Brewery Hierarchy - Sake Making Structure

As the New Year brings a sake drinking season to us all, Andy and Jim take a moment to think about the people who make it and the system that keeps the brewery pumping. From toji to kurabito, the roles in a sake brewery all play an important part in keeping our tokkuri filled. Listen in for the inside story. Kanpai!

Vocab for this episode

Kanzukuri 寒造り - The system of sake brewing during the cold seasons imposed by government edict in the Edo period.

Kashira 頭 - Literally “head,” the second highest rank in a traditional organization, such as a sake brewery.

Kōhai 後輩 - A relative rank referring to any member of a group junior to the speaker.

Kurabito 蔵人 - The general term for the workers in a sake brewery without specific title. Ranked sometimes into Jō (upper) Chuu (middle) and Shita (lower) levels.

Motoya 酛屋 - The person in charge of making the moto fermentation starter.

Muroya　室屋 - The person in charge of making kōji in the kōjimuro.

Oya or Oyabun 親・親分 - Literally “parent/father,” used as a term of address for people high up in a traditional organization, like a sake brewery.

Sanyaku 三役 - The three major ranks/roles of a traditional organization, most commonly used these days in reference to the Sumo ranks of Ozeki, Sekiwaki, and Komusubi. In sake brewing, these are the Kashira, Muroya, and Motoya.

Sendō 船頭 - The person in charge of pressing (traditionally a fune press). 

Senpai 先輩 - A relative rank referring to any member of a group senior to the speaker.

Shain 社員 - The general word for a full time, permanent employee of a company. Replacing the traditional brewery structure of the tōji system.

Sōtōji 総杜氏 - Overall tōji. In sake companies with more than one brewery, and so more than one tōji, the top of them all who coordinates all the sake production.

Recommendations:

Andy - Ozasaya Taketsuru Kimoto Junmai Genshu

Jim - Kenbishi Kuromatsu 

Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive 

Also, check out Andy’s websites at: https://www.originsake.com/ and https://www.originsaketours.com

And buy Jim’s book, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake wherever you order your books (print and ebook available)!

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