Living skills of Noto master brewers
Nurtured by the land and history of Oku-noto
Wafu no Sake

The brewers of Noto, who have come to generally uphold sake-making in “brew-land Ishikawa,” have long kept Noto ranked alongside Echizen, Nambu, and Tamba in the top four sake-making areas of high repute. To this today, they continue to maintain their traditional ways and methods.
In Noto, the head brewer is still addressed as “Oyassan.” He coordinates and oversees the work of the production assistant manager, and specialists working on koji yeast, rice, implements and conveyance, mashing, pressing, and steaming, and workers doing other chores. Historically head brewers here nearly always worked their way up from fishing and farming villages to the pinnacle of their profession. Considered to be quite different from ordinary laborers, brewery workers who left Noto to work elsewhere were distinguished as “Noto-shu.”
This recognition came during the late 19th century, when as autumn progressed, the Noto-shu would head home to his brewery where, irrespective whether it was night or day, would work until the spring.
Such is the continuing story of head brewers in Noto – the story of Wajima, a land blessed by nature and human talent.
Noto breweries rigorously stick to the old ways and, through the skill of their head brewers, continue to brew superior sake.