The First U.S. Sake Breweries
On June 10, 1901, the Japan Brewing Co. filed incorporation papers, noting their place of business was in San Francisco and the capital stock would be $50,000. Although their business address was in San Francisco, this was not the location of their brewery. The corporate directors included H. Soejima, M. Shiino, S. K. Mitsuke, T. Domoto, and K. Ishimaru, all of San Francisco. H. Soejima was also the President of the Japanese Association of America. The secretary and manager of the brewery was listed as S.K. Mitsuse.
Probably the first newspaper article to reference the new Sake brewery was The Berkeley Gazette (CA), July 19, 1901. It noted, “An important deal was consumed today whereby a big Japanese Company have leased the old Hofburg brewery on San Pablo avenue, near University avenue, and will reopen it for the purpose of manufacturing Japanese liquors. The Hofburg brewery has been closed for several years,..”
The brewery was located in West Berkeley, though it also had a business address at 209 Battery Street in San Francisco. The West Berkeley location, at the corner of San Pablo Avenue and University, was the site of the former Hofburg Brewery, which had been open from 1888 to 1899. The former beer brewery had spent two years prospecting before they finally constructed two wells, each about 65 feet deep, which led to pure gravel water. As water is so important in brewing Sake, this was an excellent choice for the location of the new Sake brewery.
The Berkeley Gazette article continued, “The lease was made in the name of Yim Sino, and is for the period of ten years at the monthly rental of one hundred and fifty dollars.” Later articles would state the lease was made in the name of Yin Sino. The article continued, stating “The present duty on Japanese drinks is so high that it is practically prohibitive and this brewery will supply the Japanese of the United States and Hawaiian Islands with liquid refreshments.”
As for the new operation, the article mentioned, “The work of renovating the old brewery and installing machinery has already begun…The place will be put in first-class condition and it is estimated that the establishment will employ an average of one hundred men." Finally, the article stated, "The establishment of this institution will attract wide attention as it is the only one of its kind in the United States.”
The Sacramento Bee (CA), July 22, 1901, claimed that, “In a few weeks the first distillery in the United States of Japanese liquors will be in full operation at West Berkeley." Note that the newspaper didn't understand it was actually brewery and not a distillery. It continued, that they "... will manufacture, on a large scale, rice nectar and Empire sauce, favorite liquors of the Japanese.” However, this was premature, as the brewery wouldn't actually be in operation until 1902.
Not everyone was pleased with the idea of this new Sake brewery. The Los Angeles Herald (CA), July 26, 1901, published a brief editorial, casting racist aspersions about the idea. It began, alleging that, “A company composed of little men from the "land of sunrise" will soon begin to distill and vend "sake" in the "land of sunset." It then continued, “Sake (in two syllables) will hold its own, as a destructive agent, with brands of American whisky variously known as "forty-rod," "sure death," etc. It is made of rice, and Americans who have tasted it in Japan say that one dose paralyzes and one bottle kills. But there is no accounting for tastes, and report says that a liking for sake is apt to follow in case the imbiber survives the first dose.” They were also worried, that, “If the experiment of introducing it in California proves successful an eastward movement of sake manufacture and consumption will naturally follow.” Fortunately, this was one of the only such negative articles that I found.
The Oakland Enquirer (CA), September 5, 1901, mentioned that the Sake brewery was “awaiting the arrival of machinery which has been ordered from Japan before making extensive improvements.” And briefly, the Oak Park Times (Illinois), November 19, 1901, noted that, “It will be the first manufactory of its kind in the United States.” They would end up starting to brew Sake in 1902.
Three years later, the Berkeley Gazette (CA), January 10, 1905, provided numerous details about the success of the brewery. The article began, “Under the innocent and poetical name of ‘rice nectar,’ the Japan Brewery Company of West Berkeley annually disposes of 90,000 gallons of the Japanese national beverage, the intoxicating ‘sake.’" This amount was roughly equivalent to the total annual Sake imports to Hawaii prior to the rise in the duty on Sake.
It was also mentioned that, "Each month 750 ten-gallon kegs labeled ‘rice nectar’ go out from the brewery.” The term "rice nectar" was interesting, an excellent choice, and probably sounded more appealing to non-Japanese than "Sake." The brewery was so successful that inspectors of the U.S. IRS started to look into regulating the Sake industry, concerned that there might suddenly come a Sake brewery boom in the U.S.
The article continued, “The reason why a sake brewery in the West End can make money is because it has so far the monopoly of the trade, not only in the U.S., but in the colonial possessions, Hawaii and the Philippines." Where did the rice come to make their Sake? It was purchased from Texas and Louisiana, and "... connoisseurs declare that the sake made from American rice is of a superior quality to that grown in Japan." H. Seojima, the manager of brewery, even claimed that the Japanese Emperor and his country preferred his Sake to that made in Japan. A very bold claim!
