薪で火を熾（おこ）し、山野を駆けて獲物を捕らえ、泥にまみれて耕作した命を大切に戴くというヒトとしての「素元」を見つめ、大地の声に耳を傾けた「土着の民」として生きることの大切さを子々孫々に伝え続けること、つまり、自ら衣食住を賄うことができるレジリエントな力と物事の本質を見極め創造的に生きる力を養う教育こそが、シンギュラリティを迎えた AI を僕（しもべ）として、人類が「知的生命体」としての尊厳と自らの揺るぎない価値を維持し続けるために最も求められていることであると考えます。
Copyright (C) by
Miyajima Brewery Co. & Satoshi Miyajima,
All rights Reserved.
" Sogen (素元) ", it is the "Foundation".
" Sogen ", it is the "Source".
" Sogen ", that is, the "Core Elements"!
Looking at " Sogen " as a brewery,
with farmers at all four corners of the Ina valley
talking about rice in the rice paddies
for many years.
We have always wished to be
a "Locally Rooted Sake Brewery"
that listens to the voice of the earth.
【 日本語 | English 】
Related Products | "Chougen" & "Wa! San Bon"
To the Future Beyond
As symbolised by the term "Great Reset", it is now being discussed to take a scalpel to the "Capitalism" we have become accustomed to over the years and rethink the nature of the social system itself.
We are entering an era of major changes in values, not only in terms of preserving the global environment and addressing climate change, but also in terms of the way society is perceived.
It can be said that humanity, which has prioritised "Expanded Equilibrium" at the rate of using up resources like a desert locust ( Schistocerca gregaria ), is now at a turning point in its "Evolution" towards a way of life in harmony with nature, a "Reduced Equilibrium", which will be crucial to its own survival.
The survival strategy that organisms have essentially maintained, in which they expand their populations at a faster rate than other species in order to ensure the survival of their own 'species', is in fact the root of many of the problems facing human society, such as conflict, poverty, uneven distribution of wealth and environmental destruction, when "Species" is read as "Groups with a Single Set of Values" such as nations and regions.
These problems that the SDGs seek to solve require a new "Evolution" of humanity as a living organism, and the time is bound to come when even the word "Development" in the SDGs will have to be reconsidered.
The world is now shifting towards an environmentally regenerative circular economy as a new value system.
It signifies a transition beyond sustainable development to a natural way of life that regenerates and harmonises with nature, and overlaps with the worldview inherited by the Japanese people, in which everything has a "God", and the Japanese people follow a path of stable progress in harmony with nature in a rich sense of seasons.
I feel that it is also not something that confuses anyone or brings anyone to their knees, like an ideology, but is the starting point of a "Way of Life" that humanity inherently possesses.
The SDGs are targets to be achieved by the international community by 2030, but individual companies will not be penalised if they do not commit to them.
However, it is clear that the longer we put off achieving this, the more difficult the task of recovery becomes and the more difficult the next generation will find themselves in a further predicament.
Just as the automotive industry is shifting from oil to electricity as the driving energy source, all industries need to rethink their own nature and backcast from the "What Should Be" in 2030 and beyond.
We must think about the generations that will carry the future, not only the next generation, but also the generations that will come after them, and think about what we, the generation that lives today, can do to pass on this wonderful planet to them, and we must immediately put this into action.
The SDGs, which will expire in 2030, will set new targets (Post-SDGs) to be achieved 15 years ahead, in 2045 , just as the MDGs did in the past.
In addition to the many goals that were not achieved in the SDGs, these must include life sciences, which are expected to accelerate rapidly in the wake of the pandemic, and goals that question the nature of "Life" and "Intelligence", which will be triggered by the "Singularity" of AI (Artificial Intelligence), which is expected to be reached by 2045.
Of course, life sciences will not only strengthen the human immune system, but will also produce food that can increase production in the coming global environment, and AI is expected to increase productivity in all fields, but on the other hand, these have inherent risks that challenge the nature of "Life" and "Intelligence", and have the potential to one day leave the hands of humanity that created them and start evolving as new "Life" and new "Intelligence".
Humanity is already one step closer to destroying the ecological "Dynamic Equilibrium" that the planet has evolved, and the SDGs are the last line of defence to hold it back.
Nevertheless, even if the SDGs are achieved, the geopolitical risks stemming from regional disparities cannot be erased unless the strategy of "Expanded Equilibrium", which we have fundamentally maintained as a "Living Organism", is revised.
