Shishimai (Lion Dances) and Kashima odori

Long into Okutama Lake, a tongue of land juts out. A path, which seems so narrow that vehicles cannot pass each other, ascends toward the end of the tongue. Seeing the dark-green slightly rippling water of the lake on the right, I walk up the road. As I inch my way to the end of the tongue, the road goes on the left side of the tongue of land and winds up. Now I am on a cliff and I can look down the surface of the lake which now appears tranquiller than before through cherry trees and others. The mountain air in the early autumn feels crisp.

I continue walking and find myself at the entrance of the square where the shrine office building stands. In the square, several tens of people already occupy their own places. I climb the stone stairs on the right. Below on the right of the stairs is the road I have just trodden. Soon, I reach Ogochi Shrine that stands at the highest point of the tongue.

In 1957, the construction of the Ogochi Dam, which backs up the water of Okutama Lake, was completed. Then, this shrine was built to collectively enshrine the gods of the shrines in nearby districts that are now sunk deep in the lake.

Today, September 14, a festival of Ogochi Shrine was held. From nine o'clock in the morning, shishimai (lion dances) and Kashima odori dances were to be dedicated to the shrine. To see these dances, we got up early in the morning, take trains and a bus, came a long way, climbed the road of tongue, and were finally here.

When I was waiting for a band of shishimai on the stone stairs leading to the shrine, I heard bamboo fifes resounding through the cool air from a distance. Drums accompanied clear high-pitched sounds of the fifes. I traced the road lying below but it curved left and disappeared behind the mountain. The music of the shishimai band was getting closer and closer and I was anticipating the band would suddenly appear from behind the mountain. I was very much excited.

Finally, a band of shishimai lead by a guy wearing a happi coat came into view. Fifers, sasara players (sasara is a musical instrument made of bamboo and it makes rubbing sound, a sasara player plays this instrument wearing headgears ornamented with paper flowers), mando-bearers (mando is an object with drooping sprays of flowers and a stem to hold it up), and three dancers wearing lion-heads were marching over here. Children were running back and forth around them.


This shishimai band came from the Sakamoto district, and the other shishimai bands who were going to subsequently show their performance were those from the Kawano and Hara districts. The style of these shishimai dances is called sanbiki shishimai (three-lion shishimai) or sasara shishimai. Usually, the shishimai dance of this style is danced by three lion dancers who beat the drums tied to their waists and several sasara players who wear ornamented headgears, accompanied by several fifers.

The three lion heads used in shishimai are called oodayu, kodayu, and mejishi, translated into a big male lion, small male lion, and female lion, respectively, although how to call them varies according to the district. They can be distinguished from each other by their colors and horns. For example, an oodayu has voluted horns and a mejishi has no horn or has an orb on the head.

These three lions dance various dances, many of which represent simple, unaffected and trivial themes. For example, the story of the play called saogakari is like the following: The three lions were wandering in mountains and came to a point where a fallen tree was blocking their way. They were troubled because they could not go on. However, finally after some trial and error, they could successfully overcome their obstacle and they happily danced and played together. Quite a pleasant story, isn't it?



When the dances of the bands from the three districts were over, it was time when Kashima odori dances were going to be dedicated to the shrine. In this performing art, six women-kimono-clad men dance.

The dancers were wearing fascinatingly elegant kimono and golden crowns, and danced artistic dances, which were graceful and settled, to meaningful songs. It is quite amazing that such wonderful performing art was conveyed to the place in so deep mountains long ago and still exists even now.



Today's Sake
Honjozo Ginrei Tateyama (Tateyama Brewing）
When I went to scale Mt. Tsurugi in the North Japan Alps in August, I stayed in a mountain lodge. Fortunately, they were selling beer and sake in the lodge. At that time, I bought Ginrei Tateyama and drank it cold. It was palatable sake, I could drink it smoothly, and at the same time I felt stable body in this sake. The aftertaste was quite dry but flinty. Recently, I found the same sake on the shelf in the nearby liquor shop, and I bought it. This time, I am enjoying it hot. When warmed, it is not bad but it becomes somehow strong in terms of an alcoholic sensation.

