Kusatsu was a bustling post town in the Edo period (1603-1867). The Furukawa Sake Brewery is an atmospheric building with white walls and window lattices along the old Tokaido Highway, where traces of the town still remain. Although the date of establishment is unknown, large wooden vats and old pulleys still remain in the brewery, showing the length of the brewery's history.

There are no records, but I think they have been making sake since the Edo period," says Mutsuo Furukawa, the brewery's president and brewery owner. Hearing this, one can imagine travelers passing by on the highway enjoying an evening in Kusatsu with sake from the Furukawa Sake Brewery and fish from Lake Biwa.
［When talking about the Furukawa Sake Brewery, "rich, mellow, umami" is an indispensable keyword. It has acidity, sweetness, and a slightly high alcohol content. It has a high acidity and sweetness, and the alcohol content is slightly high. It is a rich, mellow umaguchi with a sharpness and sweetness that is typical of Japanese sake. It is not a light, easy-to-drink taste, but rather a taste that is favored by the experts, a taste that Mr. Furukawa has maintained for nearly 50 years. Mr. Furukawa has been preserving this taste, which is not easy to drink for everyone, and which is favored by the tastes of the well-heeled. I make sake by drawing out the power of the rice itself," he says.

In other words, it is a sake that tastes the rice. Naturally, the rice used is very particular. The company uses rice such as Ginbukietsu, produced locally in Kusatsu, and Mizukagami, developed in Shiga Prefecture, as well as rice grown by contract farmers without using pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The water, another main ingredient of the sake, is from underground water flowing from the Konan Alps into Lake Biwa. The taste of Shiga is concentrated to the utmost in Furukawa Sake Brewery's sake.

Mr. Furukawa used to be the toji (master brewer), but now he has invited a toji from Tajima to work with him. The sake brewery is located at the back of the store on the street side. Once you step out of the store, you are already in the sake brewery. When rice is washed and steamed here, steam rises to the ceiling, filling the air with the aroma of rice. In the building next door, tanks are lined up, and the unrefined sake is quietly fermenting inside. This is the daily life of the Furukawa Sake Brewery. In the sake brewery, where a variety of tools and equipment line the floor, a large rectangular wooden box called a "kifune" (wooden tank) stands out. The traditional "kifune shibori" method using this wooden box is a traditional method that the Furukawa Sake Brewery continues to preserve.

By stacking up several layers of long, thin bags filled with unrefined sake inside a wooden vat, the weight of the unrefined sake is pressed to squeeze out the sake. Although this method is time-consuming and labor-intensive, Mr. Furukawa says that it is the only way to obtain the desired flavor. By pressing slowly, the flavor of the rice can be brought out without losing any of the umami," he says.

The taste of the Furukawa Brewery has been maintained through the preservation of rice, water, and production methods. We don't want to make a large amount of sake and spread it around. We make a certain amount every year and sell a certain amount. That's all right. His nephew Takeshi Furukawa, who has been involved in sake brewing with him for the past seven years, also commented, "The president is sincere and stubborn when it comes to sake brewing. But because of this taste, we get orders from far away. It has many fans because of its unique taste. I, too, want to cherish the current flavor.

Mr. Furukawa looks back on his experience in sake brewing: "I have been working diligently with the sole purpose of making delicious sake. There were many changes in the times, but I think I was able to overcome them naturally. Even after retiring from the toji (chief brewer) position, Mr. Furukawa still participates in sake brewing from early in the morning. This sincere attitude is one of the reasons why Furukawa Sake Brewery's sake is so powerful.

■ Shiga Prefecture
［Kintetsu Department Store, Kusatsu] 1-1-50 Shibukawa, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga, 077-564-1111
［Heiwado Al Plaza Kusatsu] 1-23-30, Nishi-Shibukawa, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga, Japan, 077-561-6200
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