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Today’s Topic

 Sake is loved by everyone and enjoyed in a variety of situations. Sake is also beloved as a drink of good luck at weddings, New Year's, and family gatherings, as well as when it is offered to the gods at shrines. Why is sake considered sacred? And what are the differences between current and ancient sake brewing practices?

Sake is a way to connect with God.

As you know, sake is made from rice, rice koji, and water. Rice cultivation began in Japan about 2,000 years ago during the Yayoi period, and sake brewing is said to have been born at about the same time. 

At that time, the science of fermentation and the existence of microorganisms had not yet been confirmed, and sake brewers believed that the act of sake-brewing was not performed artificially by humans, but by an unseen force of nature, or God.
Therefore, sake made by God was treated as something sacred and special, pure and close to the realm of the divine.

Drinking alcoholic beverages causes people to become "intoxicated," regardless of individual differences. The term "drunkenness" refers to the state of heightened consciousness caused by alcohol in the bloodstream and a different state of mind than normal.

It is said that people in ancient times regarded this physical change of getting drunk as a trance state and used alcohol in Shinto rituals with the implication that getting drunk would bring one closer to the realm of the gods and make one with the gods.

The attitude that regards the mysterious power of alcohol as sacred is deeply embedded in modern Shinto rituals.

 In Part 2, I will write about the surprising brewing methods of sake in the ancient times. Stay tuned for the next blog!