Remarkable milling machines contributed to Ginjo Sake

Model of Milling Machine developed in 1898

There's a company named SATAKE in Saijo, Hiroshima. This company is inseparable from the making of super premium sake called Dai-ginjo or Ginjo. 


Thanks to their ingenious inventions of rice milling machines, the very high milling ratio necessary for making Ginjo was achieved.


Many people, from breweries and public entities alike, got involved and devoted in the progress of Sake making; they lived in the same modern period of sake making history when the government encouraged sake breweries to make rapid progress in their scientific techniques so that the quality and quantity of the product would become stable, making people consume more sake happily and the government get the sake tax all the more. The first half of the 20th century for Japan was the period that the country tried to catch up with the industrialized west and become strong in many ways. The revenue that came from the Sake tax was quite significant.


The government exerted its influence, establishing the national research center on brewing under the control of the Finance Ministry in 1904. The center changed its names a few times and moved from Tokyo and now stands in Saijo under the name of the National Research Institute of Brewing. 


The brewers tried hard to improve with the passion of making quality sake. Through national competitions, they got stimulated among each other and made special sake often only for the competitions. But it's true these efforts improved sake as a whole and gave birth to a new aromatic Sake called Ginjo.


Eventually in 1980s, the Ginjo sake became available among ordinary citizens. Before that, that type of sake was called Mirage Sake because it was so hard to obtain.


The rice used for making Ginjo has to be milled far down. It has to be 50% or less of the original weight to be called Ginjo. The very special Ginjo uses rice milled down to 35 to 40% of the original weight.


But as I wrote in a previous article, the rice powder from milling is not wasted a bit. The powder is processed into something useful like sweets and vinegar.


The founder of the company named SATAKE invented a milling machine powered by engine for the first time in Japan. He wanted to make a difference in the tedious physical job of milling grains. The first machine with engine was invented by him in 1896 but he was not satisfied with the three machines he sold and soon retrieved them. The 1898 type was much better but still the milling ratio was only 10%.

The one developed in 1908

In 1908, he produced a new type which achieved the milling ratio of 40%. The original type made use of friction between rice grains which inevitably produced too much heat and didn't perform satisfactorily; this one cleverly employed a grinding system.


And the most outstanding was the invention of Type C in 1931. It was vertical with a grinding unit and milled rice down to 40% of the original weight.


The company offers a tour showing you their museum and part of their facility. Reservation in advance is required. 


It would be one interesting experience for you.