Future unclear for 150-year-old sake brewery after Noto earthquake

Ryotaro Nakashima, the 35-year-old owner of a long-established sake brewery devastated by the Jan. 1 earthquake that struck central Japan, has mixed feelings about rebuilding his business.

Nakashima is the eighth-generation owner and tōji master brewer of Nakashima Shuzoten in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which has been in business for more than 150 years.

Its key brewing building, reconstructed after it was destroyed by an earthquake 17 years ago, collapsed again in the 7.6-magnitude New Year’s Day quake. Wajima was one of the municipalities hit hardest by the latest temblor.

“I want to make sake, but I wonder if there’s any point in doing business here if there’s going to be yet another earthquake,” Nakashima said.

About nine years ago, Nakashima succeeded his father, Koji, the seventh-generation owner, who died suddenly at age 60. Nakashima was 26 at the time.

Noto Suehiro brand sake products, made from water drawn from a well in a mountain it owns and rice grown in the prefecture, are mainstay items for the brewer. They have gained popularity not only among local residents but also tourists. Nakashima Shuzoten also uses online sales channels.

“There are people who continue to drink our sake” because they love it, Nakashima said. “That’s what kept me going and made me happiest.”

In the March 2007 earthquake, some of Nakashima Shuzoten’s brewing buildings were destroyed.

Nakashima’s father considered closing the business at the time, but eventually rebuilt the brewery on the back of encouragement from fans.

Since succeeding his father as head of the brewery, Nakashima has strived to further improve the quality of its sake, and the taste has been well received.

Then came the New Year’s Day earthquake. This time, the damage was far more serious than in the 2007 quake.

The brewery shop was destroyed, and several 4,500-liter brewing and storage tanks were buried under collapsed roofs. Also, some of the tanks that survived the 2007 quake suffered damage. Furthermore, many of the tools and rooms needed to grow rice malt — essential in sake brewing — were damaged.

Faced with such major devastation, Nakashima said he cannot think about what he should do. He sleeps at a brewing building where damage from the quake was relatively minor.

When considering whether he should continue his business in Wajima, Nakashima is torn between conflicting emotions, and keeps going back and forth between choices.

“In the first place, the population in Wajima has been graying, and I don’t think young people who are currently evacuating would return to the city” even after the situation stabilizes, he said. “I wonder how many local people will keep drinking our sake.”

At other times, he is more positive. “Our sake is loved by locals, so I want people I know to keep drinking it.”