MORIOKA--For two consecutive years, brewer Hidemine Furudate has achieved his unusual goal of selling at least 15,994 bottles of sake.
MORIOKA--For two consecutive years, brewer Hidemine Furudate has achieved his unusual goal of selling at least 15,994 bottles of sake. The number corresponds to the population of his coastal hometown of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, before it was devastated by the tsunami spawned by the Great East Japan Earthquake. “I wish that my friends in the town, including those who died in the disaster, could taste my sake," says the 48-year-old president of the Akabu Shuzo brewery. Akabu Shuzo, the only sake brewery in Otsuchi, was founded in 1896 and is known for its Hama Musume brand. But on March 11, 2011, the sake brewery was swept away by the tsunami, and Furudate had to evacuate to Morioka, the prefectural capital. With his home, brewery and many of his friends victims of the disaster, Furudate figured his career as a sake brewer was over. But his customers encouraged him to take it up again. He also had two school-age daughters to support. “I cannot remain depressed because of my children,” he remembers telling himself. “I am not the only one going through a tough time.” Nine months after the disaster, he began brewing in Morioka after renting an office from the municipal government and a brewing facility from an acquaintance. He set his goal at selling 15,994 bottles a year to honor the people of Otsuchi. He reached his goal in 2012 and 2013. His 15,994th bottle for this year was sold on Dec. 20. On Dec. 16, Furudate began shipping sake brewed in a new facility, which he named Fukkatsu Gura (revival vault). The facility was completed in October with subsidies from the central and prefectural governments. Despite his newfound success, not everything has gone smoothly for Furudate. Spending to set up the new brewery has pushed up his debt, and new sales channels have proven challenging to find. Four employees hired after the disaster did not even have any experience in sake brewing. Furudate said sometimes he dreams of Fukkatsu Gura being washed away by a tsunami. Still, he makes it a rule to keep smiling. “If you are smiling, those around you will smile, too,” he says. “I want to have a pleasant drink.” Furudate says he always feels guilty for leaving Otsuchi but hopes that people in the town will appreciate his Morioka-produced sake. “I want to make good sake next year, praying for the recovery of my hometown,” he says.