Iwase is located in the northern part of Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. From the Edo period to the mid-Meiji period, it flourished as a port of call for the Kitamaebune ships, which transported vast amounts of goods while calling at several port towns from Hokkaido to Osaka. If you walk around Iwase today, you will find that many houses built in the Edo and Meiji periods remain, including the magnificent mansions of shipping wholesalers. I'm impressed by how the old Hokkoku Kaido streetscape remains beautifully maintained, and one of the people behind it is the fifth generation owner of Masuda Sake Brewery, which is now home to Toyama's leading brewery, Masu Izumi. , Ryuichiro Masuda.

Masuda Sake Brewery was founded in 26. The predecessor, Keijiro Masuda, planned to study fermentation engineering at graduate school, but due to the sudden death of his predecessor, he became the head of the family at the age of 1893. In the mid-22s, when ginjo sake was not as popular as it is today, he began making ginjo sake, knowing the risks. His choice was a matter of survival as a sake brewery, but the results were immediate, and he repeatedly won gold medals in many competitions. Masuda Sake Brewery became a pioneer in ginjo sake.

The motto of Masuda Sake Brewery is "Deliciousness." Masuda says that only people who eat delicious food can make delicious sake. Seafood such as sweet shrimp, white shrimp, firefly squid, and snow crab are brought in from Himi fishing port in Toyama Bay, and wild vegetables are abundant in the mountains. In pursuit of sake that goes well with natural, nutritious ingredients, Masuda feels that the currently popular style of sake, tanrei-dry, is not enough. Indeed, Masuda Sake Brewery's sake stands out for its solid structure and individuality.

Masuda began contributing to the development of Iwase about 20 years ago. After purchasing a former lumber store and having him move into a soba restaurant, he subsequently purchased a storehouse and a house that were scheduled to be demolished, and opened the Tajiri main store, a liquor merchant with a large wine cellar and Japanese sake cellar. Young artists such as glass artists and woodworkers also gathered there. In 2004, Iwase Machizukuri Co., Ltd. was established. Writing this far may make you think that Masuda is leading the way in Iwase. However, Masuda simply says that he has no such enthusiasm. "If we buy a property that is falling into disrepair and renovate it, carpenters will be able to work there. There will be restaurants and artists working there. And there will be a place where people can drink Masuda Sake Brewery's sake." Urban development is not for everyone. It is also for our own sake that we continue to make sake here.

Through my Sake Samurai activities, I am promoting sake to the world, and I truly believe that spreading sake means spreading culture. We will continue to pay attention to Masuda's sake brewing that puts this into practice, and Iwase's ability to take on the challenge of revitalizing the city and envisioning its future.

(Talk by Yoshie Hiraide)

Yoshie Hiraide Select “Masuizumi” 2 Recommended Bottles

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A unique attempt to mature several types of Masuizumi with different characteristics in the American oak barrels used for aging Chivas Regal's original sake. ``You can feel the oak aroma of the whiskey and the nuances of honey,'' says Hiraide. It also goes well with washed cheese.
Type: Junmai Daiginjo sake
Raw material rice: Yamada Nishiki
Rice polishing ratio: Blend of several types, mainly 35%.
Sake level: Not disclosed
720ml 5,500 yen (excluding tax)

Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo Tsuchiyuno
It is brewed from Isehikari, which is associated with Ise Grand Shrine, grown in terraced rice fields by Tsuchiyuno, an agricultural group that is highly respected by Toyama's chefs. "It's a unique concept of brewing with organic terraced rice called Isehikari. It has a silky taste and goes well with meals," says Hiraide.
Type: Junmai Daiginjo sake
Raw material rice: Isehikari
Rice polishing rate: 50%
Sake level: Not disclosed
720ml 3,000 yen (excluding tax)

◆Masuizumi Masuda Sake Brewery
269 ​​Higashiiwasecho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture
076-437-9916

Toshie Hiraide

Born in 1962. Representative director of Corpo Kou Co., Ltd., which aims to internationalize sake and attract inbound tourists to regional areas. He is the sake samurai coordinator. IWC Ambassador. Shoryudo Ambassador (Inbound Ambassador for XNUMX prefectures in Chubu and Hokuriku)

Premium X With pride in sake brewing. Sake and brewery selection recognized by the world

``Sake Samurai'' was started in 2006 by the Japan Sake Brewery Youth Council, a national organization of young brewers, in order to restore the pride of sake and spread the culture of sake not only within Japan but also to the world. Sake Samurai Coordinator Yoshie Hiraide, who is working to realize the dream of turning Sake into a tourism-based nation, will introduce unique sake breweries that Japanese sake lovers should visit at least once, and the sake they want to taste there.

(Titles omitted)