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Even sake brewers drink sake. The brewing professionals, known as toji, know their sake better than anyone and love it like their own child. How exactly do they enjoy it? While there are toji in breweries, some adopt a team approach, breaking down hierarchies and working together on brewing. The sake created by these diverse perspectives carries a deep, satisfying flavor.
In 2018, Kazuki Kamiya became the head brewer at Yamachu Honke Brewery.
Kazuki Kamiya
Born in 1990 in Akita Prefecture, he majored in fermentation science at Akita Prefectural University while working part-time at Aramasa Brewery. After graduation, he joined the company and later moved to Yamachu Honke Brewery in Aisai City, Aichi Prefecture, in 2015. In 2018, he became the head brewer. He continues to improve traditional brewing methods based on scientific principles.
A Slow Sip of a 720ml Bottle
“When I drink, I choose sake to match the meal. For fried food, I might go with craft beer, or red wine with hamburg steak. Most dishes pair wonderfully with Gikyo, which I sip slowly from a 720ml bottle,” says Kamiya.
Kamiya’s favorite home-cooked meals, made by his wife, include potato salad with iburigakko (a smoked pickle native to Akita) and tofu steak with white dashi sauce, both of which pair perfectly with Gikyo.
Monthly Sake Pairing Events
The brewery holds monthly sake pairing events featuring chefs. At one such event, rice farmer Mr. Tajiri joined the brewers to enjoy pairings with dishes like eel and hamo (pike conger).
Yamachu Honke Brewery does not adhere to the traditional toji system. Instead, it operates as a team, led by Kamiya and brewery owner Masahiro Yamada, with a group of about six brewers collectively known as “Team Gikyo.” Their motto is, “Say what you want to say, regardless of position.”
“It’s better to constantly review and improve the brewing process from all six perspectives,” Yamada explains. “Why is this step done this way? If we can’t clearly answer that, it means there’s room for improvement. Creating an environment where we can openly share our thoughts is crucial.”
The Team’s Bond Over a Drink
After work, the team often shares a drink at the brewery’s main house. On this evening, they enjoyed their recently released sake, Tajiri Farm, made from special cultivation rice grown without herbicides or chemical fertilizers at the Tajiri Farm in Tojo, Hyogo Prefecture. The farm, where the team also participates in annual weeding retreats, grows Yamadanishiki rice under these strict conditions.
Sharing a drink at the main house acts as the glue that binds Team Gikyo. This sake is a tribute to Mr. Michio Tajiri, the farmer pioneering these cultivation methods, and represents hope for the future of sake rice.
“Kudos to Mr. Tajiri for continuing the grueling work of weeding under such conditions. I truly admire him,” says Kamiya. Yamada nods in agreement as they snack on homemade sake lees-pickled cucumbers, paired with a chilled glass of Tajiri Farm. “This is amazing! We’ve got to let Mr. Tajiri taste this too,” they say, smiling.
Brewing Innovations at the Sake Table
Kamiya often shares brewing ideas during these gatherings, refining them with the team’s feedback. One such idea, adopted last year, was a bold method of not washing the rice before brewing. Instead of removing the bran from highly polished rice, they let it enhance the sake’s flavor. “We quietly shipped it out, and it was a big hit,” the two laugh.
Brewing Tradition and Innovation at Yamachu Honke
Founded in the mid-Edo period, Yamachu Honke uses underground spring water from Mount Kiso Ontake, pumped from 250 meters below ground. Their sake, Gikyo, reflects the full potential of rice grown by dedicated farmers. Most of the rice used is Yamadanishiki from the esteemed Tojo Special A district in Hyogo Prefecture, polished entirely in-house.
