Isojiman Brewery is located in Yaizu, where the Suruga Bay, Izu Peninsula, and Mount Fuji can be seen to the east, and the southern tip of the South Alps can be seen in the far north-northwest. This is a mystical land where, according to the legend, Prince Yamato-Takeru cut down the surrounding grass with his legendary sword “Ameno-murakumo” , set the grass on fire, to counter enemy fire attack that was enclosing him, and escaped from the trap. To the southwest, the clear Oi River, which springs from Shirane-sanzan Three Mountains of South Alps and Mount Aino (one of the Japanese Hundred Famous Mountains), gently flows 170km, giving its blessing to the Shida plains in the form of famous, excellent water. Because water occupies 65-70% of the value of sake brewing, we are thankful for the blessing of water which is compatible with sake brewing.
Sake rice is also a very important raw material. We carefully select the variety and production area, such as Yamada Nishiki of Special Area A grown in the Tojo area of Hyogo Prefecture, Aiyama, or Gohyakuman-goku. Sake rice is a blessing from nature and its quality varies each year due to differences in weather and temperature. We strive to brew sake which stably conveys our firm conviction, sensing even the slight difference of the rice each year.
Sake brewing is the interweaving of man and nature, and we are testing the limits. Our sake is a “trickle” born from the difficulty of sake brewing and the affection guarding over it.
Many years ago, Louis XIV said “It takes 15 minutes to create 20 lords, but centuries to create an artist (art)”. While Louis XIV may have had something else in mind, the gist of his words is the same — genuine sake with a long history is a world- class artwork.
From 1830 until today, we have sought something new while protecting the tradition. Although this is a small brewery, we have continued to work toward the quintessence of sake brewing, honing and improving our skills with the goal of “tradition, innovation, and essence.” We will continue to brew sake with affection and a humble attitude, praying that “Isojiman” continues to be supported by our customers and that “Isojiman” continues to satisfy our customers.
Sake is a living thing. To ensure quality, please purchase our sake from our exclusive distributors. After purchase, store the sake in a refrigerator until opening. Cold sake is best drunk when not too cold, and warm sake, not too warm. After opening Daiginjo, the delicate change in taste and aroma can be enjoyed from two to seven days.
At the end of October, a cool wind begins to blow in the morning and evening. And Isojiman”s sake brewing begins with a religious service honoring the God of sake brewing.
Most is “Yamada Nishiki”, a rice variety well suited for sake brewing. Yamada Nishiki was born in Hyogo Prefecture. Currently, it is widely grown, from Kyushu in the South to Southern Tohoku in the North.
Washing the sake rice is the first step in brewing good quality sake. with a stopwatch in hand, limited water absorption rice washing is carried out by the seconds, using 500L or more of water for 10kg of sake rice, completely washing away any slime on the surface of the sake rice. At the same time, the sake rice is allowed to absorb a limited amount of water.
The washed sake rice is then steamed under the best condition.
“Koji”, for use in “shubo (moto)” (yeast starter), and “moromi” (fermenting sake mash) during “honjikomi” (the main fermenting process), is completely made by hand according to our original method in the cedar “koji” room, requiring many hours. Koji is grown by traditional techniques, and is showy in appearance (fungus body and hypha are shallowly planted into steamed rice), with its spores exposed and smells like mushrooms. Koji cannot be made in a day.
We use only fast fermenting “shubo” which requires a half month for fermentation.
All the fermentation and storage tanks are placed in refrigerated brewing room finished with stainless steel.
We use an old-style press “so” and two automatic presses in a “refrigerator” finished with stainless steel. The brewing room is similarly finished with stainless steel. This is the result of our desire to provide the best “ginjo-zukuri”.