The Natural Organic Japanese Sake Brewery“TTeerraaddaa HHoonnkkee”

Terada Honke has brewed sake for more than 340 years in Kozaki; the‘Town of Brewage’ located in Chiba Prefecture
87.5km to the northeast of Tokyo.
We make naturally brewed sake using organic rice, with the help of
the yeasts and various microorganisms involved in sake making. In contrast
to the modern mechanized sake brewage, all the work is done manually. We
make our sake according to the ancient Kimoto method (a way to ferment withwild microorganisms taking plenty of time) which most sake brewers today
have stopped practicing. The only ingredients are rice, water and koji malt(steamed rice inoculated with starch-breaking molds). Our sake is madefollowing the law of nature, borrowing the help of the natural microorganisms
inhabiting the air within the old walls of the brewery.
The characteristics of our sake:
1. The yeasts and bacteria are the principal characters of our sake making.
We only be sure that the microorganisms ferment in the best ofconditions. Brewed following the ancient Kimoto Method.
2. Organic ingredients and additive-free.
3. We work enjoying ourselves; the sake is brewed while the workers singsongs Transmit our joy to the sake.
4. Our aim is to brew sake that serves the customer: organic, naturally
brewed and healthy - Based on the old Japanese saying that “Sake ishealthier than hundred medicines”(Hyakuyaku no Cho).
Our way of sake making is as follows:

1. Growing the rice
Sake brewing begins from making the rice. We have our own 4,000m² rice field, where we
cultivate pesticide and herbicide-free rice. We are also challenging in the recovery of
old indigenous species of rice of this area. Apart from our own rice fields, we have 10
local farms growing rice for our sake; they are all practicing organic farming, but eachhas its own originality in their natural rice cultivation, such as rice duck farming (amethod where ducks are freed in the rice fields, to let them eat the weeds and the bugs)
and non-tilled cropping (Rice is cropped without ever tilling the soil).

2. Washing and soaking the rice
The milled rice is washed by hand, then soaked in water in order to be steamed the following
morning in a large wooden vat.
The steamed rice is then moved into particular chambers according to different purposes- all the work is done manually.

3. Koji-malt making
Koji is malted rice. It is steamed rice covered with white koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae)on its surface. The main role of the mold is to produce enzymes that break the starchesof rice into sugars, which then can be fermented by the yeast into alcohol.
Steamed rice is brought into a special chamber, where it is sprinkled with the spores ofthe mold and cultivated for 50 hours maintaining certain temperature and humidity, until
the mold is entirely grown on the rice. Koji making is one of the most important stagesof the entire brewing process, and it has a great influence in the taste and aroma of theproduced sake.

4. Yeast starter (Shubo)
The word Shubo, when written in Japanese kanji characters means, ‘The mother of sake’.
This shows how important it is.
Before the ingredients of the sake are prepared in the main tank, koji malt, steamed rice
and water are poured into a smaller tank, where the yeasts and lactic acid bacteria arecultured in order to help healthy fermentation. The role of the lactic acid bacteria isto produce natural acids which protect and help the growth of the yeasts. Today, mostsake-brewers in Japan take the method of adding chemically synthesized lactic acid, andpurely cultured yeasts in the starter. At Terada Honke, we practice the traditional way
called ‘Kimoto method’; where we wait for the wild yeasts and microorganisms to float innaturally.
The rice-koji mash is then stirred up a number of times all night long, by men singing
the ancient song of brewers. The Kimoto method is an amazing process in which various
microorganisms take turns and work together in perfect harmony, to finally produce thesake. This method is said to have began more than 300 years ago.

5. Main mash (Moromi) Fermentation  Pressing
When the yeast starter (shubo) is ready, it is moved into a larger tank, and more riceand more koji malt are added in three successive stages. The main mash is stirred everyday,
and fermentation takes place over 30days. The complete mash (moromi) is then poured into
cloth sacks and pressed to gain the fresh sake.
It is left to be matured for over a year before it is bottled.

Teradahonke Co.,Ltd.
〒289－0221 Chiba-ken Katori-gun Kozaki-machi Kozakihonjuku1964
TEL ＋81（478）72-2221

FAX ＋81（478）72-3828

https://www.teradahonke.co.jp/ Email info@teradahonke.co.jp