This means not only problems such as wealth disparity between nations and local conflicts, but also remaining global risks, such as the instantaneous destruction of the world's electricity supply, satellite communications, internet and other infrastructure by explosive EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) attacks caused by political unrest, and the uncontrollable leakage of high-risk "Life Forms" produced by "Life Science".
Of course, a similar catastrophe could be caused by an asteroid impact from outer space, but at this rate, the risk of mankind causing it itself is much higher.
The pandemic should have made people realise anew that not only nations but the entire planet is a "Community of Fate" and that the modern civilisation that has been built up over time is in danger.
Even the "Money Economy" is shifting to cyberspace, and given that the days when money itself had value, such as gold and silver coins, are long gone and countries are considering shifting to virtual currencies, any unstable fluctuation of cyberspace could wreak far more havoc than in the past with the Nixon and Lehman shocks.
The method of being driven by the market, where money momentarily creates money, and prioritising money that shimmers in virtual space while burdening the planet, is in danger of making fluid its own value and, as a result, leaving a disaster for future generations.
The Singularity of AI, apart from the aspect of increased productivity, has also been much talked about the disappearance of many occupations that people have held, but we cannot forget that it is a question of the meaning of our own existence in the sense that there will be an "Intelligence" that surpasses the human race.
The SDGs' phrase "Leave No One Behind", in other words, means that people can live "As They Are", and if we go further into "Animal Welfare", it even means "As the Creature Is", which represents the ultimate "Partial Optimum".
As the information that people receive becomes globalised and the consciousness of each individual is connected to the world as a whole, the essence of the "Great Reset" that humanity is trying to tackle may be the redefinition of values to realise the "Overall Optimum" for the stable sustainability of the international community, while maintaining the "Partial Optimum" of the identity of not only regions and nations but also individual people.
Humanity is also a species.
It is our fate that we humans must take other life because we cannot nurture our own life from the sun, solid earth, air and water.
Nevertheless, what differentiates humans from other species is our advanced intelligence, and we must use this "Intelligence" not only for the immediate harvest and catch, but also to maintain biodiversity and secure stable food resources on a global scale.
And in the "Future" to which we are heading, the technological aids generated by that "Intelligence" will absorb differences in race, gender or physical ability, and efforts will continue to be made to realise a society that places emphasis on the "Intellectual Creativity" of people.
To continue to pass on to our children the importance of living as "Locally Rooted People" who listen to the voice of the earth, looking at our "Core Elements (Sogen)" as human beings - making fire with firewood, running in the mountains and fields to catch prey, and carefully eating the life we cultivate in the mud - in other words, the resilient power to provide our own food, clothing and housing, and the ability to see the essence of things and live creatively.
In other words, we believe that education that cultivates the resilient ability to provide one's own food, clothing and shelter, and the ability to discern the essence of things and live creatively, is what is most needed for humanity to maintain its dignity as an "Intelligent Life Form" and its own unshakable value, with AI, which has reached Singularity, as its retainer.
In the future beyond the SDGs, people's way of life will have changed to a style of living that is "In Tune" with nature rather than "Developing" it, and efforts will continue to be made to find a stable and prosperous future, in harmony with nature, beyond the search for sustainability.
And in order to stabilise the international community while keeping the world's total population moderately low, serious discussions must continue on the nature of the socio-economic system, with children as the biggest stakeholder.
The future that will greet us when we have achieved the Post-SDGs will be one in which humanity does not worry about its own sustainability, nor does it seek only new developments, but rather Stable Improvement.
What is important is that we pass on the principles of the SDGs not only to our own generation, but also to the next and future generations, and that humanity continues to have the enthusiasm (Stable Improvement Zeal) to seek stable progress.
Satoshi Miyajima,
the owner of Locally Rooted Sake Brewery "Shinano-Nishiki"
≫ profile
Science-conscious, enjoy climbing mountains,
stargazing and photography.
My motto is: Too much of a good thing is
too much of a bad thing.
The SDGs were formulated as "Lifestyle Indicators" to be achieved by 2030, not only for countries and regions, but also for the people living there.
It is not mere idealism, but a guideline for ensuring that the civilised societies that mankind has continuously cultivated will be sustained for many years to come, and for realising societies where people can live "as they are", as determined by the consensus of all countries and regions that are members of the UN.
Of course, it is very important to strive to achieve each of the individual targets set out in the SDGs.
However, if we take the view that all we need to do is achieve the parts visualised as goals, we will lose sight of the way forward once we have tagged the SDGs on to our existing efforts.
