Kusu Rice: A Tradition Packed in Every White Grain

Shiomusubi Made with Freshly Cooked Rice

“Rice is at its best when eaten as shiomusubi (salted rice balls),” says Sachiko Anai, as she shakes salt onto her hands and grabs a scoop of steamed rice. When I bite into the hot rice ball, my mouth is filled with its glutinous texture and sweet taste that becomes even sweeter as I chew. Have I ever had rice as good as this?

Another specialty of Anai’s is kasujiru, which is a soup with a generous amount of sakekasu (sake lees – sake sediment made from rice) made by Kamenoi Sake Brewery, locally grown shiitake mushrooms, root vegetables and homemade miso (bean paste). The comforting soup made with plenty of sakekasu warms up my whole body. As a farm owner,　Anai “would like people to appreciate the delightful taste of the Kusu rice, which is our vital lifeline.”

Japan: A Land of Abundant Rice

Japanese food culture is based on a rice diet. Kojiki, the oldest book on Japanese history, mentions “a land of abundant rice in Toyoashihara,” which means a land where ears of rice grow in abundance just like a field full of reeds. Indeed, rice has a significant meaning in Japan.

For example, rice harvested in two paddies – one from an eastern, and the other from a western, prefecture – is presented at the Daijosai, an important imperial enthronement ritual that has its origin in the seventh century. The emperor himself conducts this ritual in which he eats the rice in communion with the Shinto gods and prays for the peace of his country and its people as well as for a bountiful harvest. As you can see, rice in Japan not only sustains people’s diet but also plays an important role in its history and at religious ceremonies.

Rice Presented to the Daijosai During the Heisei Era (1989-2019)

About thirty years ago, Kusu rice won instant fame when Kusu was chosen as the sukiden (a rice paddy from a western prefecture). The rice grown carefully under the watchful eye of the police was presented in various rituals before finally being devoted to the Daijosai. Photos of this process are kept at Taki Shinto Shrine in Kusu, and an annual ritual to pray for a good harvest takes place on June 14, the day when the rice planting ceremony took place at the sukiden for the Daijosai.

Secrets of the Great Taste, Be It Hot or Cold

Kusu residents are proud not only of the history of their rice but also of its rich, flavorful taste. Hitomebore, one of Kusu rice varieties, has won the top Super A rank for three consecutive years. Takayoshi Eto, who oversees the sales and distribution of Kusu rice at JA Kusu Kokonoe, describes their rice as sweet and tasty whether it is hot or not.

“You can see that the surface of the grains is silky smooth. Rice grains usually have fine cracks on their surface, and the flavor escapes through them. This causes an unpleasant smell when the rice cools down. Our Kusu rice tastes great even when it is no longer hot because its flavor is sealed inside the grains. The difference is obvious when packed in a lunch box or made into rice balls.”

It is the unique geography and water of this town that make Kusu rice retain its flavor even when it is no longer hot. Kusu Town has an unusual terrain in that spring water flows into its fertile red soil from the surrounding mountains, and the basin climate of the area that causes seasonal temperature variations creates an optimum environment for growing high-quality rice.

“Phantom Sake” Born from Kusu Rice

Sake is an essential part of the Kusu rice culture. I had an opportunity to visit Kamenoi Sake Brewery, as I mentioned earlier when I described the kasujiru. This brewery was founded during the Edo era (1603-1868) and is the only remaining sake brewery in Kusu. Its flagship product is called Daiginjo (premium sake) Genkame, a popular brand which used to be called “phantom sake” because of its scarcity. “Unfortunately, we make this brand only in a limited quantity,” says an apologetic Takehito Nagano, the thirteenth-generation heir of the brewery.

Daiginjo Paired with Food

Nagano says that pairing good sake with good food is the best way to enjoy it: “Fruity desert-type daiginjo is trendy these days, but our sake has a modest aroma and should be paired with food. Pairng brings the best out of it while it may not make much of a statement when drunk alone.” Then what kind of pairing does he suggest? “Our sake usually goes well with sashimi or nitsuke (fish simmered in sauce), but my favorite is anko (sweet bean paste used for Japanese confections). Try it with our sake and see how good it is.”

Japanese Sake is a Regular at Drinking Parties in Kusu

According to Shinya Yoshizumi, the owner of Yoshizumi Liquor Store in Kusu Town, Daiginjo Genkame is popular at his store, but local people seem to prefer more reasonably priced ordinary sake for everyday drinking. He adds, “BYOB (bring-your-own-booze) has been common for a long time at drinking parties in our town. People would bring inexpensive ordinary sake instead of daiginjo or pure rice sake. A lot of Green bottles of Kamenoi’s ordinary sake show up often on those occasions.”

The Only Remaining Yamahai in Kyushu

Another type of sake that Kamenoi Brewery is taking very seriously is called Yamahai Shikomi, which is produced through a traditional process using yeast made from natural lactic acid bacteria. According to Nagano, this time-consuming process involves a high risk of failure but yields strong-flavored sake.

Nagano says, “We have been making Yamahai continuously since olden days. It used to be made at sake breweries throughout the country but died out as simpler methods became available. About twenty years ago, however, Yamahai made a comeback when the superior taste of the Yamahai-based sake set off a boom. The breweries came to get recipes from us because they wanted to revive this old method. At that time, there was no one else who was still making it.”

Sixteen Seconds with Well Water at 8ºC

Let’s see how sake is made at Kamenoi Brewery. First, rice is washed with fresh underground water abundantly available in Kusu: “We wash rice for sixteen seconds with water at 8ºC, and then we soak it in water for eight minutes. It is important to adjust temperatures and time so that the rice does not absorb too much water. The water we use is drawn from the well we have been using since the Edo era.” After being soaked, the rice is steamed for about one hour.

Round-the-Clock Vigil for Three Days

The next step is to make koji (aspergillus oryzae). Koji is made from steamed rice in a storeroom called koji muro (room), where lactic acid bacteria that occur naturally in this room are added to the rice. Since the rice must be mixed every few hours, the workers need to stay awake during the entire process: “After the rice is placed in the koji muro, the process goes on for three full days and until 4 o’clock of the following morning. We may decide to keep it going for three extra hours if koji doesn’t appear to form as intended. It’s a very tough job.”

Fermentation for Twenty-Five Days to Three Months

When the rice turns to koji, shubo (mother of sake – a yeast starter) is made from the koji, and then shubo, koji, steamed rice, and water are all put into a tank to be fermented together. This fermentation process takes anywhere between twenty-five days and almost three months. When the fermentation is complete, moromi (sake mash) from the tank is pressed to separate it from liquid called raw sake. As is often required, the raw sake undergoes further processes – including pasteurization – before becoming a finished product.

Rice and Water Determine the Taste

Nagano says, “Sake made with handmade koji is rather rare anywhere in Japan. There are easier ways to make it – by using enzymes instead of koji or by making koji through an automated process. That would leave me enough time to sleep, but I have found out that sake made that way doesn’t taste as good. My father taught me that our products are like the product of multiplication – if there is zero somewhere along the way, what we get at the end is also zero. That’s why I can’t afford to cut corners.”

Nagano emphasizes that the quality of sake is determined by rice and water. He sticks to his principles by commissioning a local farmer to produce rice specifically for sake making. He adds, “I have asked the farmer to remove the over-fertilized soil because rice for sake making is different from rice for eating. One other important thing is that we also have excellent water in Kusu. Great rice and great water are the ingredients for great sake.”

Delicious rice and sake are born with the blessings of the distinctive geography, climate, and water. Visitors to Kusu would certainly appreciate its rice culture packed with the natural characteristics of this town.