Rice used: Gohyakumangoku

Seimaibuai: 70%

Alcohol: 15.3%

Nihonshudo: (+)5.0

Acidity： 1.4

Sake Brewery Tour -- Toshimayashuzo

September 9, my two drinking friends and I visited a sake brewery named Toshimayashuzo.



The brewery is making seishu Kinkon and Tenjo Mirin (sweet sake for cooking). In this period of the year, they are preparing for new sake making and getting busier. In this busy time, Mr. Tanaka, Sales Manager, and Mr. Ishii, Chief Sake Brewer, kindly made time to receive us.

They told us many interesting stories such as about the establishment and history of this brewery and the related company that has been operating since 1596, which was very popular among people in Edo (old Tokyo) for its shirozake (sweet white sake).

Then, we were shown their premises and facilities.

First, we saw the place where the water to be used for brewing was being pumped up from the depth of 150 meters under the ground. The water is filtered before being used for brewing. According to Ishii Chief Sake Brewer, the unfiltered water is also suitable for brewing sake but he uses the filtered water just because he knew, after he compared the two waters, that he could make better sake with the filtered one. Maybe, he is adjusting the "strength" of water by filtering so that it suites the brewing method of this brewery.

Next, we were taken to the "kamaba," or rice steaming place, where sake-making steps including senmai (washing polished rice), shinseki (soaking washed rice in water), jokyo (steaming rice), and horei (cooling rice) are performed. There were various machines and facilities for sake-making. Sales Manager Mr. Tanaka gave us an easy-to-understand explanation on how each machine work in sake-making process.


(Horizontal continuous rice steamer)

Steamed rice, after being cooled down, is blown by air pressure to reach the koji-muro (koji-making room) or a shikomi-tank (fermentation tank) through hoses .



Then, we were even able to enter the koji-muro. This is the place where a koji mold is cultivated on steamed rice to make kome-koji (malted rice). Since the activity of the koji mold is adversely affected by the activity of unwanted bacteria, those who are to enter the koji-muro are required to wash and disinfect their hands and change their footwear. Moreover, the koji-muro is hermetically insulated from the outside by the double door. We again had to disinfect our hands before entering the koji-muro.

It was humid and warm, nay, hot in the koji-muro! On a table, steamed rice that had just been carried in was spread out and covered up with white cloth. At this very moment and place, the process in which an amazing microorganism called koji mold changes the steamed rice into kome-koji (malted rice) is taking place. I carefully walked around in the room to see the steamed rice and the facilities there because I felt like I might interfere with the activity of the koji mold if I walked roughly.

After leaving the koji-muro, we entered the shikomigura (sake-brewing house), where several tens of big fermentation tanks are neatly arranged. Mr. Tanaka, a fast speaker, told us about sake-making process enthusiastically and restlessly. He kindly told us everything if asked, giving us good lessons.



Our sake brewery tour continued. After visiting the shikomigura, we saw a storage room, where pressed sake was stored, and other places on the premises. Then, we entered the room used for bottling. In this room, there was a lot of machinery, including the bottle washer, sake-bottle filling machine, capper, and labeling machine. Sake bottles are conveyed along the line including these machines. They are washed, filled with sake, plugged with caps, and labeled as they go through these machines, and become commercial products.

Near these facilities, placed were several tanks each of which measures about 120 centimeters in diameter and about 100 centimeters in height. When Mr. Tanaka partly stripped off the vinyl sheet covering one of the tanks, the fragrance flowed out of the tank. The tank was filled with clear and a little bit yellow-tinged liquid. "Judging from this characteristic fragrance, this is a junmaiginjo sake," said Mt. Tanaka decidedly. He let us smell this sake. I was just happy to know that all of so much liquid was really junmaiginjo sake. What the clarity and brightness of this sake!

Finally, we were led to and entered a big refrigerator where Okunokami, the sake of a special brand of this brewery, was stored, and we found Okunokami of the brewery year 15 (BY15) there. Even the Sales Manager and Chief Brewer had not tasted yet and had no idea about its flavor.

