Furumachi Koji Seizosho“Plum Koji”

Furumachi Koji Seizosho“Plum Koji”

Here’s an introduction to Furumachi Koji Seizosho’s “Plum Koji.”

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“Plum Koji” is an amazake made from rice koji.

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This is a non-alcoholic, sugar-free amazake made with plum juice.

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At Furumachi Koji Seizosho, this amazake is also known as “Doyō Amazake,” and it is sold as a drink to enjoy on the Day of the Ox during the Doyō period.

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Since the Day of the Ox during the Doyō period is a day to eat foods with the syllable “u” in their names and pray for good health, we’ve chosen “ume koji”—which contains the syllable “u”—as our special he Day of the Ox during the Doyō amazake.

The Day of the Ox During the Dog Days of Summer

“Doyō no Ushi no Hi” refers to the Day of the Ox that falls during the summer Doyō period. It is also known as “Doyō no Ushi” or “Doyō-ushi.”

“Doyō” is one of the ‘zassetsu’ (minor seasonal divisions) and refers to the approximately 18-day period immediately preceding the four seasonal beginnings (Risshun, Rikka, Risshū, and Rittō). “Ushi no Hi” (the Day of the Ox) is a date based on the “Stem-Branch Calendar System” of the Twelve Earthly Branches. For this reason, while Doyō no Ushi no Hi exists in seasons other than summer, it most often refers to days in summer. There are cases where two such days occur in a single season; if we disregard seasonal distinctions, there are an average of 6.09 Days of the Ox during the Doyō period each year. When two such days occur in a single season, they are distinguished as the First Day of the Ox and the Second Day of the Ox. Similar customs to eating foods with the syllable “u” in summer exist in other seasons as well: in spring, foods with the syllable “i”; in autumn, foods with the syllable “ta”; and in winter, foods with the syllable “hi.”

Wikipedia

Recognizing the wonders of koji, the company opened a specialty koji store in Furumachi, Niigata, in 2009.

The amazake comes in a glass bottle with a yellow-green lid.

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The amazake was 500 ml, and I enjoyed it by drinking it in several servings.

Since the amazake is plum-flavored, the glass bottle has a label featuring plum blossoms.

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Furumachi Koji Seizosho is known not only for its amazake but also for its amazake-based sweets, which feature unique and adorable labels.

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Here is a list of amazake labels.

My thoughts on drinking amazake

The moment I poured the amazake into the cup, I caught a faint scent of plum.

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When I took a sip, I first tasted the subtle sweetness of the rice koji amazake, followed by the sweet-and-sour flavor of the plum that spread throughout my mouth.

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