The kimono is an image of tradition. In it it is a living, not an obsolete past, because it is an active creation of the present in the age of human wealth. Tradition is the spiritual stability and continuity, holding together the metamorphoses of the search for perfection.

The kimono is a manifestation of the wisdom of beauty, love, striving for the integrity of existence. That is why the kimono is cut without cutting and sewn only with straight crucibles. Nothing should be waved or distorted, so as not to damage the all-encompassing harmony, so as not to distort the gaze. Love is the fullest manifestation of paganism, it rounds, embraces and connects. That is why parents transmit their love, positive energy and morality through the clothes of their children. Thus they seem to envelop them in their tenderness, clothe them in their protection, and keep them pure and sublime.

The transmission of the garment from generation to generation is more than a ritual, the family image is woven into it, the family history is imbued. The kimono, inherited over time, preserves the wisdom and experience of those who wore it. Through it, the individual finds his original personal appearance, achieves his own unique style, as the garment remembers the uniqueness of human destiny.

There is no fashion in the kimono. Once made, the garment is not redesigned - it is an act of contemplation of the impermanence in the transient creation of the fabric, a stagnation in the graceful immutability of the value. The uninterrupted flow of life is controlled by the organic community between ancestors and heirs. Wearing a kimono is an art that reflects the character of the person, it elevates the spirit and emphasizes its beauty embodied in exquisite manners. By dressing and sharing the tradition, the spiritual path of morality is captured, inherited, each generation brings its tribute to it and enriches it.

The kimono tells the feminine beauty in the elegance and serenity of benevolence. Despite its splendor, it is never flashy, but devoted to hint and restraint. For the Japanese world, the distinguishing feature of the feminine is above all delicacy and finesse. For this reason, the only part of the body that remains uncovered is the neck from the back in a deep neckline. The length and curve of the neck are judged by the beauty, the neckline catches the eye in the mysterious memory of the erotic.

The Jomon period is the time from prehistoric Japan from about 16,500 to about 2,300 BC. when Japan was inhabited by a culture of hunter-gatherers, it reached a considerable degree of lodging and cultural entanglement. The term "with scar marks" is translated into Japanese as "Jomon". The pottery from the time of the first phase of the Jomon culture is decorated with a string imprint on the surface of the wet clay. Pottery dating back to about 16,000 years ago appears to be the second oldest in the world after the discovery in China.

This vessel, shown in the picture, is dated to 13000 BC, considered to be one of the earliest examples of sedentary culture; such vessels are usually made by women.

Japanese calligraphy is called "shodo". It is one of the most popular fine arts in Japan, and calligraphic works are valued throughout painting.

There is nothing superfluous or accidental in the completed calligraphic work. There is a certain order when writing the elements on the rice paper with a bamboo brush and ink. For each line and point with an important beginning, direction, shape and end; the balance between the elements is important; the space between the elements is important; the relationship between "simple" and "elegant" is important. The creator must be both maximally focused and spontaneous in the performance.

White paper contains a philosophical meaning of emptiness. The black signs on a white background carry the breakdown of "yin" and "yang" - the feminine and masculine.

Calligraphy is part of the practice of children's Buddhism - such as ikebana, tea ceremony - a child, kendo - sword fencing and other Japanese martial arts such as karate and aikido. It is a kind of meditation, a path to knowledge. The most prominent martial arts masters have studied calligraphy and tea ceremonies for as long as martial arts.

In the past, calligraphy was a privilege for Japanese aristocrats and samurai. Today it is available to anyone, even in Bulgaria, who is interested in Jen Buddhism and Japanese culture in general.

Practice Jen Buddhism believe that the hieroglyph has a sacred meaning, because the script of the East is considered to be sent from Heaven. Therefore, the calligrapher guarantees his mark in himself with a special energy. It is believed that if during the examination of a calligraphic work he thinks about success, joy, creativity and love - for everything that does not make him happy, happiness will constantly come into our lives.

Materials and preparation:

The first step is to choose high quality materials from which the blade will be made. The steel from which modern craftsmen make most weapons contains 99.99% pure electrolytic iron (tenkai-tetsu), sponge iron (kangai-tetsu) or the most popular substance - tamahagane steel.

