Once upon a time, there was a violent god named Susanoo-no-mikoto who challenged a giant serpent that had demanded the life of a young woman every year. The god killed the eight-headed Yamata-no-crochi, a dragonlike creature with eight tails, when it became drunk on the local Yashiori-no-sake.
According to one of Japan's oldest myths, from the Izumo district, Shimane Prefecture is famous for its high-quality rice wine. Although the legendary sake no longer exists, people say the skills to produce top-quality sake have been handed down to local producers.
"Sake has an old history in Shimane, and what was created at that time is the root of our sake," said Masahiko Fukushima, manager of the Tokyo branch of the Shimane Prefectural Products and Tourist Center.