What the SDGs truly call for is "Lifestyle Transformation" for a new era, and "Sustainable Transformation (SX)" that not only achieves each of the goals set out in the SDGs, but also transforms even the values and industries that have been deemed good until now into a sustainable form.
It could be said that companies (organisations) and individuals are required to imagine what kind of future they want to leave to their children beyond each SDG initiative.
While companies (organisations) are required to make efforts to transform their entire industry into a sustainable one, and individuals are required to transform their own way of life into an ethical one.
At Shinano Nishiki, we believe that our progress over the past half century has been in line with the principles of the SDGs, and we are deeply committed to contributing to the building of a sustainable society in which future generations can live with peace of mind, through our brewing.
We also hope that sake brewing itself does not contradict the principles of the SDGs and the building of a sustainable society, and that sake brewing can continue into the future, and we will move forward step by step with our stakeholders to resolve the essential issues that emerge when tackling the SDGs.
We believe that sake that expresses the great nature of Nagano is a pure rice brew with a rich flavour, made from rice grown healthily in the land of Nagano.
Therefore, since 1991, farming methods that limit the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers have been progressively introduced, and in 2005 all brewing rice was grown under contract using such methods.
In addition, since 2006, the brewery has only brewed Junmai Brewed Sake without adding brewing alcohol, which is transported from the other side of the world and has to be refined with a lot of heat in Japan.
Since 2004, the company has also been working on pure rice brewing using "Low-polished" rice instead of "High-polished" rice, which has a high food waste rate and consumes a lot of energy during rice polishing.
There will eventually come a time when many energy will be converted to electricity and converted to cleaner energy sources.
However, it is difficult to replace boilers that need to generate large amounts of steam at a time with electric boilers.
Alternatively, there are still many issues that need to be resolved if the system is to be converted to a hydrogen or ammonia fuelled system.
It is also important to remember that there are various issues that touch on the very essence of sake, such as the discomfort that even sake with added brewing alcohol from abroad can call itself "Japanese sake".
Now that humanity is rethinking its way of life, it is time for the sake industry to stop and rethink its own way of being.
The brewing of sake must also be overlaid with the regeneration of the earth, the protection of human society and the building of economic activities on top of that.
We believe that the sake industry, which is a symbol of Japan's food culture, should take the lead in demonstrating the change from an industrial industry to an environmentally regenerative industry, so that it will be even more highly regarded both domestically and internationally, which will lead to the development of Japan's food culture for the future.
Low-polished pure brewed Junmai sake made from locally grown contract rice
Keep chemicals out of the rice fields as far as possible
Agriculture in the 20th century developed through the extensive use of chemically synthesised pesticides and fertilisers to increase productivity, but it is not fully understood how the chemical residues and run-off on farmland affect the ecosystem, including micro-organisms.
Adopting agricultural methods that reduce the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers as much as possible, such as pesticide-free cultivation, will help to maintain safe and secure water systems and protect the rich and diverse ecosystems of the farmland and surrounding land, which in turn will protect the sea and the diverse ecosystems nurtured there.
As the decomposition of fertiliser content is slower in organic farming than with chemical fertilisers, the active use of organic fertilisers allows the carbon fixed in them to remain in the soil for a longer period, and also reduces the release of dinitrogen monoxide, which is said to have a greenhouse effect hundreds of times greater than that of carbon dioxide.
It has also been shown that the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers can maintain biodiversity around farmland and sequester a lot of carbon in the soil, including the fixation of carbon in the bodies of these organisms.
Reducing the use of chemicals as much as possible in agricultural production plots and maintaining biodiversity around agricultural land, including in the soil, is also a concrete measure against climate change.
No brewing alcohol should be used
Brewing alcohol is fermented and distilled from waste molasses, which is mainly left over from the extraction of sugar from sugar cane.
In Japan, crude alcohol is brought from as far away as Brazil and other countries and is continuously distilled by re-heating it to a state with little or no flavour or aroma before it is used.
The addition of brewing alcohol can refresh the sake and, in the case of ginjo sake, bring out the aromatic components of the yeast, but we must always be aware of the many burden on the global environment that is placed on it.
In the near future, when carbon taxes and other taxes are introduced, the price of brewing alcohol is likely to rise, but before that happens, many brewers should think about their environmental impact and choose pure rice brewed sake without brewing alcohol.
