{"id":3701,"date":"2022-03-05T21:20:35","date_gmt":"2022-03-05T12:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcadia-kanko.jp\/?post_type=omiki&p=3701"},"modified":"2022-08-30T22:35:49","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T13:35:49","slug":"omiki-project5","status":"publish","type":"omiki","link":"https:\/\/arcadia-kanko.jp\/en\/omiki\/2022\/03\/3701\/","title":{"rendered":"OMIKI PROJECT#5\u3000\uff0f\u3000Suzuki Brewery Shop\u00d7Yu Nagaba"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sake brewing
\nRooted in the people,
\nLand and climate<\/h2>\n
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Shrines of the Okitama region, Japanese sake, and art come together for the OMIKI Project.
\nFor the fifth installation, Nagai City\u2019s Suzuki Brewery Shop in Nagai and illustrator Yu Nagaba collaborate.
\nThey valued the connection with the people and relationship with the community, and created an earnestly brewed sake and honest bottle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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An Honest and Earnest Bottle of Sake
\nfor the People<\/h3>\n

Suzuki Brewery Shop started a long time ago in Namie, Fukushima. The brewery can be traced back to the Edo Period when they were a shipping agent business. There are records of them receiving permission from the Soma Domain to make doburoku (unrefined) sake and producing sake between 1830 \u2013 1843. There were many people who lived in the shipping trade region of Ukedo who relied heavily on the luck of the sea. The work they pursued was dangerous. Suzuki\u2019s Brewery\u2019s representative brand \u2018Iwaki Kotobuki\u2019 was loved for its name and flavor. It was known as sailor\u2019s sake and celebratory sake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That all suddenly changed in March of 2011. The establishment was swept away by The Great East Japan Earthquake. Due to it being only 7 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the accident that area was designated as a temporary hazard zone. Being forced to evacuate, Chief Brewer and CEO Suzuki Daisuke left for his family in Yonezawa. He pained everyday over the loss of his brewery and the rice farmers who lived there. \u201cThe sudden loss of people close to me and the time I had with them left me with a feeling of despair. I didn\u2019t want to think about brewing sake for a while,\u201d reflected Mr. Suzuki. With the memories of lost ones in heart, he decided to push forward.<\/p>\n

Mr. Suzuki began to feel his passion for sake making resurface when he learned that the yeast he used in his old brewery was at a research center in Fukushima. Yamagata Prefecture\u2019s Sake Makers Association introduced Nagai City\u2019s Toyo Brewery to Mr. Suzuki. He purchased a sake brewery from them and established Suzuki Brewery Shop in Nagai. A new chapter began.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Using Clean, Soft Water
\nAnd Local Rice<\/h3>\n

At Suzuki Brewery Shop in Nagai, they use water that flows deep underground, and locally produced sake rice from Nagai. Excluding midsummer, they brew sake three seasons of the year, Careful minute preparations make the best use of water and rice. \u201cI have always felt that Nagai\u2019s water is wonderful,\u201d says Suzuki. \u201cUsing local rice and water is the best for brewing sake.\u201d \u2018IWAKIKOTOBUKI JUNMAIDAIGINNJO\u2019, which was born from this project, uses natural yeast as well as shizukudori methods to produce a high-quality daiginjo. Shizukudori is a method to filter the sake from the fermentation mash that has been put into a sack. The sack is tied up to allow the sake to drip and filter through the fabric. Depending on the preservation conditions, the sake can be stored for 5 to 10 years. In that way, it is like a vintage wine. This one bottle harbors the ideals of Mr. Suzuki. \u201cWhile honestly expressing the pure quality of the water and rice, we will pursue the potential of sake,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A Story told by a Single Line<\/h3>\n

Suzuki Brewery Shop in Nagai and Nagaba Yu\u2019s collaboration was held online due to the effects of Covid-19. The process of the artist going to the brewery, experiencing the atmosphere, and sharing drinks with the chief brewery was not possible, so they had to rely on their imagination and conversations to make sure they did not lose each other in their ideas.
\nMr. Nagaba created a label from the conversations he had with Mr. Suzuki. The label for \u2018IWAKIKOTOBUKI JUNMAIDAIGINJO\u2019 was inspired by a tale of grief called \u2018The Legend of Unohana Princess\u2019 told in Nagai City. The label expanded on the imagery of this legend. \u201cI thought it\u2019d be more interesting if the label made you think, \u2019Is she sad? Is she thinking? What is she feeling?\u2019 So, she has this complicated expression,\u201d says Mr. Nagaba. Just as he says, the striking label uses simple linework to portray a woman with a hard-to-read expression. \u201cIf she was smiling, then it would just be taken at face value. But I thought if I drew her with no expression, then the people looking would be lured to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In regards to the unique bottle of sake, Mr. Suzuki expresses his gratitude, \u201cThe label is very like Mr. Nagaba. I think he took a good look at Nagai. In the legend, the body of the princess was thrown into the river. That river is now our source of water. The rice, the water.. everything is connected. I\u2019m glad the illustration gives a sense of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Yu Nagaba Gallery<\/h3>\n

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Nagaba Yu<\/h4>\n

Artist. Born in Tokyo in 1976. Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University, Department of Design. Activities stretch over a wide range of fields, including magazines, books, advertisements, and collaborations with various brands. Previous works include collaborations with UNIQLO, ASICS, G-SHOCK, BEAMS, as well as illustrations for various clients such as Magazine House, RIMOWA, Technics, Spotify, Universal Music, and Monocle, both domestically and internationally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About the OMIKI Project<\/h3>\n

At the Yamagata Arcadia Tourism Bureau, as part of the Toyo Arcadia Project for developing omiyage (souvenirs) for the Yamagata area, we aim to promote the local area to the world through the uniquely Japanese culture, sake. Local breweries and world acknowledged graphic artists pair together to pray for the success of sake making, and develop original Japanese sake. We promote the \u201cOMIKI Project\u201d by selling omiyage. The project is to sell, develop, and promote \u201cOMIKI\u201d as high-brand \u201cSAKE\u201d to the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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