License issues! The Berkeley Gazette, December 19, 1905, reported that a new ordinance was being enacted in the city, which would create a new license for all breweries, and such licenses would cost $200 a year. Previous to this point, none of the breweries, beer or otherwise, needed to possess a license. The Berkeley Gazette (CA), January 16, 1906, then reported that the government office was seeking payment for the new business licenses. The article stated, “Of the three establishments that come under the requirements for breweries, one has secured a license, the Japan Brewing Company.”
The Japan Brewing Company wasn't pleased about this new license fee, although it appears they paid for it in January. The Oakland Tribune (CA), February 20, 1906, mentioned, “H. (Hachiro) Soejima, proprietor of the Japan Brewing Company on San Pablo avenue near University, announces that at the close of the year he will remove his distillery from Berkeley. He says he cannot afford to pay the $200 a year license, and will remove to San Francisco, where there is no license tax.” The article continued, “The Japan Brewing Company manufactures exclusively sake, the national drink of the Japanese. The local concern ships all over the United States and to Japan.” The $200 license fee would be equivalent to about $3400 today.
In the Japanese American Yearbook (Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan), No. 2, 1906, there was the above advertisement for the Japan Brewing Co. It provided only very limited info, including a phone number and business address at 319 Mason St., San Francisco. The Special Agent is also listed as Ueda Shokai.
Although the brewery had previously stated they wouldn't close until the end of the year, the brewery apparently closed in July rather than waiting until the end of the year. The Berkeley Gazette (CA), July 23, 1906, reported that the company had abandoned their brewery building. It was noted, “The company has established quarters at another point, and it is understood that the building will shortly be leased for some other purpose than brewering purposes.” However, this article didn't state where the company relocated, but other sources indicated it moved to Emeryville, which is only a few miles from Berkeley.
By February 1907, the Japan Brewing Co. had opened a Sake brewery in Emeryville, but it only lasted for just over a year, and by April 1908, this brewery was closed, and there's no indication that it was again relocated.
As an aside, it appears that the former brewery building in Berkeley was taken over by the Louis Saroni Candy Factory, which intended to create a candy factory that would employ about one hundred people.
Why did this brewery shut down, especially as it had seemed to be previously successful? Although it was producing 90,000 gallons of Sake annually, they might not have been making significant profits. If they had been making a substantial profit, they might not have been so opposed to the $200 license fee. I'll also note that in November 1907, a lawsuit was brought against the Japan Brewing Co., indicating financial problems.
The San Francisco Call (CA), November 12, 1907, reported that, “Peter A. Breen has begun suit in the superior court to foreclose a mortgage for $1,000 against the Japan brewing company of West Berkeley. Breen claimed he supplied the concern with an extensive line of equipment for the brewing of sake in June 1906, but had received no money. In addition to the sake manufacturing plant the list of articles was said to include roller top desks and kitchen utensils.” That was a significant debt, and could easily have been sufficient to cause the brewery to close.
It's also interesting that in the Hawaiian Star (HI), July 10, 1908, there was a discussion with the President and Manager of the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. He stated, “There was a sake brewery in Berkeley, California, which failed, but that was due to the cooperage, the California firm using white oak, while Japanese cedar should have been used.” This was the only reference I found to this claim, so it's unsure whether this was an accurate claim or not. The taste of Sake in white oak would certainly taste different from Japanese cedar, and the Japanese would have been used to Sake in cedar.
Besides the Japan Brewing Co., there is evidence of the existence of at least a couple other Sake breweries in California around this time. In 1903, Kinzo Yasuhara came to California and two years later opened a Sake brewery on Jackson Street in Los Angeles, which would have been the second Sake brewery in the U.S. It appears to have closed around 1917, having lasted about 12 years, although it's possible it might have lasted a bit longer. As Prohibition came into effect, the Sake brewery was turned into a miso and soy sauce factory.
The Sugita Bros. Brewery, located at 569 East Taylor Street, San Jose, opened in 1905 but changed its name, to J. Sugita, under which it was open from 1906-1908. However, the Sugita brewery might not have started by producing Sake as its primary business appeared to have been shoyu, soy sauce.
As of December 1908, this brewery was succeeded by K. Iida, which is the first time the company is definitely known to have produced Sake. By August 2011, K. Iida changed its name to K. Iida & Company, and by September 1913, it underwent another name change, to Keeichi Kawaguchi. By September 1914, the brewery changed its name once again, to K. Kawaguchi & Co. A year later, in September 1915, the brewery was succeeded by Kenzo Hayashi. The brewery was eventually relocated to around 665 North 5th Street, San Jose.
However, tragedy struck. The Evening News (CA), March 3, 1916, reported that, “The Japanese theater and the Japanese saki brewery located at 651-663 North Fifth street were burned to the ground at 5 o’clock in the morning, the total loss amounting to somewhat more than $5000.” The origin of the fire was unknown. There had been 2000 gallons of Sake in a big tank, and “On account of the alcohol in the saki, it burned freely and added to the fierceness of the heat.” The property was owned by Mrs. Eliza Randall and leased to K.Z. Hayashi, who had very little insurance.
