Sake Nation “Noto Peninsula Earthquake and Sake Breweries ③”
By Kosuke Kuji
Every sake brewery prepares sake mash in January, the best season to brew sake. Unfortunately, sake breweries destroyed by a shindo (seismic intensity) 7 (MJMA7.6, Mw7.5) earthquake on the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Seismic Intensity Scale were left with no means to preserve their sake mash.
Sake mash contains live microorganisms. Shata Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Shiraishi city, Ishikawa prefecture), producer of “Tengumai” sake, was also evacuated due to the earthquake, yet led a mission to recover sake mash in Noto Peninsula to preserve and squeeze the sake mash in another brewery of Ishikawa prefecture. Shata Shuzo was also evacuated, although the damage sustained was not as serious compared to the destruction in Noto Peninsula. Still, the conviction and willingness of one sake brewery to help another sake brewery in times of distress, and the tight bond shared between sake breweries in the Hokuriku region were deeply moving to witness and filled my heart with enormous respect for everyone involved in the recovery effort.
Despite the serious risks associated with entering a destroyed brewery, such risks were disregarded to recover as much sake mash as possible, relocate the mash to a brewery with minor damage, and squeeze the sake mash to brew sake.
Special tax provisions for natural disasters were filed immediately with both public and private support to recover as much sake mash as possible from Noto Peninsula.
The miracle sake mash that survived the earthquake and the miracle sake brewed from this miraculously saved sake mash will no doubt play a vital role in future reconstruction efforts.
酒豪大陸「能登半島沖地震と酒蔵③」
1月の酒蔵でもろみの無い蔵などありません。それほど酒造りに最高の季節なのです。そこに震度7の地震がおきて、建物が倒壊したら、もうもろみはどうする事も出来ません。
もろみは生きています。このもろみを何とか救出して同じ石川県内の蔵でしぼれないか、同じく被災している石川県白山市の天狗舞さんを中心に、能登の蔵のもろみ救出作戦がはじまりました。被害の深刻さは能登ほどでは無いにせよ、それでも同じ被災者の蔵元です。それなのに人の蔵のために動ける北陸の蔵の絆と強い心と魂に心から敬意を持ちました。
倒壊した蔵に入るのはとても危ないのに、その危険を顧みず、救えるもろみを出来るだけ救い出して、被害の少ない蔵に移動してしぼり酒にする。
災害の特例でなければ出来ない税務上の処置もすぐに出て、官民で支援して、能登の蔵のもろみは全部ではありませんが救われたものも多くありました。
震災から生き残った奇跡のもろみ、奇跡の酒。これが、この後の復興に大きな力をくれるはずです。