Doburoku in Mihara Village

   Doburoku, or cloudy sake, is a kind of rice wine and is produced with malted rice, yeast and others added to cooked rice. It is the simplest form among alcoholic beverages made from rice and can be produced easily at home. But it is illegal to brew it at home without license. Therefore the word “doburoku” is sometimes used as another name for bootleg liquor.



Doburoku Festival 

   In Mihara Village, western Kochi, doburoku had been produced and consumed since early times especially in farmhouses. In the Meiji period, however, brewing the cloudy sake at home was prohibited by the Liquor Tax Act of Japan and disappeared from the village. But in 2002 the village was authorized by special provisions of the Act to produce doburoku again just like olden days. Now seven farm households in the village produce and sell it and the Doburoku Festival is held every autumn in the village.

Taken from vol.34 PDF