Tamahagane is the traditional steel used to make swords. It is obtained in a kiln (Tatar), from charcoal and satetsu - iron sand, which is located on the river bottoms. Satetsu is in the form of iron trioxide (Fe2O3) and in order to produce steel, carbon must be added and oxygen must be taken away. This is done in the furnace.

The kiln is a niche made of clay. The thickness of the walls is about 30 cm. The main part of the furnace is located underground and is made of clay, stone and wood. The upper part of the tartar is repaired before each subsequent melting. This is what a Tatar looks like:

It takes at least 5 days to get the right steel. One day is needed to build a Tatar. After the construction of the new walls, a fire is set on the bottom. The fire for three hours, constantly lit with charcoal and oak wood. The resulting coals are covered with satu iron sand, and the top is covered with charcoal. The addition of satetsu is repeated every half hour for three days at a temperature between 1200ºC and 1500ºC. At this temperature, the oxygen supplied by the blacksmiths reacts with the carbon from the coal to carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide reacts with iron oxide to form pure iron and carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released as a gas.

This process plays the role of basic purification, as impurities are removed in the form of slag. In some ordinary furnaces, the process ends here, but in Tartar, the carbon from the charcoal continues to interact with the iron until an inhomogeneous mixture of iron and carbon, called tamahagane, is obtained. When cooled, the tamahagane steel is broken into usable pieces and sorted by quality and carbon content.

The carbon in the molten tamahagane can vary from 0.6 to 1.5%. The high-quality pieces are easily distinguished from the low-quality ones by their bright silver color. The carbon content in them should be about 1.0 to 1.2%. Blacksmiths carefully examine each piece of tamahagane and choose only pieces with a lower carbon content for the individual parts of the sword (in the sketch) - shingan - or soft core and kavagan - the hard shell. Despite the careful and thorough processing of the steel, most of the blacksmiths receive are not fit to produce quality swords. If the amount of carbon is too high, the steel will be too brittle and will not alloy and forge easily. If the amount of carbon is too low, the steel will be too soft and the blade will not be sharp enough. In both cases the result will be a low quality blade. For this it is necessary to make a second purification (irrigation) of the steel in order to adjust the exact carbon content needed to make a quality sword. The higher carbon pieces of steel are heated in the tartar, while the air from the bellows is not forced to climb upwards, passing through the steel. The movement of the air flow and the high temperature remove the excess carbon in the form of carbon dioxide. The low-carbon parts are melted in a furnace with a lot of charcoal, thus increasing the carbon content. The steel is placed in the upper part of the furnace and continue to add charcoal until it reaches the lower part. It is then believed that the carbon content has increased enough.

Once the metal has the required amount of carbon, the actual forging process can begin. The tamahagane is heated again and arranged in rough, quarter-inch layers. Then the layers are separated again and parts for the soft core (shingling) and for the hard shell (kavagan) are selected from them. The selected pieces are shaped like a block, which is wrapped in rice paper and covered with clay pulp, which acts as an insulator to maintain the shape during heating. Then it is placed in the hearth of the forge, where the temperature reaches 1300ºC. When the metal reaches the appropriate temperature, it is removed from the furnace and forged until a whole piece is obtained from the layers. The process continues until the piece doubles in length.

Forging methods:

Modern metallurgy and methods of industrial metalworking allow us to study Japanese swords in great detail. All, however, are far from the idea that it is possible to produce a katana with the same high aesthetic value in a laboratory. Unlike modern industries, the steel from which Japanese swords are made is never actually heated enough to melt. Always a certain amount of steel remains uneven throughout the process. It is this quality that gives the necessary characteristics for each sword. The blacksmith constantly adjusts his techniques to the steel and shapes the sword according to his own ideas and ideas. Such a thing cannot be achieved in mass production in a factory, for example. Today's science has proven that forging Japanese swords, contrary to popular belief, is not alchemy, but a craft that requires a lot of knowledge and experience. Metallurgical analysis can only confirm the wisdom of the decisions made over hundreds of years of trial and error by blacksmiths. It was not until the thirteenth century, without the luxuries of precision measuring instruments and machines, that swords reached a level of elegance and structure that would probably never be surpassed. The methods of production were determined only by tradition.

