Born This Way

Sake, as the saying goes, has the power of a hundred medicines. But Atsuhide Kato, the 11th generation head of Kato Kichibee Shoten, whose brewery produces Born sake in Fukui prefecture, maintains that his brews can do a lot more than take the edge off a case of the sniffles.

“I always tell people that drinking Born will bring you visions of the future,” Kato-san declares, conveying the brewery’s philosophy first in English before switching to Japanese. “I really believe that. The name of our sake means ‘striking truth’ in Sanskrit, and also ‘birth to the future.’”

Kato speaks from personal experience. When he took the reigns at Kato Kichibee Shoten, he dreamed of turning their line of artisanal sake into a global sensation. The brewery, located in the tiny town of Sabae, has a history that goes back to the 1860s, and making sake for the local community had been its original focus. But, from the start of his tenure as president, Kato sought to expand their audience and worked to cultivate an international image for Born.

“Even in the early days, I pushed to participate in events all over the world. We’ve done events throughout Asia, the US, Europe, South Africa, and Dubai,” he tells me, as I furiously scramble to jot down notes.

Since then, Born has been exported to around 30 countries and has garnered accolades both domestically and abroad. Their award-winning Nihon no Tsubasa Junmai Daiginjo is the official sake served on board the Japanese government aircraft used by the Emperor and the Prime Minister. To celebrate the election of Barack Obama in 2008, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatayama presented the US President with a bottle of Yume wa Masayume Junmai Daiginjo, an elegant brew matured for five years.

The first time I encountered Born sake was long ago, through my good friends Etsuko and Ted of Tokyofoodcast. They had brought a bottle of Born Tokusen Junmai Daiginjo and suggested that we try it warmed. At that time, I was skeptical. I had never had a Daiginjo served warm and, whether or not I admitted it to myself, was still holding onto the notion that all premium sake should be served chilled.

How wrong I'd been. The Born Tokusen Junmai Daiginjo was delicious chilled -- with hints of perky citrus and round melon. But warmed, it really came into its own. Full-flavored yet mellow, with a velvety texture and generous umami depth, the sake reminded me of finding a warm, fuzzy blanket on a chilly evening.

Talking to Kato-san, it comes as no surprise that his brewery would produce sakes so bold and so visceral. While speaking on the phone, we are frequently disconnected as he races through highway tunnels (once, he hangs up when he sees a police vehicle). He is loquacious and charming and tells me things that sometimes surprise me.

Earlier this autumn, Kato Kichibee Shoten completed construction of a sparkling new brewing facility with enough space to store up to 20,000 koku (3,600 KL) of sake at temperatures below freezing.

“We usually age the sake for one to two years at around minus 5 degrees Celsius,” he explains. “Doing this gives Born a deep yet clean and smooth character.”

The new brewery was also designed to withstand a magnitude-8.5 earthquake and is equipped with extra fireproofing features. Although Fukui prefecture was unaffected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, Kato was moved by the plight of brewers and disaster victims in the northeast, and he worried what might happen if a similar calamity struck closer to home.

Taking swift action, Kato ordered several changes to the reconstruction plans, which had been drafted eighteen months before. An extensive third floor was added, along with stairs on the outside of the building, so that the brewery could be used as an evacuation shelter in the case of an emergency.

“We are a brewery that values the community,” Kato concludes. “We also want our brewery to be important for the community. In this way, we will go forward into the future together.”