Later in the day, in the reception room, we tasted some sakes of the brewery. Luckily, Mr. Tanaka included that BY15 Okunokami among the sakes to be tasted. The other sakes included nice sakes of the brewery such as Toshimaya Juemon Junmai Nakadori Genshu Nama, Toshimaya Juemon Junmai Nakadori Genshu (pasteurized), Okunokami Junmai Nakadori Muchosei Nama, Junmai Hiyaoroshi. Additionally, Mr. Tanaka brought us a kijoshu, which is a sake of a rare type. This kijoshu had been aged for 23 years in the bottle. I will write about this kijoshu in the section of "Today's Sake" later in this article.



Both Okunokami and Juemon taste massive but, at the same time, it has a fresh and flinty flavor. According to Chief Brewer Ishii, raising the rate of kome-koji makes sake taste rich and deep. Also, he said the sake of this brewery well represents the characteristics of Miyagi Kobo (Miyagi Yeast).

Today's Sake
23-year Aged Kijoshu (Toshimayashuzo)
Kijoshu is a sake of a special type. It is brewed by using sake instead of water in some steps during the brewing process.
I tried a sip of this 23-year old sake. It was a wonderful sake, tasted rich, deep, and mellow, and suggested much of amino acid. Before tasting this sake, I guessed it tasted strong because of its brewing method. However the taste was actually quite meaningful and enjoyable.

Sake Tasting Cup

Kikijoko refers to a cup used for tasting sake. It is a white porcelain cup with two indigo blue concentric circles pained inside on the bottom. These blue circles are useful to check the transparency or clarity of sake to be tested and the background white part is used to check the color of sake.



In this year, I got acquainted with a person who is a board member and the sales manager of a sake brewery in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. Then, I have visited this brewery already twice. In such a case, I was very naturally treated with their several premium sakes at the brewery. He provided me with a kikijoko, which seemed to hold over one go (180 ml) of sake. Probably, this kikijoko is used for professional sake tasting. The thin rim of the cup is convenient to sip a mouthful of sake.

By the way, I drove the car to the fifth station of Mt. Fuji on September 1, 2008. Then, on my way home from the mountain, I dropped in a sake brewery called Nakamura Shuzo, which is not very far from my home. The brewery is making Tokyo local sake with the brand name of "Chiyozuru" and is located close to the interchange of Akiruno on the Ken-odo Express Way. On the premises of the brewery, there is a small exhibition room named "Sakezukuri Shiryokan," where a lot of tools that were used for making sake before are displayed. The displayed articles include a rice steamer, sake pressing tank, small vats, brewing tank, yeast starter tank, koji-making containers.




In a corner, there is a shop selling sake-related items such as sake cups and sake made in this brewery. You can taste some of the sakes sold there. Unfortunately, since I was driving this time, I gave up sake-tasting. Instead, I bought a large kikijoko for myself.



This cup is heavier than the one I used at the brewery in Nagaoka City and the rim is apparently thicker. When I later consulted an on-line encyclopedia, I learned that there are kikijoko's for professional use and those for general use. the professional use kikijoko can be used for a national sake contest held by the National Tax Administration Agency. The kikijoko of this type is light in weight and has a thinner rim. In addition, it has thicker indigo blue circles on the bottom helping sake testers check the clarity of sake. Seemingly, the one I have bought is for general use.

Nonetheless, a large-sized kikijoko seems convenient for tasting sake. When using such a cup, you can taste and smell sake more precisely. You can sip quite a good amount of sake and the wide-open rim of the cup covers your nose to help you smell the aroma of sake.

Today's Sake
Asahiyama Senjuhai (Asahi Shuzo)
Niigara Prefecture is famous for flinty, crispy, and meaningful taste of its sake. Asahiyama Senjuhai is one of such sakes, but this honjozo sake is drier than the average. The briskness of this sake may be good to drink it warmed in cooler weather, but, for now, I drink it cold since it is still hot.
By the way, "NIIGATA O C" mark in the lower right on the back label represents "Niigata Original Control." This is a symbol mark given to a sake that satisfies certain criteria for the quality of water, rice, techniques, etc. used for brewing the sake.