To a large extent, modern swords are made in the same way as in feudal Japan. Each blade has a number of unique metallurgical and mechanical properties. These properties appear after a series of complex forging and hardening processes. Before the methods of manufacture become clear, it must first be clear how the design of the blade allows it to be such an effective weapon. The length of the blade itself reaches 24-30 inches, which makes it shorter and lighter than tachy blades. It also makes it easier to handle with one hand, both by infantry and by riders. Each sword has a slight curve that runs across the blade, known as a sori (or dawn). This allows the samurai to draw his sword and strike his opponent with one movement, as often the outcome of the battle was decided by which of the two opponents would draw his sword faster. Each shinsakuto katana has a hard shell of high carbon steel and a core of more easily bendable low carbon steel.

Forging (China) of cavagana (hard shell):

When the double-elongated steel with a suitable amount of carbon is ready to be forged in kavagan, shita-gitae (basic forging) is performed. The process consists of repeatedly folding the metal block so as to form specific layers that are unique to each blade. It starts by heating the extended unit to the appropriate processing temperature. The chisel is then used until the block is almost divided into two equal parts, which are folded so that the metal regains its original length. It is processed again with a hammer and when the two parts are completely joined, the metal is brought back to double length. One bend takes about 30 minutes of precise forging. The number of folds of the metal depends on the individual style of the master. While the hot metal is being processed, it cools down quickly and work on it gradually becomes more difficult. Forging lasts only 3-4 minutes until the color of the steel from yellow-white becomes bright red. It is then placed back in the hearth of the forge and reheated. Each fold requires two or three warm-ups. When the steel is heated, the blacksmith periodically rolls the block in rice straw ash and fills it with clay paste.

This procedure is necessary due to the high temperatures and oxygen-rich air obtained from the blacksmith's bellows. Under these conditions, carbon can easily be removed from the steel and it becomes unusable. This significantly reduces the oxidation and decarbonization of the metal. However, only half of the initial amount of tamahagane is used in shita-gita. A steel block with dimensions 25x2x3.5 cm, weighing from 1 to 1.5 kg is obtained. But at this stage the metal is not ready yet. It contains too much carbon, which is also unevenly distributed. To do this, the master divides the metal into three equal parts and returns them to the furnace. Four parts are needed to reach the length of the katana.

The pieces are then reunited in a metal block and the second forging process, known as age-gitae (final forging), begins. The metal is subjected to additional bending. This again loses about half of the starting material. A steel block with a weight of 0.9 to 1.6 kg with a carbon content of 0.6-0.7% is obtained. Most of the carbon in the tamahagan - about 0.3% - is lost during the first stage of forging, when the crude steel particles increase in area, they are stacked together and rolled up. Each subsequent folding causes the loss of another 0.03% of carbon, destroying the larger carbon crystals. The result is a steel with a carbon content of approximately 0.7%. Forging and folding have distributed carbon more evenly and helped to remove unnecessary impurities and slag.

Two special characteristics of kavagan depend on the quality of the steel and on the characteristic way of bending during shita-gita. These are jitsu - the quality of the steel obtained - and jihad - the characteristic pattern on the surface. They are influenced by many factors such as the direction of the folds, the force of the hammer blow, the union of the different blocks, etc. These are diagrams of the different structure obtained as a result of different bending of the metal.

Shingan forging (soft core):

While short blades such as tanto and wakidzashi are made entirely of kawaga, long blades such as katana also contain a soft core - a shingle that allows them to be both flexible and durable.
Making a shingling is similar to making a kawagane - pieces of steel with a suitable carbon content are heated, forged and folded into a block. The blacksmith usually uses about a kilogram of tamahagane with an average carbon content of about 0.5%. Most often, additional bending of the metal is required, as in most cases it contains a large amount of impurities. They must be removed so that the two parts of the blade can be joined properly and to avoid defects and cracks on the surface of the finished sword. At the end of the process, the block weighs 200-250g and contains 0.2-0.3% carbon.

