditional steamer should be used to steam sake rice.
- D. Koji rice should be made in batches of 40 kg or less per container from the "mori (transfer of koji into shallow trays)" stage onwards.
- E. The ratio of koji rice (the ratio of the weight of koji rice to the weight of white rice) should be 20% or more.
- F. In the process of sake brewing, sake shall be stored in Tottori Prefecture.
- G. Bottling shall be completed within Tottori Prefecture with containers planned 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) “Tottori”, 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：Tottori Brewers Association
Address：249 Otsubo, Aoya-cho, Tottori City, Tottory Prefecture
Telephone：0857-85-0730
Ⅳ Matters relating to liquor classes
Seishu /sake (Article 3, Item 7 of the Liquor Tax Act)