Seimaibuai: 60%

Alcohol: 15 - 16%

Shishimai (Lion Dances)

August 16, my kimono ladies and I visited the small village called Sakai in Okutama Town, Tokyo to see shishimai (lion dances). These dances are dedicated to the god of the Shirahige Shrine in this village and, according to local residents, these dances mean their prayer for rich harvest, rain-making rituals, and things.

We drove the car westward on the Ome-kaido street, which runs along the JR Ome Line, passed by the Okutama Station, continued driving along the meandering road along the valley, and went through several tunnels. We took the left immediately before the bridge named "Sakai-bashi," pulled over the car on the road shoulder. The place where shishimai was being performed was just in a five-minute walking distance from the car. We walked across the bridge, took the right immediately after the bridge, proceeded in the paved road in mountain through the grove of cider or cypress.

Cicadas were buzzing, and, among the buzzing, we began to hear bamboo fifes playing a treble part. The fifes were sounding in the sky, which already exhibited a subtle nuance of autumn. As we were approaching the shishimai place, the sound of music was getting louder. After a short while, we found the two longer-than-is-wide banners of the shrine flying high in the wind on two long poles.



Soon, the road forked and we took the right-hand path, which is a steep downward slope leading to a small open space, where three lions were already dancing. The dance, however, was over in five minutes or so, and the band of performers walked out of the place marching in a row to the tune of fifes and drums. As we believed that they would soon come back and start another performance, we waited for it.

After a short break, the performance started again, and it continued for about 40 minutes. The three performers who were costumed as lions were moving vigorously. Although the performers were in a mountain zone, the blaze of the summer sun were torturing them ruthlessly. I was sure they were having a hard time in continuing the dance for 40 minutes without a respite.




By the way, the style of this performance is called sanbiki-shishimai (three-lion dance) and is generally accompanied by the music of bamboo fifes, drums, and sasara (musical instrument made of bamboo and is used to make rubbing sound). The drums were not so big that the performers could tie them to their waists with cord. They danced with beating the drums. "Tom-tom tom-tom," the drums made dry rhythmical sounds while the high note of the fifes shook the clear air of the mountain. Sasara made rasping sounds, which were somehow low-keyed but playing an important backseat role.

The simple phrases of the fifes and drums, which were played over and over, came into my brain through the ears until the phrases became able to automatically be played back in my brain endlessly even after the music stops. However, although the music was the simple repetition of the same phrases, it never made me sleepy, but it paralized some functions of my brain and deprived me of the sense of time elapse. This day, we intended to spend 30 minutes or so to see the performance, but we had been staying at this place for over 90 minutes when we noticed.


Today's Sake
Three Sakes Brewed by Using Ice Stalagmite Water of Kurobe
I bought the three sakes below after visiting the Tateyama and Tsurugi-dake Mountains of the North Japan Alps. All of these sakes are brewed by using the water of ice stalagmites that are formed in the Kanden Tunnel, which is used as the dedicated trolleybus route connecting the Ougizawa Station in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, and the Kurobe-dam Station in Tateyama Town, Nakashinkawa-gun, Toyama Prefecture. At midwinter, this water is frozen in a moment soon after springing up from the bedrock, and every drop of the water accumulates to form stalagmites. However big is such a stalagmite, it is mono-crystal and almost free from contained impurities.
- Dokutsu-no-shimpi Hyojunsui-jikomi (Daisekkeishuzo)
- Kurobe-no-hyojunsui-jikomi Kinrankurobe Junmaiginjo (Ichinoyashoten) Miyamanishiki 100%
- Hakubanishiki Junmai Karakuchi Genshu Hyojunsui-jikomi (Usuishoten) Miyamanishiki 100%
These one alcohol-added sake and two junmai-type sakes are common in their light and flinty flavors, and taste quite dry. I wonder such flavors originate in characteristics of the hyojunsui (ice stalagmite) water? It may quite a "strong water."

