Okyaku culture in Tosa is Nakama itself.In Tosa , we say Nakama to mean sharing.Tosa okyaku (a Kochi-style party) is Nakama itself.We pour sake for each other, and nibble on sawachi cuisine.Sake, Food and ambiance are all shared among everyone to make Nakama.It’s no fun to keep everything to yourself.Anyone nearby becomes a Nakama before you know it.Once you start sharing, you’re already Nakama.Well then, won’t you come on over,as we are all Nakama now.
❶ Sake vessels as a Nakama
Dry character of Tosa sake is easy to go down.
The character of Tosa sake can generally be summarised as having a “crisp acidity, minimal off-flavours, and a clean finish.”
However, it’s not merely conventionally dry. Although it has low levels of glucose and therefore feels less sweet in the palate, it has a well-defined freshness, expansiveness, and umami. Because it also has a clean aftertaste, you can enjoy sip after sip over a long session, without growing tired of its flavour.
In other words, it’s perfect for Tosa okyaku (parties), where we share our cups with others through Tosa traditions like henpai and kenpai, play time-honoured drinking games, and move around the room, swapping seats and drinking with friends.
This is why Tosa sake makes parties more fun!
❷ Cuisine as a Nakama
It brings out the flavors of Tosa’s abundant fresh food,
whether from the mountains, the rivers, or the sea.
The dry sake mentioned above might not seem like enough on its own, but it really shines when you pair it with food. It goes particularly well with Tosa cuisine, a style of Japanese cuisine that boasts abundant fresh food from the mountains, the rivers, and the sea. The sake bolsters the qualities of the ingredients themselves, much in the way that dashi (Japanese soup stock) does, and draws out even more flavor, masterfully pairing and harmonizing with food. When you alternate between eating and drinking, you may find that you won’t be able to put down your cup or your chopsticks.
This is why it’s the best kind of sake to bring out
the flavors of a meal!
❸ Craftsmanship as a Nakama
Tosa sake brewers willingly share data to raise the profile of Tosa sake.
Kochi Sake brewerss Association commissions the Kochi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center not only for developing new brewing yeasts, but it also for visiting and coaching all 18 breweries during sake-making season, and for collecting and monitoring koji and moromi samples from each brewery and sending all of the data collected to all of the breweries in the prefecture. By sharing brewing data with all of the breweries, the overall quality of Tosa sake improves. No other prefecture shares this much information in this way, and within the industry this method is called the “Kochi System.”
This is why any Tosa sake you try will be tasty!
❹ People as a Nakama
Tosa sake has a magical power to joint hearts of people in no time.
With the previous three merits (sessionability, food pairing, high quality), Tosa sake is a beverage that helps people get closer just by drinking it together. It’s a highly effective social lubricant that improves relationships, and an excellent tool for communication. In some ways, it could even been a better communication tool than the internet! This is why Tosa okyaku (parties) are, above all else, unrestricted. Regardless of social status, gender, age, number of people present, even total strangers: all are welcome.
Tosa sake has great potential in Japan and overseas.
Tosa is the Land of Sake
There are currently 18 breweries in TOSA(Kochi Prefecture), from brands known nationwide to breweries that work hard to make smaller quantities of specialty sake. All of them aim to make distinctive sake, eagerly adopting the latest technology while also drawing on the techniques and characteristics that have been passed down through the years.
※TOSA=Kochi
Kochi Prefecture, once known as the feudal domain of Tosa.This is where you can find the liveliest sake culture and where a passion for the quest of creating new sake countries to born.