Original news story photo substituted with this VAoJ shot from Tenbun.
The Cultural Affairs Council has decided to propose traditional Japanese sake brewing techniques using koji mold as a candidate for UNESCO intangible cultural heritage listing.
After seeking approval at a meeting of relevant government agencies, the government council will submit a proposal on the registration of the traditional brewing techniques to the U.N. organization at the end of March, people familiar with the matter said Friday.
The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee is expected to deliberate whether to inscribe them at its November 2024 meeting.
“Sake brewing is a traditional craft technique that has been established as work of the hand, and sake itself is deeply rooted in the social customs, rituals and festive events of Japanese people,” the council said of its reason for the proposal.
Koji is also used to make shochu and awamori distilled spirits.
In October last year, the council called for registering traditional sake brewing as an intangible cultural asset under the country’s domestic system, together with a traditional technique in the shodo art of Japanese calligraphy.
Sake brewing and shodo were formally registered as intangible cultural assets in December.
Currently, 22 Japanese intangible cultural assets are on the UNESCO heritage list.
As the country has many registered items, its bid for new listings is examined once every two years.
At this year’s meeting, its proposal for furyu odori folk performing arts, such as Bon summer festival dances, will be screened, along with recommendations from other countries.
Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/26/national/unesco-sake-cultural-heritage/
