Some mistake it as a big honeycomb, but actually it is sugitama, a traditional symbol of a sake brewery called “sakabayashi.”

 

This object presumably originated from Miwa Shinto Shrine in Nara which deifies the god of sake. From cedar, the sacred tree of Mount Miwa, the brewers gathered branches and made a ball by combining and trimming them, and hung it under the eaves of the buildings to notify that a new sake had been produced.

 

The fresh green color of the ball at the time when sake was newly made gradually changed to brown, signifying the maturation process of the sake as well.

 

Traditionally, a sake jar was called “miwa,” and cedar trees in Mount Miwa that deified the god of sake were worshipped as sacred in Yamato Province (modern Nara Prefecture). Being soft and workable, cedar has long been used for making buckets, barrels and measuring containers for sake.

 

Please check the changing colors of the “sugitama” when you travel to the Shoryudo Area.

 

New sugitama and sugitama hung for one year