The flavor of junmai brews varies greatly depending on the climate of the year, but this is the true appeal of sake, where the climate can be tasted through the sake, and the value of locally brewed sake, where the local flavor can be felt.
We believe that junmai brewed sake, which is a sake to savor the climate, can be deeply involved in delving into the local food culture with which it shares its climate, and contribute to the development of the local culture and the region beyond.
Do not over-polishing rice
Since the second half of the 20th century, there have been calls for a food crisis due to the population explosion, and since the beginning of the 21st century, there have been many situations that have jeopardized food production, such as droughts and abnormal outbreaks of grasshoppers caused by climate change.
The future of sake brewing will be a competition with the demand for food from the procurement of raw materials, and we are approaching a situation where sake brewing will not be possible without first securing food.
As rice polishing technology has become more sophisticated and the value system has immobilized to the point that ginjo-shu is the best sake, highly polished sake, which consumes a lot of energy during polishing and has a high food waste rate, has become more popular, but we should keep in mind that good sake can still be made with low polished rice.
Now is the time for the industry as a whole to develop technologies to make sake that can fully appreciate the bounty of the earth, and to make sake with a rich and distinctive flavor, even with rice polished at the same level as that used for food.
To work with local farmers
Essentially, a brew is a product of the local climate, and that is the value of the brew's existence.
As we face a situation in which the availability of raw materials is competing with the demand for food, we have entered an era in which raw materials are produced either in partnership with local farmers or by the brewers themselves.
We believe that sake brewers should first be "Locally Rooted Breweries".
We must also have the desire to be a key part of a partnership to create direct and indirect employment as one of the cogs in the wheel of the community and to create a sustainable community.
We can only make a sustainable contribution to the community as a member of the local community if we brew sake from local agricultural products and enjoy it with local food, not by relying on the standardized value of industrial products, but by making local sake that is loved by the local community.
In addition to working hand in hand with local farmers to minimize transportation energy, we believe that local production for local consumption and self-sufficiency that circulates through the local economy is the basis of resilience that can sustain the region into the future.
Past Steps and Future Paths
"Shinano Nishiki" has been working to reduce brewing alcohol since the beginning of the Heisei era, and in 2006 we were able to make all of our brews "Junmai Brewed Sake" with no brewing alcohol added.
In 1991, the company began contract farming of rice to reduce the use of pesticides and other chemicals, and in 2005, all sake brewing rice was grown under contract.
The percentage of sake produced using so-called "Pesticide-free Rice," which is grown without the use of any pesticides but only with organic fertilizers, is expected to be approximately 25% in the 2020 production plan.
The percentage of sake produced using so-called "Pesticide-free Rice," which is grown without the use of any pesticides but only with organic fertilizers, was approximately 25% by 2020.
Production of junmai sake brewed with low milled rice began in 2004, and by 2020 the percentage of junmai sake brewed with low polished rice was about 45%.
The ratio of polished rice with a particularly low polishing ratio of 80% or higher was approximately 24%.
Our future goal is to increase the ratio of rice grown without pesticides to 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
For low-polished junmai brews, we have set a target of 60% by 2030 and 80% by 2040.
Received the Minister of Finance Award at the 3rd EcoPro Awards in Japan
Organised by the Sustainable Management Promotion Organisation
Autumn, 2020. We received the Minister of Finance's Award, the highest award, at the 3rd Eco Pro Awards in recognition of our "Low-polished pure brewed Junmai sake made from locally grown contract rice".
The Eco-pro Awards are designed to promote the further development and diffusion of products, services, technologies, solutions, and business models that are highly regarded by businesses, consumers, investors, and market participants in the Japanese market and that incorporate specific outstanding environmental considerations, with a view to economic globalization, the entry into force of the Paris Agreement, and changes in the socio-economic circumstances surrounding the SDGs.
The critique stated, "In recent years, sake made with high-polished rice has become the mainstream, but the company has dared to work on low-polished rice, no pesticides, and SDGs to promote the ecosystem and sake culture from the local community, and has established itself as a sustainable model by using pesticide-free rice and paying additional fees to contract farmers. In addition, in order to make sake without polishing the rice, the rice must be of high quality, and there is no room for deception in the sake brewing technique. Furthermore, the company's belief in pursuing authenticity rather than economy or efficiency seems to transcend the principles of the SDGs, and the company's attitude of being conscious of the global environment while contributing to the local economy through rice cultivation and sake production rooted in the local community" was highly evaluated.