Steel base formation (zucchini)

There are two main methods (tsukurikomi) that are used to combine kavagan and shingle.
The first method - kobuse-gitae - is simpler. In it, the blacksmith heats up and forms a kavagan in a flat piece, then folds it into a U-shape and the hot shingle block is placed in the base. In this method, the core does not run the entire length of the shell and the pointed tip of the sword consists only of the solid part of the steel. The two pieces of semi-joined metal are returned to the furnace and heated to over 1300 ° C and the forging is continued so that the cavage completely envelops the soft core and forms the base of the sword. This process is very delicate and especially important for the successful forging of the sword. If the two parts are not completely fitted and there are gaps, the work is considered useless. If the inside is not completely covered, the final product will have weak spots and will also be considered useless.

The second method of zucchini is much more complicated. The process is known as hon-sanmai-gitae. It can use 2 to 4 parts of hard steel to form the shell around the core. For the blade, a harder and correspondingly richer carbon steel, known as hagane, is used. Each part must be masterfully glued to the others, for which separate processes are used for each of them. This method of obtaining a different construction changes the physical characteristics of the finished sword. Regardless of the methods of zucchini, the differences are determined by the styles of the individual masters.

Sunobe shaping (basic shape):

When kavagan and shingan are properly joined, the blacksmith reheats the metal and begins to form the basic shape of the sword. Sunobe is formed as the blacksmith lengthens the steel through a series of hammer blows. The result is close to the shape of the finished katana and is approximately 90% of its length and weight, but it is much denser and lacks the characteristic katana curve. At this stage, the tip and handle of the sword are also formed.

Blade shaping (Hisukuri):

The shaping of the blade begins with the processing of the sharp part. This is done by heating parts of the skeleton to 1100 ºC and gradually processing it. Slowly, the future blade sharpens and regains its final shape. The heating is carefully controlled due to the delicate nature of the metal. If the steel is overheated, a strong hammer blow can cause the core to separate from the casing, and if it is not hot enough, the surface can be damaged.
The tip of the sword (kissaki), the strip between the blade and the tip (shinogi) and the back of the sword (mune) are also formed during this stage. Properly covered, it will withstand a great deal of adverse conditions. Although it looks like a finished sword, at the end of the stage the blade is still quite blunt and a little thicker.

Coarse sawing (Shiage):

Once the blade shaping is complete, the blacksmith prepares the sunobe for the process that provides the hard blade to the final weapon. It starts with rough sawing and sharpening (shiage). A special tool called a sen is used for this purpose. In this way all irregularities on the surface are smoothed. A file is used for the back of the sword. Then the whole blade is sanded with a special stone, composed mainly of silicon carbide (SiC). At the end of the swing, all the characteristic lines of the sword are well defined, but the blade remains rougher. This is necessary for the next hardening process.

Creating Hamon (Tsuchioki):

There are many types of steel with specific physical and chemical properties. Different shapes of steel can be seen on the graph, depending on the temperature and carbon content.

The strength and hardness of steel depend to a large extent on carbon. It is known that different temperatures lead to different crystal structures in the atoms of carbon and iron. When the steel from which the swords are made is heated above its critical temperature - approximately 750ºC, it enters the austenite phase. Austenite has a structure that allows iron ions to combine with carbon ions. When austenite cools suddenly (by applying water, for example), its structure changes to another, called martensite. Martensite "locks" the carbon atoms. The result is the hardest form of steel.