Fireworks Display in Nagaoka

August 3, My friend and I visited Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, to see fireworks. The city's fireworks are quite famous in Japan and some people say this fireworks display is the best in Japan. Anyway, we left home early in the morning, traveled to Nagaoka City by Shinkansen bullet train, got to the city shortly after 11 o'clock, visited a sake brewery, saw fireworks, got on a night train, and then came back in the morning of the next day. Somehow a forced march.

In front of the Nakagoka Station, I found this structure. What do you think this is? (See the end of this article for the answer.)


One of my friends living in this city drove to the station to pick up us. He took us to a sake brewery in the city. Actually, this brewery is operated by him and his family. There, we were treated to a good sake, daiginjo that this brewery entered in the new sake contest. This sake smelled brilliant and tasted mellow. Quite a nice sake although it was aged and, according to my friend, changed in its taste.

By the way, we used kikijoko, or sake-tasting cup, to enjoy this sake. I found that this cup is really big! It can even sufficiently contain a beer can.


Late in the afternoon, we moved to the dry riverbed of the Shinano River, where people could sit down to see fireworks. True to its reputation of the Japan's best firework display, there are so many people at the fireworks-viewing site. However, the riverbed of the Shinano River was too broad to completely be occupied by this many people, and I didn't feel so much that the site was "crowded."


Unlike fireworks display held in many other places in Japan, they can prepare many firework launching spots because they, I guess, can use a broad shore of the Shinano River. And, the sky of the Nagaoka City serves as a big screen for displaying large-scaled art of firework. In the end of the show, they blasted off big shots of fireworks into the sky in the entire field of vision from as many as five launching spots at the same time, and, moreover, this continued for a minute or several minutes (I didn't measure the exact time). I am sure this was the greatest fireworks I have ever seen!


When I watched these fireworks lying on my back, the blast sounds strongly hit my chest and penetrated it to reach the ground, and shocked the ground. Then the ground, I felt, shocked my body again from my back. Ineffable majestic power and excitement ran through my body.
This was really great fireworks. Although the photos below cannot convey the power of these fireworks as much as I felt, here I place them.


Well, we had some extra time after the fireworks display until our train left. So, quite naturally, we dropped in at an izakaya restaurant close to the station. It was quite a hot day, and chilled beer was nice!


Of course, when visiting Niigata, sake lovers must not fail to enjoy jizake (local sake). Actually, we ordered sake tasting sets.


Today's Sake
Daiginjo Hakkaisan (Hakkaijozo )
Sweet and mild taste
Junmai-daiginjo Rokuno-esshu (Asahishuzo)
Discree aroma and meaningful taste with complexity unlike other ordinary daiginjo sakes. They use a rice variety called Senshuraku for this sake. Does this complex taste originate in this rice?
Kubota Suiju (Asahi shuso)
Good aroma, clean-cut, and mellow taste


Answer: If you see this from the opposite side, you will find two fireworks launchers.

Drinking in Kawagoe City

June 10, a drinking party was held in a Japanese restaurant Kissen in Kawagoe city.

Many of the served dishes are those associated with Kawagoe city. Those foods included steamed sweet potato (Kawagoe is famous for its sweet potatoes) and baked eel served on a salter cracker that was seemingly the same type sold in the Kashiya Yokocho (confectionery side street) district in the city.

Speaking of Kawagoe, there is a sake brewery that making nice sake, which sake lovers should have a try of it. The brewery is Koedo Kagamiyama Shuzo Co., Ltd. and its sake is sold under the brand of "Kagamiyama." When I visited the city in February of this year, I had lunch in a Japanese restaurant there and had a chance to drink some sake of Saitama Prefecture including Kagamiyama. At that time, I became a Kagamiyama fan.

There was a sake brewery called Kagamiyama Shuzo in Kawagoe city before. This brewery had been established in 1875 and had continued operation until it closed its business in 2000. Then later, the successor of this brewery started making sake just last year as Koedo Kagamiyama Shuzo Co., Ltd.

http://www.kagamiyama.jp/index.html

I was so happy!


Today's Sake
Junmai Ginjo Kagamiyama Muroka Nama Genshu (Koedo Kagamiyama Shuzo)
In this spring, I found this sake being sold in a store that is under the direct operation of Koedo Kagamiyama Shudo in Kawagoe city. This sake is a limited product and, in this spring, only 500 bottles were being sold along with Junmai Kagamiyama Muroka Nama Genshu, the junmaishu version of this sake. Fortunately, I could again drink this sake this time. This must be one of the remaining valuable bottles stocked somewhere.

