MARCH 2025

In December 2024, “Traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan” was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as proposed by the Government of Japan to UNESCO. Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from grains mostly rice, koji and water, these are deeply rooted in Japanese culture. The skills of sake-making whose original forms were established more than 500 years ago share the characteristic of using koji. But they have developed differently depending on the climate and land of various parts of Japan, being passed down to produce nihonshu (brewed liquor), shochu or awamori (distilled liquors), and mirin (sweet sake used for seasoning). This month’s HIGHLIGHTING Japan features an interview with TOKURA Shunichi, Commissioner, Agency for Cultural Affairs, about the details leading up to and the significance of Japan’s traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making being inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as well as its appeal and future development. This issue also introduces several related topics, including: sake-making in famous sake breweries around Japan; the making of distilled sake such as shochu in Kagoshima Prefecture and awamori in Okinawa Prefecture; and the history and characteristics of traditional mirin.