Koji-mould sake brewing in Japan
Sake de koji (Aspergillus oryzae) en Japón
- Date
- c. 716 · confidence low
- Place
- Harima, Hyōgo, Japan
- Credited to
- Yamato culture (Nara–Heian Japan)
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Brewing of sake by saccharifying cooked rice with the koji mould (Aspergillus oryzae) and then fermenting with yeasts. The Harima no kuni fudoki (c. 716) records a drink made from moulded rice, the oldest Japanese written reference.
Rice-mould use probably reached Japan from China (see qu); the Harima fudoki is the earliest Japanese written mention of mould sake, not the date of origin. Earlier and later (Heian) dates appear in the literature.
What it led to
- sake as a ritual and court drink, with a brewing office at court (Sake no tsukasa)
- koji culture applied to miso, soy sauce and rice vinegar
- scientific study of koji from Takamine to the genomics of A. oryzae