Only the blade (yakiba) of the katana is made of martensite. It is easy to shape and can be sharp enough, but it is too hard and easily breakable to provide the flexibility and durability needed to take a direct hit. These qualities are more inherent in the softer forms of steel - ferrite and perlite. Japanese blacksmiths discovered methods that allowed both the hardness of the blade and the flexibility of the sword itself. This is obtained by heat treatment, in which only the metal in the blade is changed from perlite to martensite. The transition zone between these two phases is clearly visible in the finished sword, so a lot of effort is put into getting an aesthetically beautiful pattern. This pattern is called ham and is considered the most important aesthetic part of the blade. Initially, the blacksmith invented the design of the hamon.This process begins with a clay mixture (tsuchi-even - in the photo), which will be applied to the blade before heat treatment. Usually the mixture contains equal parts clay, charcoal ash to control the temperature, powdered sand, prevent breakage and other blacksmith-specific ingredients. Add water and treat until sticky enough to be applied to the surface. The mixture acts as an insulator. The blacksmith applies it on the surface of different thickness - in thinner layers more martensite will be formed. Therefore, the layers on the blade are thinner. The thickness of the layers will determine the final pattern. As martensite is very brittle, the blade may be damaged. To do this, the blacksmith leaves very thin strips of the mixture on the surface of the blade, perpendicular to it. In this way, very thin veins of perlite remain behind the martensite (ashi - in the last photo) and if a small crack appears on part of the blade, it will spread only to the area with perlite and greater damage will be prevented.

Tempering of the blade (yaki-ire):

When the tsuchi-even dries completely, the sword is heated to a red-orange color (above 700ºC) and then quickly immersed in water. Iaki-ire is usually performed at night. This allows the blacksmith to better determine the temperature by the color of the metal.

The first step is to properly fill the furnace so that each part of the metal is heated to the same degree. When the furnace is ready, the blacksmith places the blade in the recess of another steel block and fastens them together with a leather strap. The sword is placed in the furnace several times on different sides. Once heated to the specified temperature, it is quickly immersed in water. There are many forms and styles of performing yaki-ire. After this process, the blacksmith again passes the blade through a low-temperature furnace (about 160ºC). This is part of the thermal process and is called yaki-modoshi. This reveals some of the residual highlights of the main cooling and is often repeated several times.

The blacksmith must be very careful while performing these operations, because instead of a more complicated ham, it can disappear completely or break down. After the last cooling, the dry clay is removed and the metal is checked for cracks. The blacksmith then applies a 2% solution of nitric acid and ethanol to the surface to clearly highlight the pattern design.

Adjust the curve. (Sorinaoshi):

During yaki-ire, the temperature difference between the blade and the rest of the sword is the reason for the characteristic curve of all katanas. Due to the slower cooling of the base of the sword, shrinkage is caused, which remains even after the work is completed. The effect of this phenomenon is to increase the curve of the sword. Therefore, blacksmiths usually form the initial shape of the sword with only a small curve. Then small changes in the curve are required. If the curve is too large, the blacksmith can reduce it using his hammer, thus affecting the length. If it is too small, hold the back of the blade in the parts where the curve should be larger, to a heated copper block.

More work on the katana:

These are just the first of many steps needed to create a katana. Forging is followed by rough polishing of the blade and indentation of decorative elements and thread. The distinctive sign or signature (mei) of the master is encrusted. Subsequently, the blade is passed on to other skilled craftsmen.

It is first transferred to a polisher, which completes and cleans the blade. This emphasizes the details, color and quality of the metal. The results can be seen after many days of work, when the extremely sharp blade of the katana, with well-defined jihad and jitsu, is ready. Other craftsmen take care to place the copper ring (habaki - in the photo above) and the decorated blade guard - tsuba (pictured below). After that, the work passes into the hands of carpenters who make the sheath and the handle. Finally, the sword returns to the blacksmith.

The creation of these weapons is still part of a respected tradition with the same rituals as were performed in the days of the samurai. Many blacksmiths spend more time perfecting their trade and very few receive the title of master. The whole production process requires many years of experience and knowledge. Despite the fact that many of these ancient weapons are now considered only works of art, the beauty of the katana hides its deadly nature.

When it comes to this popular Japanese drink, it is very often described as rice wine. Technically, unlike wine, in which the alcohol content is achieved by fermentation of the sugar naturally present in the grapes, sake is prepared by the processes used in brewing. That is, sake is more of a "rice beer" than a "rice wine."

