Nestled under the trees of Fukutoku Shrine in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi Ward is Suigian, a restaurant and bar that houses a noh stage and a room for tea ceremony rituals. In July, the restaurant hosted the first two series of a five-series program that paired various types of sake with the traditional art of noh.
The program was produced by Hidetomo Kimura, the internationally acclaimed aquarium artist who owns the stylish hideaway, and Manjiro Tatsumi, a renowned performer from the Hosho school, which specializes in the shite-kata (main actor) style of noh.
Five sake breweries across Japan – Urakasumi from Miyagi Prefecture, Dewazakura from Yamagata, Tengumai from Ishikawa, Born from Fukui, and Sakuramasamune from Hyogo, collaborated with the five current shite-kata schools – Kanze, Hosho, Komparu, Kongo and Kita – to offer these rich cultural experiences to visitors.
The first series from July 12 to 17 featured sake brewed by Tengumai, which is known for its traditional yamahai method of naturally making moto (sake mash) that does not rely on artificial lactic acid. The sake was served in elegant porcelain Kutani ware dishes derived from the historic Kaburaki kiln from Ishikawa Prefecture.
The second series, held from July 26 to 31, highlighted several kinds of junmai daiginjo, a premium sake made from highly polished rice with no added alcohol, produced by Born. The sake served during both weeks included rare brews typically not available on the mass market. Each day after the performances, diners enjoyed meals made with local ingredients sourced from the breweries’ regions that were designed to pair perfectly with the sake served.
The five noh schools took turns presenting their performances on the first five days of each series, with “sake” being the theme for the first series and “five” the theme for the second. The last day of each series concluded with a salon concert featuring soh, the traditional musical instruments of Japan that include the koto and shakuhachi.
For more information, see Suigian’s website at https://suigian.jp
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