Two Products from Kamihei Shuzo

This is the fourth installment in our JFEX 2023 series. This week the focus is on a couple of beverages produced by a brewery in Tono City.

If there is a kappa capital of the world, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture, is it! For those unfamiliar with this mischievous mythological creature that bears a certain resemblance to Puck, I will provide a brief description here, whose brevity does not do justice to the fascinating kappa. Interested readers might want to check out The Legends of Tono by Kunio Yanagita.

Kappa are river dwellers, usually green, turtle-like, and fond of eating cucumbers and wrestling, sumo style. They are pranksters, whose antics on occasion become rather nasty and sometimes take a scatological turn. A unique feature of the kappa is a dish-like depression on their heads that holds water, which, if spilled, negatively impacts the kappa’s power. What was that old song called? Ah, yes, “Spill the Wine” (1970).

*Shirafuji Genta Watching* Kappa *Wrestle*

At Tokyo Big Sight, I tasted one nihonshu and one IPA produced by Kamihei Shuzo, a brewery that was established in 1789. The nihonshu is called Kokka no Sekishoko Nijihakko. It is a sparkling sake made through a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The rice and koji are from Iwate. The red yeast used—Sekishoku Kobo—give it a pink tint and impart rosé notes. It weighs in at a light and summery 10% abv.

The IPA, which is called Sennin Hisui and labeled as “Indian Pale Ale,” was sampled first at the Big Sight and then once again at home. We found it to be a standard New England IPA. It is amber in color, hazy, and has some grapefruit notes, juiciness. The effervescence is soft. The hops announce their presence but are not obtrusive. We found it to be a pleasant brew, especially so on the day of the second tasting, during which the temperature rose to 38 ℃, but would it make a kappa happy? Towards the end of the second tasting, we added a few slices of cucumber—you know, “as cool as a cucumber”—to the glass, swirled the brew around, and drank it down. The cooling effect was enhanced by their presence. Assessment: The kappa may be on to something with these cucumbers.