In Japanese, the word "sake" (酒) refers to all alcoholic beverages, and the one we all recognize as sake and which we will talk about in this article is written with the hieroglyphs 日本 се and translated as "Japanese alcohol". Sometimes pronounced or spelled as "Saki". Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. The Japanese law on alcoholic beverages defines it as "produced from rice, koji, yeast and water, using the processes of fermentation and filtration." This definition generally refers to the traditional Japanese type of sake.

THE INGREDIENTS:

The rice
The rice used to cook sake is called shuzō kōtekimai (sake rice). The grain is larger, stronger, and contains less protein and lipids than ordinary rice used for food by the Japanese. Rice contains starch in the center of the grains, called shinpaku. The rice is polished to remove the bran, as only sake made from rice containing only starch has a unique and excellent taste. If the grain is small in size or weak, it will break during the polishing process. This rice is used to make sake, not only because it is the most suitable, but also because it is tasteless to eat. There are at least 80 types of rice in Japan. Among them, for the production of sake, the most popular are 9 varieties.

Yamada Nishiki Rice: From Hyogo, Okayama and Fukuoka. The so-called king of rice for Sake. Well balanced and with a mild aroma.

Omachi Rice: From Okayama. Generally less fragrant, but with more specific elements of taste.

Miyama Nishiki Rice: From Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Miyagi, Fukushima and Nagano. Slightly drier sake with more rice flavor, but with a well-defined nose.

Gohyakumangoku Rice: From Niigata, Fukushima, Toyama, and Ishikawa. Smooth and clean, dry-tasting sake with a very light aroma.

Oseto Rice: From Kagawa. Rich taste, with a very characteristic aroma of earth.

Hatta Nishiki Rice: From Hiroshima. Rich taste and pronounced nose, usually at the end there are pronounced shades of earth.

Tamazakae Rice: From Totori and Shiga. Soft and deep aroma, with a complex finish.

Kame no O: From Niigata and Yamagata. Rich, fragrant, slightly drier and more acidic than sachets of other types of rice.

Dewa San San: From Yamagata and Niigata. Complex, not so dry and light aroma.

The water
Water is one of the most important ingredients in making sake. After all, it takes up about 80% of the drink and is used at every step in the process of its preparation. At the very beginning, before it is exposed to steam, the rice is washed, rinsed and soaked. In the moromi fermentation process, water is also added to the tanks of each of the (usually) three "chicomes". vol.% alc.

It is claimed that the values ​​of certain chemicals in the water are regularly monitored, which can affect the taste and quality of the sake. There are a number of elements whose presence is mandatory and without which some steps of the brewing process do not go smoothly. There are also several elements that are only detrimental and complicate the process or would be adversely affected in other ways. The most despised are iron and manganese, and the most desirable are potassium, magnesium.

The water used for the production of sake is almost always from underground, ie. from wells. Urban breweries usually import water from other areas due to the difficulty of finding good enough quality locally.

Koji (Koji)
Koji is steamed rice that has Koji mold spores grown on it. This magic mold, whose official scientific name is Aspergillus Oryzae, creates several enzymes that spread and help turn starch into rice into sugar, which in turn can ferment under the influence of yeast (yeast), releasing carbon dioxide and alcohol. Without Koji, there is no sake.

In general, the process of obtaining Koji takes 40 to 45 hours. When ready to use, it looks like rice with a small amount of white glaze on each grain. The smell and taste, as might be expected, is slightly sweet. It has a characteristic aromatic association with that of chestnut.

PRODUCTION PROCESS:

The brewing process in the preparation of sake differs from that of beer in that in the latter, the conversion of starch into sugar and then into alcohol occurs in two stages, and in sake, it occurs simultaneously. The difference from other brewing methods is the use of a process called "multiple parallel fermentation". This process results in a higher alcohol content in the sake than any other fermented beverage. For comparison, the wine usually contains 9 - 16 vol. % alc. , the beer reaches a maximum of 9 vol. % alc. , and the undiluted sake reaches 18 - 20 vol. % alc. (However, it is often diluted to about 15 - 16 vol.% Alc. With water before bottling).

