Press Release

May 30, 2024
Keio University

Sake Project to Inherit the Sake from an Old Brewery Destroyed byEarthquake to Develop a New Brewery—Keio University Collaborates with Local Sake Breweries and Fukushima
University on Food Chain Demonstration Research from Production to Sales—
The Centre for Finance, Technology and Economics at Keio (FinTEK) (Director: Teruo Nakatsuma)
and the Center for Social Innovation in Market Design (SIMDI) (Director: Morimitsu Kurino),
both affiliated with the Institute of Economic Studies, the Faculty of Economics, Keio University,
the Institute of Brewing and Fermentation (Director: Tsukasa Matsuda) at Fukushima Universityand Kinsuisho Sake Brewery Co. Ltd. will start a food chain verification study that covers theprocess from brewing to sales, in which sake from a damaged brewery will be used to brew aged
sake at a new brewery. This will allow them to inherit the history and spirit of the old brewery
and promote sales by adding one-of-a-kind value to the sake.

1. Background of Research
When a sake brewery is devastated by a large-scale disaster and has to relocate, it is vitally
important to know how to pass on the history and spirit of the old brewery to the new one.
Kinsuisho Sake Brewery was founded in 1895 and was the only sake brewery in Fukushima City,
the capital of Fukushima Prefecture. Although the brewery had a long history, after it collapsed
due to the 2022 Fukushima earthquake, it was relocated to Arai, Fukushima City.
In this project, we will start a food chain verification study that covers brewing to sales, in whichsake from a damaged brewery will be used to brew aged sake at the new brewery. This will allow
us to inherit the history and spirit of the old brewery and promote sales by adding one-of-a-kindvalue to the sake.
2. Content of Research and Future Developments
In this project, sake produced at the old brewery will be used to brew sake at the new brewery.
Keio University will develop the demonstration of the sales of aged sake. FinTEK and Kinsuisho
will develop the first digital asset of aged sake by using NFTs (1). In addition, SIMDI will develop
a sales platform based on auction theory and establish a system to sell the aged sake at a fair
price.
Fukushima University will carry out research on brewing. In order to preserve the quality of sakefrom the old brewery, the team will work with Kinsuisho to produce ginjo style aged sake using aginjo yeast that does not easily form hineka (old aroma) (2) even after storage. Sake made with thisyeast(3) is expected to be an aged sake that does not deteriorate easily even after storage.

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3. Special Notes
1) NFT
Non-Fungible Token, a mechanism that uses blockchain technology. In this project, NFTs canguarantee that the aged sake is a unique asset. NFTs are considered effective for managing anddistributing items such as aged sake that are stored for long periods of time.
2) Hineka
The term used to refer to the entire range of aroma components that increase with the storage ofsake, but nowadays, among the aromas that increase with ageing, the favorable aroma isreferred to as maturing aroma, while the undesirable deteriorated smell is called senko. Old
aroma is a serious problem of ginjo sake and matured sake, as it greatly impairs the quality of
the finished product.
3) This project will use yeasts that are less likely to produce old aroma when matured sake isstored. This yeast was developed through joint research by the National Institute of Brewing
Science and Nippon Mori Co. In addition to being effective in controlling deteriorating odors
caused during distribution, etc., it is also thought to be effective in the production of matured
sake. Professor Tsutomu Fujii of the Faculty of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fukushima
University is involved in the project, and the ginjo yeast was distributed on a trial basis by theJapan Brewers Association earlier this year.
*Please direct any requests or inquires to the contact information provided below.
・Inquiries about research
Wakuo Saito (Research Fellow)
Centre for Finance, Technology and Economics at Keio (FinTEK)
Institute for Economic Studies at Keio University
E-mail: goldcrystal1@keio.jp
・Inquiries about press release
Keio University Office of Communications and Public Relations (Ms. Toyoda)
Tel: +81-3-5427-1541 Fax: +81-3-5441-7640 Email: m-pr@adst.keio.ac.jp
https://www.keio.ac.jp/2/2