UNESCO included Japan’s 1000 year old wine as cultural heritage.

Recently, UNESCO has included Japan’s 1000-year-old rice wine “Sake” as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. This decision is a historic step to bring global recognition to Japan’s rich tradition and cultural heritage. Sake is an integral part of Japanese festivals, rituals, and religious ceremonies, and is produced through a complex and interesting process.

In the 11th century, sake was drunk to keep away evil spirits.

The history of sake in Japan goes back thousands of years. It was initially regarded as a powerful drink to ward off evil spirits.

• Sake is also mentioned as a special and prestigious drink in the famous 11th century Japanese novel “The Tale of Genji”.
• Japan’s UNESCO Ambassador Takahiro Kano described saké as a “divine gift” of Japanese culture and underlined its historical and religious significance.

Sake has now become an important part of Japanese social, cultural and religious life, deeply embedded in the customs and traditions of Japanese society.

The complex and interesting manufacturing process of saké

The process of making sake is extremely interesting and laborious. It is mainly made from rice, water, yeast and koji (a special type of fungus).

Main steps of the process:

1. Steaming of Rice:
   • The rice is steamed well.
2. Uses of Koji:
   • Koji fungus is used to convert rice starch into sugar, similar to malting beer.
3. Fermentation:
   • Rice, water, and yeast are mixed and fermented.
4. Regular Maintenance:
   • The rice is stirred every hour during fermentation.
5. Filtration and Packaging:
   • Finally the finished sake is pressed and packed.

This process takes about two months long and requires a lot of hard work.

Cultural importance:

• Sake has special significance in Japanese festivals and religious rituals.
• It is considered a symbol of good health, prosperity and happiness.

Sake’s popularity increasing worldwide

Sake has now become famous in Japan as well as all over the world.

• About $265 million (approximately Rs 2,199.5 crore) worth of sake is exported from Japan every year.
• America and China are the main markets for Sake.
• According to the Japanese Sake Manufacturers Association, the sake trade is continuously growing and is also benefiting Japan’s economy.

Sake: symbol of Japanese culture

Sake is no longer just a drink, but a symbol of Japan’s rich cultural heritage. With this recognition by UNESCO, Sake has been recognized as an important cultural heritage at the global level.