Polishing and grinding of rice
As I mentioned above, sake is produced by the method of multiple parallel fermentation of rice. The rice is first polished, which removes the proteins and oils from the skin of the grains, leaving behind a clean sample of starch. Complete milling results in fewer congeners and a generally more desirable product. This is not as simple as it sounds, as it must be done carefully so as not to create too much heat (which subsequently adversely affects the absorption of water), or shredding of rice nuts (which is not good for the process of fermentation). The amount of grinding greatly affects the taste.

Washing and soaking
The newly polished rice is left to "rest" until it absorbs enough moisture from the air so that it does not break when it is then immersed in water. After this rest period, the rice is washed and cleaned of dust collected during grinding and then soaked in water. The length of time is from a few minutes to a day and depends on the degree to which the rice is polished. The more polished the rice, the faster it absorbs water and the shorter the soaking time.

Steam cooking
The next process is steam treatment. This is a different way from how it is prepared for consumption at home. The rice does not mix with water and does not reach boiling point. The steam is released from the bottom of the cauldron, traditionally called "baskets", and on its way up passes through the rice. This gives them a slightly harder outer surface and a softer center. Each prepared batch of cooked rice is divided into two. One part goes to be sprinkled with, Koji mold, and the other directly into the fermentation barrel.

Creating Koji (Seijiko)
This is the heart of the whole sake brewing process and the producers can talk at length about it. In summary, Koji mold in the form of dark, fine powder is scattered on cooked and cooled rice. It is taken to a special room, which is maintained above average humidity and temperature. Over the next 36 to 45 hours, Koji mold develops. Finally, the beans look slightly matte and smell like sweet chestnuts. Koji is used at least four times during the whole process and is always freshly prepared and used immediately. Therefore, each batch goes through the "heart of the process" at least four times.

Yeast fermentation (Shubo or Moto)
This is done by mixing Koji rice finished with plain and plain white rice from the above two steps with water and a concentration of pure yeast cells. Over the next two weeks, the yeast concentration should grow to 100 million cells in one teaspoon.

Fermentation (Moromi)
After being moved to a larger tank, more rice, Koji and more water are added to the sourdough in three successive stages over four days, doubling the batch size approximately each time. This is the main slurry, and as it ferments, over the next 18 to 32 days, the temperature (approximately 15 - 20 ° C) and other factors are measured and corrected to create exactly the desired aroma profile.

Pressing (Josso)
When everything is ready, the sake is pressed. Using one of several methods, the white precipitate (called Kasu) and the unfermented solids are pressed to allow the clear sake to flow. This is most often done with a machine, although older methods involving placing moromi in cloth bags and squeezing fresh sake, or letting it drip from the bags (as we make strained yogurt), are still used.

Filtration (Roca)
After standing for a few days to allow more solids to settle, the sake is usually filtered through charcoal, which corrects the taste and color. This of course varies in the form of various schemes at different breweries.

Pasteurization
Most sachets are pasteurized once. This is done by heating quickly. The sake passes quickly through a tube immersed in hot water. This process kills bacteria and inactivates enzymes that are likely to lead to unwanted taste and color later.Sake, which is not pasteurized, is called namazake, and maintains a  certain freshness of aroma, although for protection it should be stored in the refrigerator.

Aging

The process by which the quality of a product is improved during its maturation is called maturation. The new sake is not very good to drink due to its rough taste, while the mature one is soft, with a smooth and rich texture. However, if it is very ripe, it also re-develops a rough taste. It takes six to twelve months for good sake to mature. Aging is caused by physical and chemical factors such as oxygen enrichment, widespread use of external thermal insulation, nitrogen oxides, aldehydes and amino acids and others. Japanese cedar barrels are considered an indispensable tool during this critical period.

Toji
Toji is the Japanese name for the position of brewer. This is a highly respected profession in Japanese society. This work is placed on a par with the art of musicians and artists. In the past, the title Toji has historically passed from father to son. Today, Toji are either veteran workers or rarely university students.

Nowadays, modern breweries with cooling systems work all year round, and the most old-fashioned are seasonal and work only in the cool winter months.