In November 2024, ILAKA Sake Atelier (also known as ILAKA), Japan's “newest” sake brewery, was born in Matsukawa Village of Nagano Prefecture. ILAKA’s master brewer (toji) Katsumi Tanaka, who fell in love with the water and the climate of the village, and his colleagues at ILAKA took a first step toward the ultimate sake brewing, that is, infusing their sake with all the natural elements of Matsukawa Village.

"I asked a well specialist about a place where good water comes out. He showed me Matsukawa Village with a red circle on the map. The water in Matsukawa Village is characterized by being extremely soft, which is rare even in the world. The moment I first tasted it, I strongly felt that I wanted to make sake with this water."

In addition to the water, Matsukawa Village has ideal conditions for sake brewing. The air is dry, which makes it easier to suppress the occurrence of pests and grow rice with minimal use of pesticides. In fact, Matsukawa Village is a major base for sake rice production in Nagano Prefecture. Tanaka adds, "village is the smallest unit of administrative government in Japan. Matsukawa Village, with scenery of the good old days, is a perfect place to return to origins. I thought that making sake with the water of Matsukawa Village and rice grown in its rice fields was the vision that ILAKA should seek for. "

The name of the brewery, ILAKA, also derives from the land. ILAKA means "the top of the roof." The beautiful mountains behind the village are the Northern Alps, also known as the "roof of Japan." ILAKA embodies the state of the brewery, with the majestic roof of nature as its backdrop.

He points out the remnants of the grading system as one of the reasons why it is difficult to differentiate the price of sake. "During the era of the old Liquor Tax Law, sake was roughly divided into three categories: first grade, second grade, and special grade. And the price of sake was set according to the grade. Even now, when the old Liquor Tax Law has been abolished and the three grading divisions have disappeared, there is a tendency to set prices by category. For this reason, the situation where prices are roughly the same according to classifications such as junmai, ginjo, and dai-ginjo has not changed." Therefore, ILAKA does not disclose the rice polishing ratio. Tanaka says, "We want to break away from the idea that 'this price is because the rice is polished to this extent.’ We’d rather propose a new value standard that says, 'this sake is valuable because it is made from this water, this rice, and this climate of the region.'"

They are also looking to enhancing the value of Japanese sake in the global market. The company’s full name is “ILAKA Sake Atelier Co., Ltd." Why do they use "atelier" instead of commonly used "brewery"? Tanaka explains as follows, “In the international standard, the word 'brewery' suggests a beer brewery. We thought that 'atelier' was the perfect word to convey the nuance of 'sake brewing' as a special entity full of craftsmanship."

ILAKA is currently preparing to expand its market to the world, starting with Asian markets such as Hong Kong and Korea. However, just putting it on the market does not necessarily mean it will sell. Tanaka says, "We believe that it is essential to have partners who correctly understand and convey the value of sake."The challenge to create new value for sake and share it from the local community to the world has only just begun.

Normally, when it comes to sake production, there is a tendency to place importance on the stability and reproducibility of sake quality. However, at ILAKA, they believe that the differences that arise from each brewing are what makes sake interesting and valuable. "Even siblings born from the same parents have different personalities and behaviors," says Tanaka. ILAKA’s sake also has slightly different nuances for each brewing tank. He smiles and says, "As long as the core is consistent, you can actually enjoy the differences in taste. We want to provide a way for people who drink our sake to think like this; 'Why does it taste different? Is it the brewing method or is it the ingredients?'"

Each bottle, created with a focus on quality rather than quantity, goes beyond an alcoholic beverage product. It’s a "work of art" from ILAKA Sake Atelier.

As a reliable assistant, Fujiwara Techno-Art (FTA) helps Tanaka to create his ideal environment. They first met when Tanaka was serving as a managing director and brewing manager at the brewery his family has owned for generations in Nagano Prefecture. FTA’s technical sales representative overseeing the brewery was Takagishi, who had just joined the company. Looking back on that time, Tanaka laughs, "Mr.Takagishi used to be half-hearted in everything he did, so I would often scold him." But Tanaka thinks highly of Takagishi today. "Now, I can say that, without him, this brewery would not have been built. He is such a reliable person." Takagishi himself also reflects, "In those days, I was inexperienced. Mr.Tanaka used to teach me step by step how to do my job. I wanted to repay him for his kindness, so I was determined to do everything I could to launch ILAKA."

The first piece of equipment that Tanaka decided to introduce to ILAKA was a koshiki (steamer). Since he places particular importance on the rice steaming process, the koshiki is an important equipment that determines the quality of the steamed rice. "When I saw the rice steamed in FTA’s koshiki, I was convinced that it was the best," says Tanaka.

They installed a large one-ton koshiki, and steamed only 40% of the maximum capacity, which is a luxurious way of using it. "By piling the rice thinly and widely, the steam reaches every grain evenly. As a result, the rice can be steamed evenly and the steamed rice is easy to break apart," says Tanaka. The steamed rice is transferred by crane to the cooling machine, where it is quickly cooled and carried to the koji room or yeast starter room. This series of operations is carried out efficiently through the skilled teamwork of the toji and the brewers.

Another important piece of equipment is the "Solo" Integrated Rice Preparation Equipment. This equipment is specially developed by Takagishi in response to the consultation from Tanaka.

Tanaka considers that the process of washing and soaking rice under limited water absorption conditions is one of the most exciting parts of sake brewery procedure. "It's also the moment when customers who see the work scene can feel the origins of sake brewing," says Tanaka. For this reason, he did not want the fully automated device. He wanted a half-automated device to reduce the labor for a limited number of brewers.

"When I consulted with Mr.Takagishi, he said, 'O.K. We can do that. It just depends on how we do it.' But I thought it would be difficult because the soaking time varies depending on the batch," says Tanaka.

Right after receiving a consultation from Tanaka, Takagishi started the project to develop the new equipment. As a sales representative who knows the sake brewing site, he was aware that a particular function was essential, that is, to automatically adjust the rice input time, as well as a screen display and timer function that makes it easy to know the current and the next task. At the same time, he also understood that programming the control function to automatically adjust the timing for multiple tasks not to overlap would be extremely difficult. After many discussions with the program staff, a system with complex and precise control functions was completed. The equipment including the controlling system is now called ‘“Solo” Integrated Rice Preparation Equipment.’