Online dictionary of history and traditions in Japan: Sake

酒日本酒清酒
alternative words: Japanese sake, Nihonshu, Seishu, Seshu, Japanese alcohol
keywords: food
related topics: Shintoism , Muromachi period
related web sites: http://www.japansake.or.jp , http://www.remus.dti.ne.jp/~yama-chi/seisyu/seisyu.html , http://www.ics.co.jp/touji/ , http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/mo-ca/ , http://www.media-akita.or.jp/akita-sake/akita-sake.html
explanation: Japanese alcohol made with steamed rice and water with an addition of malted rice (koji) as a fermentation agent. The history of sake is old as Japanese history itself and strongly associated with Shinto rite. So, initially it had been made principally by Shinto shrines and the imperial court. Since Muromachi period, its fabrication technique has been popularized. Nowadays, there are about 3000 sake breweries in Japan and the main production regions are Hyogo and Kyoto prefectures.