Japan’s Sake Brewing Joins UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage List
On 4 December 2024 UNESCO recognised the knowledge of Japan's master brewers and the kōji mould behind sake, shōchū, awamori and mirin.
UNESCO added the traditional making of sake to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 4 December 2024. The element is registered as Traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with kōji mold in Japan, and it covers not only sake itself but the other drinks made with the same method: shōchū, the distilled spirit of Kyushu; awamori, the spirit of Okinawa; and mirin, the sweet rice wine used in cooking.
What they share is kōji, a mould cultivated on steamed rice or barley that converts starch into sugar so that yeast can turn it into alcohol. In sake brewing the two processes take place at the same time in the same tank, a method unlike that of wine or beer, and one that demands constant judgment about temperature, moisture and timing. The basic approach was established more than 500 years ago and has been adapted to the climate and water of each region.
The knowledge is held by the tōji, the master brewers, and the kurabito who work under them, and it is passed on through apprenticeship in the brewery during the cold months when sake is traditionally made. UNESCO’s decision also noted the place of these drinks in Japanese life, in Shinto ritual, at weddings, at New Year and at local festivals.
It is the 23rd Japanese element on the list and follows the inscription of washoku, the country’s traditional food culture, in 2013. The timing matters to the industry. Consumption of sake in Japan has fallen for decades and the number of breweries has declined with it, while exports have grown strongly, led by premium sake sold to restaurants in the United States, China and Hong Kong. Brewers hope that the recognition will do for sake what the 2013 listing did for Japanese cuisine abroad.
For travellers, the listing is an invitation to go to the source. Many breweries open their doors in winter and early spring, when brewing is under way: in Fushimi, in the south of Kyoto; in Nada, between Kobe and Osaka; in Saijo, near Hiroshima; and across Niigata and the north-east. Tasting rooms, brewery restaurants and, increasingly, places to stay have followed. In Tokyo, the best sake lists are found in the city’s sushi and kaiseki restaurants and in specialist bars.