Taste Japan's Gift of the Gods in Sake's Birthplace

"This shrine enshrines Kusunokami, the god of sake brewing, and is traditionally credited as the linguistic and spiritual origin of the word “sake.” In autumn, local toji (master brewers) visit to pray for the brewing season, and because home brewing was outlawed in 1899 the shrine remains one of the few places legally permitted to produce doburuku (raw, unfiltered) sake. Visitors can taste this doburoku during the annual Doburoku Matsuri held each October 13, linking contemporary practice to long-standing ritual and community brewing traditions." - Karen Gardiner