96 AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. 



It seems that the Japanese became closely acquainted with 

 Sake at the beginning of the third century, during their first ex- 

 pedition to Corea. At least, the introduction of its manufacture is 

 assigned to that date. It was a Chinese process, and was, too, fur- 

 ther perfected by the Chinese. For many centuries great difficulty 

 was experienced from the summer heat, which quickly spoiled the 

 liquor. Then, about 300 years ago, a means of preserving it was 

 discovered in the very heating. In those days the Sake-distilleries 

 at Itami and Nishinomiya on the road (now railway) from Hiogo 

 to Ozaka, and from Ikeda, had already attained a great reputation, 

 which they have kept up to the present time, despite all competition. 



However much the process may differ in a {^\n secondary respects, 

 it is still to all intents and purposes, the same in all distilleries. 

 Common rice (Uruchi) is everywhere employed, and always in its 

 hulled shape, never the glutinous rice, though perhaps that is simply 

 because it is considerably dearer. 



After the Japanese example, Korschelt notes four stages in the 

 manufacture of Sake, namely i, the production of Koji ; 2, of Moto ; 

 3, the main process ; and 4, pressing and clarifying. Atkinson en- 

 tirely separates the preparation of Koji from the three other sub- 

 jects, treating them together under the head of Sake-brewing 

 proper. 



a. Preparation of Koji or rice- ferment. The means by which in 

 making Sake the farinaceous meal of the rice-grains is transformed 

 and got ready for alcoholic fermentation is called Koji, being thus 

 similar to diastase in the case of malt. It is, moreover, applied 

 also in the manufacture of Shoyu, and in other cases likewise where 

 we should use lees, and hence its production is a thing by itself, 

 and not merely a part of Sake-distilling. 



Koji still has essentially the look of the hulled rice-grains from 

 which it was made, except that most of these grains are now loosely 

 united in lumps of greater or less size. This lumping takes place 

 through the Mycelium fibres of a mould-fungus {Eiirotiuin Oryzce, 

 Ahlburg), which pierce into the loosened cellular layer, while the 

 walls in the thicker cells about the centre of the mass have acquired 

 a horny character, so that the single starch-grains are no longer 

 distinguishable. By prolonged contact with water a considerable 

 number of these Koji-grains are dissolved, colouring the fluid 

 yellow. This change is effected still more quickly and completely 

 in warm water, so that often only the cell-walls and Mycelium fila- 

 ments remain undissolved. In this way between 30 and 60 per cent. of 

 the Koji passes into solution. As Atkinson has shown, this soluble 

 part of the Koji consists principally of starch-sugar and dextrine, 

 the mutual relation of which is, of course, subject to many varia- 

 tions, depending upon the temperature and the duration of the 

 influence of the fungus. By Tane-koji, i.e., Koji-seeds, is meant a 

 fine yellow powder, the spores of the fungus, as revealed by the 

 microscope. 



