A big ball made of cedar, used as a sign that “the new sake is ready!”
It’s called a “sakabayashi” or a “sugidama” ＼(^o^)／
At the entrance in front of the Hakushika Memorial Museum of Sake, it was replaced with a new one again this year on October 22!
This year’s one is an amazing 1 meter in diameter and weighs about 100 kilograms!
Apparently, employees of Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing made it over about a week in between their sake-brewing work !(^^)!
By the way, last year’s one was 70 centimeters in diameter and weighed 60 kilograms. This year’s is 1.666666 times bigger than last year’s!
The Origins of “Sakabayashi” (“Sugidama”)
The tradition of displaying sugidama is said to have originally come from Omiwa Shrine in Nara Prefecture, which enshrines the deity of sake. At Omiwa Shrine, a sugidama has been displayed every year on November 14 with the wish that “delicious sake will be made.” This custom spread to sake breweries across Japan from around the early Edo period, and today sugidama can be seen in many different places.
Cedar trees also grow naturally in abundance on Mount Miwa, where Omiwa Shrine is located, and because the cedar of Mount Miwa is considered sacred, sugidama came to be made using cedar.
Quoted from Sakemizuki
The preparation of sake brewing is now starting as we head into the colder season!
Here’s hoping it turns into delicious sake ＼(^o^)／
Here’s the location↓
The address is 8-21 Kurakakecho, Nishinomiya.