The 3rd EcoPro Awards received 47 applications from all over Japan, and as a result of screening by the Selection Committee and the Screening Committee, the five most outstanding candidates were selected to receive the Minister of Finance Award, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award, and the Minister of Environment Award.
We are deeply grateful for the understanding and support of all stakeholders in the sake industry, including our customers, distributors and food and beverage outlets, contract farmers who supply us with high-quality rice, and our employees who are involved in the production process.
We are encouraged by this award and are committed to furthering this initiative, and we look forward to your continued understanding and support.
We were awarded the Encouragement Prize in the "Zero Carbib Challenge Cup 2021" in recognition of our efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
ＮＡＧＡＮＯ Manufacturing Excellence 2019
It is also recognized by Nagano Prefecture as "NAGANO Manufacturing Excellence 2019".
The "Superstring Theory ( Japanese name: Chougen Riron )" is an attempt to represent everything in the universe.
The theory states that among all things, only "Gravity" can be transmitted to another space-time.
As we enter a new era, we need to rethink sake from the perspective of curbing food loss and energy consumption, and move forward into a new "Space and Time".
With the food crisis just around the corner, we have been thinking about "Life Cycle Assessment" and believe that junmai brewed with low-polished rice, which can reduce food loss and energy consumption by using raw material rice produced by environmentally friendly agricultural methods without waste, will open up the future of sake.
We made a Junmai-shu from contract-grown pesticide-free rice and brewed at an ultra-low polished rice.
The name is "Chougen".
Its name pays homage to "Superstring Theory".
The "Chougen" area is defined by our brewery as rice polished to a ratio of 81% or more, which is more than 10% lower than the 70% polished rice ratio indicated as the "Tokutei Meisho-Shu" line in the Sake Manufacturing Process Quality Labeling Standards.
If the rice used is Sankei-Nishiki, it is indicated with an "S", Hitogokochi with an "H", Kinmon-Nishiki with a "K", Miyama-Nishiki with an "M", and Chougen with a "S91" or some other combination of symbol and rice polishing ratio.
The label of the Chougen series is printed with the equation of superstring theory, and the label design was created with LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) in mind, which is the theme of Chougen.
The label size is minimized while maintaining the impression of the product, reducing the amount of paper and glue used, and eliminating the need for label protection paper (film), making it easy to remove and dispose of the label after consumption.
Although labeling cannot be done by machine and need manpower, we hope to move forward one step at a time as we envision how the product is produced and consumed.
We hope you will enjoy the rich flavor produced from the ultra-low-polished rice, which harmonizes the "Five Tastes" of sake: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Low-polished pure brewed Junmai sake made from locally grown contract rice
Thoughts behind "Chougen" and "Wa! San Bon".
( 5m11s / Narration：Satoshi Miyajima )
Shinano-Nishiki Junmai Sake "Chougen S91"
100% "Sankei-Nishiki" specially cultivated without using any pesticides is used.
"Sankei-Nishiki" produced in Yamamuro, Ina City, with a 91% polishing ratio
You will enjoy the soft and spreading flavor of "Sankei-Nishiki",
which was developed as the next generation of rice suitable for sake brewing.
Shinano-Nishiki Junmai Sake "Chougen K91"
100% "Kinmon-Nishiki" specially cultivated without using any pesticides is used.
"Kinmon-Nishiki" produced in Tagiri, Iijima Town, with a 91% polishing ratio
It is made from "Kinmon-Nishiki", a rice suitable for sake brewing
that is known for its deep flavor, and is finished with a good sense of maturity.
Its aroma is even reminiscent of a Western spirits,
and its flavor is even richer when heated.
Shinano-Nishiki Junmai Sake "Chougen M91"
100% "Miyama-Nishiki" specially cultivated without using any pesticides is used.
"Miyama-Nishiki" produced in Yamamuro, Ina City, with a 91% polishing ratio
It has a clean, refreshing taste characteristic of "Miyama-Nishiki",
Nagano Prefecture's representative sake brewing rice.
The juicy flavor is hard to believe that the rice is 91% polished.
"Shinano-Nishiki Chougen" branding was highly evaluated and won the "Happiness Shinshu Category Award" under the theme of "Decarbonization" at the "Shinshu Brand Award 2021".
Shinano-Nishiki Junmai Sake "Wa! San Bon"
Shinano-Nishiki Junmai Sake "Wa! San Bon"
Low-polished junmai sake made from 100% sake brewing rice
grown with reduced use of pesticides
You will enjoy the deep taste of sake with the harmony of the "Five Tastes" of sake.
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