The history of sake is said to have started when rice farming became widespread during the Yayoi period
The history of sake is said to have started when rice farming became widespread during the Yayoi period (400 BC~300 AD) and produced rice.
Earthenware from the Jomon Period (14,000 BC~1,000 BC) excavated from the mountains of Nagano prefecture in 1956 contained wild grape seeds, indicating wine was the first beverage consumed in ancient Japan, not sake.
Sake brewing started between the 5th~10th century BC during the Yayoi period (400 BC to 300 AD), when rice farming was adapted. Sake during this time was produced by chewing rice in the mouth, returning the chewed rice into a vessel, then fermenting the chewed rice, a method called “kuchikami sake” (“mouth-chewed sake”).
Also, sake brewing is said to have started as a task performed by shrine maidens.
Kuchikami sake produced during this period is thought to be the origin of the current sake brewing process. Kuchikami sake is produced by chewing starchy food (like rice or grain) in the mouth to generate saliva. Amylase enzyme in the saliva converts starch into sugar, and wild yeast ferments the sugar to produce alcohol.
As rice farming became widespread, rice is offered to deities as an expression of gratitude for the rice harvested each year. I also received some leftover sake served as an offering for rice harvested this year.
Although the tradition of kuchikami sake is no longer practiced in Japan, this tradition remained in Okinawa until Awamori became popular.
日本酒の歴史は、弥生時代から稲作が軌道にのり、お米が出来て始まったと言われているが、
Earthenware from the Jomon Period (14,000 BC~1,000 BC) excavated from the mountains of Nagano prefecture in 1956 contained wild grape seeds, indicating wine was the first beverage consumed in ancient Japan, not sake.
Sake brewing started between the 5th~10th century BC during the Yayoi period (400 BC to 300 AD), when rice farming was adapted. Sake during this time was produced by chewing rice in the mouth, returning the chewed rice into a vessel, then fermenting the chewed rice, a method called “kuchikami sake” (“mouth-chewed sake”).
Also, sake brewing is said to have started as a task performed by shrine maidens.
Kuchikami sake produced during this period is thought to be the origin of the current sake brewing process. Kuchikami sake is produced by chewing starchy food (like rice or grain) in the mouth to generate saliva. Amylase enzyme in the saliva converts starch into sugar, and wild yeast ferments the sugar to produce alcohol.
As rice farming became widespread, rice is offered to deities as an expression of gratitude for the rice harvested each year. I also received some leftover sake served as an offering for rice harvested this year.
Although the tradition of kuchikami sake is no longer practiced in Japan, this tradition remained in Okinawa until Awamori became popular.
日本酒の歴史は、弥生時代から稲作が軌道にのり、お米が出来て始まったと言われているが、
1956年に長野県の山の中から縄文時代の土器が出土した。その中には山葡萄の種が入っていて、日本で最初に飲まれていたのは日本酒ではなく、ワインだったらしいことが分かった。
日本酒造りが始まったのは、稲作が伝来した弥生時代の紀元前5~10世紀で、この頃のお酒はお米を口に入れ噛んだものを一度容器に移し、そのお米を発酵させて造っていた。この方法で造られたお酒を「口噛み酒」と言う。また、酒造りは巫女の仕事として始まったのではないかとされてる。
この頃に作られていた口噛み酒は、現在の日本酒の起源にもなったと考えられているが、お酒が出来る原理は、デンプンを持つ食物を口に入れて噛むことで、唾液中のアミラーゼがデンプンを糖化させ、野生酵母が糖を発酵させることでアルコールが生まれる。
稲作が発展し今年も米ができたことを感謝し、神に献上し、そのおこぼれをいただいた。
現在では、口噛み酒の文化は日本では残っていないが、沖縄では泡盛が普及するまで口噛み酒が残っていたようだ。