Gorgeous trailer takes us into the rarefied world of saké-making

Date
24 April 2015

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Aged 19 I got horribly drunk on saké (an evening that ended in me declaring my undying love for an ex girlfriend on a busy train – “I don’t care who’s listening!” etc) and so my relationship with the Japanese rice wine has been estranged ever since. However I may have to reconsider this stance having seen the trailer for Erik Shirai’s film The Birth of Saké.

Erik and his crew went to live among the workers at the 144-year-old Yoshida Brewery in northern Japan during the gruelling six month stints during which the 2000-year-old brewing process takes place. We see the Yoshida team – whose ages range from 20 to 70 – working, goofing around and visiting their families back at home; as Erik says: “As artisans who must dedicate their whole lives to the making of this world-class saké, their private sacrifices are often sizeable and unseen.”

There’s a lot going on here it seems – portraits of the characters, the wider story about the brewery’s battle for survival in a competitive and high-intensity market and an insight into a craft many will know little about. But just as importantly it looks gorgeous, with Erik’s message conveyed in the most beautiful way imaginable.

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Erik Shirai: The Birth of Saké

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Erik Shirai: The Birth of Saké

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Erik Shirai: The Birth of Saké

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Erik Shirai: The Birth of Saké

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Erik Shirai: The Birth of Saké

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

Rob joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in July 2011 before becoming Editor-in-Chief and working across all editorial projects including itsnicethat.com, Printed Pages, Here and Nicer Tuesdays. Rob left It’s Nice That in June 2015.

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