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Toppage ＞ Shudo - The Way of Sake＞ chapter5 |
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After kyokusui-no-en, or an outdoor poem-composing party, by the pond ends, a small sake cup lies on
the green grass, probably left behind by someone…
In ancient times, the Chinese purified themselves to wash their sins away on March third in the lunar calendar.
The custom later developed into kyokusui-no-en, which is also called gokusui-no-en, or a “party held by a meandering stream.” In the outdoor party,
people played a poem-composing game, in which participants sitting by a stream let sake cups to flow, and each wrote a poem before the cup passed him or her. If they failed
to write a poem in time, they had to drink sake as penance. It is said that the game became popular after Chinese prominent poets played it in a garden called Sh?k?-no-rantei in 353.
In Japan, kyokusui-no-en was also popular among the nobility during the Heian period (ca. late 8 C.-late 12 C.) . It’s said that the residence of Regent Fujiwara-no-Michinaga
(966-1027) had a man-made stream, by which the elegant game was played on March third. |
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Doll’s Festival |
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March is also called Yayoi after the way plants grow energetically (iya-oi sodatsu). Insects also come out of
hibernation in the ground at this time of year. Longer daylight hours stimulate the pituitary gland of any living creature to
actively secrete growth hormones.
March has many other names such as Koku, (the rain that grows crops), Haruoshimi-zuki (the month when people misses
the spring fading into summer) and Kahi (cherry blossoms fluttering in the air), all indicating seasonal images. Weather this month is
changeable as low pressure systems move periodically. Clear skies in the morning can often turn cloudy in the afternoon, and temperatures
suddenly drop about sunset. Still, everything on earth is gradually tinged with spring colors. |
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Shirozake White Sake |
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 Shirozake, or white sake, is now indispensable for Doll’s Festival (Girls’ Festival) on March 3rd.
But in ancient times, it was often drunk by travelers. It was in early modern times that white sake began to be
consumed to celebrate the Doll’s Festival.
Shirozake is made when a fermenting mixture of steamed rice, koji (malted rice) and shochu
(distillated liquor), which has been left to mature for about a month, is crushed. Containing about 9 % of alcohol
and 45 % of rice extract, the pulpy sweet sake may be something you want to eat than to drink.
During the Edo period (1603-1867), shirozake of Toshimaya brewery at Kanda Kamakuragashi in Tokyo was
extremely popular, as shown in a tourist guide book called Edo Meisho Zue. A record shows that the brewer
suspended sales of other sake to concentrate on the white sake after the end of February, and sold
as much as 180,000 liters each year. (Toshimaya is the predecessor of the present Toshimaya Shuzo in Higashi Murayama
City in Tokyo, whose famous brands include “ Kinkon Masamune.”)
Men can enjoy clear sake to celebrate the Doll’s Festival, together with women having their white sake.Aromatic
sake with a petal of a peach blossom floating on it would be perfect for the occasion.
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Namazake Unpasteurized Sake |
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It’s the season for freshly squeezed namazake, or unpasteurized sake. Namazake is made
when the moromi mash is squeezed to separate the clear liquid from the white lees. It is yet to be heated
for pasteurization. Tasting the fresh sake carefully would help you to predict how the quality of this
year’s sake will be.
Unpasteurized sake is normally called namazake, but in the sake industry, it is called namashu. The Chinese
characters for the term can also be pronounced as kizake. But be careful. Kizake means undiluted sake for junmaishu
(sake brewed with only rice, water and koji.) |
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Appetizer is an Important Part of a Course Meal |
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Snacks or simple dishes are often served with sake. But kaiseki meal, a Japanese traditional
course meal, is also for drinking parties.
The Japanese cuisine has various styles such as honzen, which was created based on the manners of the
samurai society, and fukusa, a simpler version of honzen. A type of meal served at the tea
ceremony is also among them. They are all served with rice, but kaiseki was created to go with sake
during the Edo period. In kaiseki, dishes are offered one by one so that diners can enjoy the combination
of sake and each dish. The word kondate, or menu, is said to have been originated from this style of
offering food “one by one,” in old Japanese, ikkon.
When you sit down, you may find an appetizer called sakizuke is already on the table along with chopsticks
and a sake cup. Similarly at casual bars, sakizuke is first offered when you order sake.
Sakizuke, also known as tsukidashi in western Japan, and otoshi in eastern Japan, is supposed to contain
three kinds of seasonal ingredients from the sea, mountain, and river.
The cook often prepares sakizuke very elaborately, as it is the very first dish he offers to his customers. So,
do not regard sakizuke as a simple dish to fill up the time before the main food is served, though the amount is
small. Savor it well.
As mentioned last time, be careful not to slide plates or bowls on the table, when you move them. This is to protect the
surface of the table from being scratched by the bottom of the tableware. |
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Sea Urchin |
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When hearing the term uni, or sea urchin, many people may think of the shucked flesh on sushi,
rather than its spiny shell. You may also think that the sea urchin is available throughout the year.But in fact,
sea urchin has its season, and the season is about to come.
The green sea urchin releases eggs from March to April; the hard-spined sea urchin, in June; and the red sea urchin
from summer through autumn. They taste best just before the periods. While it’s fresh, sea urchin is firm and full,
but it gradually becomes soft and loses shape. So, try to choose fresh sea urchin. Usually, sea urchin is served with
soy sauce with wasabi (Japanese horseradish) but it is also good with citrus juice. |
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Surf Clam |
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Surf clam, an expensive sushi topping, is widely known as mirugai, but its real name is mirukui.
The surf clam inhabits shallow waters, and has a long and big siphon, which is good to eat. Surf clam is favored by many for its
texture. But it is now very expensive as the haul is falling. So, a growing number of sushi bars use similarly-looking piddock,
calling it “white surf clam.”Piddocks are increasingly common also at fresh fish stores. |
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Cockles |
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Torigai, or cockles, are found in shallow waters along the coast from northeastern to southeastern
Japan. The main catching grounds include Ise Bay, central Japan, and the Inland Sea in western Japan.
Some say torigai, or “bird shellfish,” is named after the shape of its flesh, or others say it comes
from its chicken-like good taste. Torigai during this season has thick flesh with firm texture, which goes
well with sake. The shellfish is now available throughout the year, but cockles served off the season are often frozen
ones, which are thin, chewy, and unpalatable. |
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| Translated by Yoko Shinano
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