Junmai Ginjo Kagamiyama Muroka Nama Genshu (the second bottle from the left)

Enjoying Local Tokyo Sake

The Nishitama-meijo Club (excellent sake-brewer's club of Nishitama) held the 7'th Gathering for Enjoying Nishitama Sake and Sake Cups on Jun 7 in Akishima City, Tokyo. The club consists of four sake brewers: Ishikawa Brewery Co., Ltd. (Fussa City), Tamura Shuzoujou (Fussa City), Ozawa Shuzou Co., Ltd. (Ome City), and Nakamura Shuzou, Inc. (Akiruno City).

Besides producing sake "Tamajiman" and local beer "Tama-no-megumi," Ishikawa Brewery runs the Italian restaurant called "Fussa-no-birugoya" and Japanese restaurant "Zogura" in its premises. Since, fortunately, the brewery is located in a neighboring city of mine, I haunt these restaurants in a Holiday afternoon or evening to enjoy relaxing time in a tranquilizing atmosphere over fresh, unfiltered, unpasteurized beer or sake.

Shipping sake with the "Kasen" brand, Tamura Shuzoujou has recently started brewing and shipping sake of a new brand named "Tamura." "Tamura" enjoys nation-wide popularity, and I believe this sake deserves to be treated as a special one of Tokyo sake brands.

Ozawa Shuzou is brewing and shipping sake of the "Sawanoi" brand. This brewery is the largest sake brewer in Tokyo, shipping nearly 50% of all the sake shipped by Tokyo Sake Brewer's Association. In the western part of Tokyo, the brewery is located. It also runs Sawanoien and Mamagotoya, restaurants near the brewery, and I visit this place from time to time. From a resting place in Sawanoien, you can look down the stream of the Tama river, in which you may find people enjoying kayaks.

Nakamura Shuzou is located close to the Akiruno interchange of the Metropolitan Inter-city Highway (Ken-O-Do). Although I often drive a car on the road to which the gate of the brewery is facing, I have never gone through this gate. The buildings in the premises seem admirable and I would like to visit this place in the not-too-distant future. I quite appreciate the ability of this brewery although its name recognition may not be so strong as those of Sawanoi and Tamajiman. Actually, the brewery boasts frequent winning of gold prizes in National New Sake Tasting Competitions.

By the way, the Gathering for Enjoying Nishitama Sake and Sake Cups was held in the Akishima Citizen's Exchange Center. This place was a little bit difficult to find, although being located as close to the JR Nakagami station as it takes about 10minutes on foot. We needed to wander a while and ask a passerby for the correct way before reaching the destination.

This time also, of course, I was accompanied by kimono
ladies. :-)



On this day, they provided about 20 different types of sake under the themes of namazake and ginjoshu along with nice dishes. I tasted 13 types including 4 dai-ginjoshu types from the four different breweries.



Also, I must tell you that since this was the "Gathering for Enjoying Nishitama Sake and Sake Cups," the participants, of course, enjoyed sake cups, too. Many sake cups in different colors and different shapes created by a craft potter were sold at the entrance, each participant was supposed to choose one and buy it. During the gathering, they used their own cups to enjoy Nishitama sake.

In this connection, I bought the sake cup shown in the photo below. I like the rough and crude touch of this cup.




In the photo below, the four white cups are sake tasting cups of the four breweries, which were brought into the venue by my friend Ms. N and are personal belongings of her. The other one is the sake cup of her own choice. It has a beautiful green glassy part inside at the bottom.




Ms. K chose this one. Unfortunately, she left it behind at the venue. The white and green two-tone design was nice.



Frankly speaking, it is difficult to say that sake products produced in Tokyo are comparable to national top-level sake. Nonetheless, since they are sake of my own locality, I feel attached to them. Probably, this is because of my love for my locality. I hope that all the brewers in Tokyo continue to produce good sake.