"Kokonoe Mirin", which has the oldest mirin brewery in Japan since the Edo period! [Hekinan]

Founded in 1772, Kokonoe Mirin continues to make mirin using traditional manufacturing methods. At the head office in Hekinan City, there are guided tours that allow you to step inside (a part of) the mirin storehouse, the Kokonoe Mirin Jidaikan where you can learn about the history, the restaurant & cafe K-an where you can enjoy meals and cafes, and a direct sales store"Ishikawa Hachiroji Shoten" where you can shop is attached.

This time, we will introduce the charm of Kokonoe Mirin.

Kokonoe Mirin is located in Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture. A 5-minute walk from Hekinan Station on the Meitetsu Mikawa Line. You can feel the history even from the outside.

When you pass through the curtain, you will be greeted by a splendid building. In 2018, the 200-year-old mansion of the founding family was renovated to open “Restaurant & Cafe K-an” and the direct sales store “Ishikawa Hachiroji Shoten”.

What is Kokonoe Mirin, a mirin maker that has been around since the Edo period?

First, from the history of Kokonoe Mirin.

Kokonoe Mirin was founded in 1772 (the first year of Anei) in the Edo period. It all began when the founder, Hachiroemon Nobuatsu Ishikawa (the 22nd generation of the Ishikawa family) started producing mirin in Hekinan.

Since then, Kokonoe Mirin has produced large grains of glutinous rice that are ideal for making hon-mirin, malted rice that uses the traditional techniques of brewers, and authentic shochu that is carefully distilled using a brewing method similar to sake brewing. has been used to make mirin for over 240 years.

Learn about mirin on a guided tour and museum

In the Kokonoe Mirin guided tour, you can visit part of the factory and visit the Kokonoe Mirin Jidaikan, a museum that exhibits valuable materials such as the history of Kokonoe Mirin and mirin.

Entering a historic building makes me exciting.

There was a face fitting panel in front of the factory. It's strange because when I find a panel, I want to put my face in it (laughs).

What do you think these are at the entrance?

These are pieces of pottery called "Togame" that were used to carry mirin. It's surprising that even one can weighs a lot and was transported in this Togame until itto cans were used.

In addition, these pots are embedded in the clay pipe slope that can be seen in Tokoname's "Porcelain Promenade". If you look at them, many people may recognize it.

At the meeting time, you will receive a pamphlet and a hat to start the tour.

First, you will be explained the production process of Hon Mirin.

The Mikawa area where Kokonoe Mirin is located has a warm climate, water from the Yahagi River, and high-quality agricultural products such as rice. Blessed with favorable conditions for brewing and a market via water transport, the production of hon mirin has flourished.

You can only see a part of it on a guided tour, but this time I was able to see all of it!

This is a process called assaku, in which the raw materials are mixed and fermented for about two months to saccharify, then the moromi is packed into the sake bag. The carefully packed moromi is slowly squeezed over two nights.

cooling machine

There are roughly 6 processes required to complete Hon Mirin.

① Koji making

First of all, it starts with making "koji", which takes good quality non-glutinous rice for two days and nights to turn it into rice koji.

② Preparation

In preparation, the main ingredient, glutinous rice, is sufficiently steamed, then gradually cooled to an appropriate temperature from a large pot with a cooling machine, and then malted rice is added. Once mixed with "rice shochu", it is sent to the preparation tank.

③ Saccharification and ripening

The moromi sleeps in a storehouse kept at a room temperature of 18-20 degrees. The inside of the storehouse is covered with floorboards, and the tank containing the moromi is placed semi-underground.

By doing this, it stabilizes the temperature and protects it from the heat of summer and the cold of winter. The brewer stands on the rim of the tank and uses a bamboo stick called a paddle to evenly mix the moromi in a drawing of the number 8. The saccharification and aging process takes place slowly over a period of about two months.

④ Squeeze

After the three processes, they move on to the pressing process introduced earlier. The saccharified and matured "moromi" is packed into a sake bag and pressed in a "Sase-style press" called a vat.

At first, the weight of the moromi itself is enough to wait for the mirin to seep out. After that, gradually apply pressure from above and squeeze slowly over two days.

⑤ Storage aging

Once squeezed, the mirin is left to mature slowly in the storehouse for a year to a year and a half. The mirin that has been matured slowly becomes deeper and sweeter. The tanks in the warehouse are placed slightly raised off the floor and covered with a wooden lid on top.  The bottom of the tanks are raised so that they are not directly affected by the temperature of the ground, and the wooden lid is used to allow the mirin to breathe.

A warehouse with 300 years of history

A major feature of Kokonoe Mirin is the 300-year-old storehouse. It was built in 1706 and moved to its current location in 1787. It was built in the earthen storehouse style with black lacquered clapboards, and the pillars and beams are made of thick and sturdy wood.

Microorganisms with different vitality and properties live in the brewery, and the microorganisms that live in the brewery affect the flavor and properties of the brew. If the brewery is rebuilt, the taste of mirin will be different no matter how much the manufacturing method is the same. Therefore, it is said that Kokonoe mirin cannot be made without this brewery.

It has been carefully protected for over 300 years while undergoing repairs little by little.

⑥ Filtration & Shipping

By filtering well-aged mirin, it reveals a clear, golden color. The filtered mirin is bottled, carefully checked for quality, and finally shipped.