There was also a Sake brewery in Watsonville, the Tamasaki & Murata Sake Brewery, which opened around September 1906 but which closed by July 1907. There was another Sake brewery in San Jose in 1916, the Nippon Sake Company, which was located at the corner of Jackson and Seventh Streets.
I haven't yet been able to find much information about these California Sake breweries, and there might have even been others too.
As for the rest of the country, in 1903, there were thoughts of opening a Sake brewery in Texas! According to the Boston Evening Transcript (MA), October 19, 1903, R. and T. Onishi, S. Saibara and S.T. Nichimura, Japanese capitalists, had recently purchased 900 acres of land, in the rice belt. They planned to plant rice, and had an option to purchase another 2100 acres. If they were successful in their efforts, they planned to bring additional Japanese workers to Texas, to work the land. They felt they could grow rice that was as high in quality as that grown in Japan.
The article also mentioned that T. Onishi was a Sake brewer, and would experiment with some of the rice to produce Sake. “He feels that the people will show a preference for it over soda water, wine or beer. Should they do so, he has assurances from numbers of capitalists that they will take stock in an extensive brewery plant.”
As the rice production succeeded well, a large Japanese settlement was established in Webster, which was a short distance from Houston. They imported Japanese shinriki seed rice, which was superior to American rice, and it yielded almost twice what American rice yielded. They contributed significantly to the rice industry in Texas.
Toraichi Onishi, who was also sometimes referred to as a "wealthy wine merchant," either decided eventually not to produce Sake, or his experiment failed, as there was no further mention of it. At best, he might have produced a small amount of Sake for the members of the settlement, but even that doesn't appear to be documented. However, it's possible that some of the rice they grew was used by the Japan Brewing Co., which we know purchased some rice from Texas.
During this time period, let's explore some other newspaper references concerning public perceptions of Sake.
The Los Angeles Herald (CA), November 17, 1903, reported that Sotaro Inui, a 31 year-old Japanese man, came to Fresno a few weeks ago. He recently jumped off the back porch of a two-story house, and his friends were concerned that he might have been crazy. Thus, he was brought before a judge to assess his sanity. However, it was learned that Sotaro had only been drunk on Sake, so the matter was dismissed.
Sake cups! The Los Angeles Herald (CA), March 20, 1904, discussed "China Collecting in Los Angeles," concentrating on Sake cups. The article began, “China sake cups are most alluring.” It continued, “As everybody in Los Angeles knows, sake is the pale, beer-colored liquor distilled by the Japanese from rice— their favorite stimulant—and, although sake cups are shallow, doll-like affairs, the Japanese bon vivant can speedily attain the beatific, non-existent form of intoxication. Many sake-drinking accessories are required by the elegantes of an art-loving country like Japan and so the united efforts of many craftsmen and artists are called forth to provide and properly to beautify them."
Continuing its explanation, it was noted, "There must be a sake-kettle and a sake bottle as well as a sake cup, because the liquor is first heated in a kettle (one with the longest and slenderest of spouts), and then poured into a porcelain bottle, ready to be served. At a Japanese feast, the position of the kneeling serving maid with the bottle of hot sake is conveniently near the guest and it is specified in the bond that she shall see that his cup is never empty.”
There was information about Sake kettles. “The masterpieces of old Japanese metal work are, to be sure, temple-bells and swords, yet some of the old wine kettles are classed among the precious specimens of this splendid art and those who have seen them utter no protest. Usually they were of iron, with lids of bronze. The ornamentation of the sake kettle was commonly in the way of a design inlaid or engraved, with a background quite subdued yet wonderfully telling. High polish and glitter in metal work were not sought or esteemed in old Japan. The sake kettles now obtainable rarely date back farther than the last shogunate and most of them are in brass repousse, or they are of iron with small conventionalized flower-forms as an all-over decoration.”
Then, there was a brief description of Sake bottles, “Sake bottles are frequently made in the shape of a ‘pilgrim gourd,’ one of the earliest pottery forms in the world....Many of the modern sake bottles show no decoration except crests or poems, or moral precepts for the benefit of the sake-toner.”
Finally, the article explain the beauty of Sake cups. “One is easily persuaded that all sake cups are delightful and desirable, yet all are frail, perishing bits of porcelain. In form, they are generally round but occasionally there are those shaped like the cherry blossom or the morning glory, or with five or six or eight sides. Usually, the collector divides her cups into three groups—those on which the design is stencilized, those showing a free-hand decoration and those of a plain, solid color." The article then continues discussing the decorations of the various style of Sake cups.
More basic information on Sake. The San Francisco Chronicle, September 18, 1904, noted, “Japan without sake would be equally as strange as England without beer,…” It was the said, “Sake is a rice beer, containing from 11 to 17 per cent of alcohol, and is used everywhere, and at all times, in fair Japan.” The article then continued, “The sake breweries are very quiet, except from the 1st of September to the middle of February, as that is the season for making it, and a low temperature is required for its brewing. It is said that sake has been made in Japan for more than 2500 years, and that two brewers of sake came from China in 400 A.D. introducing the improved Chinese process, but then they made it in houses and in small quantities only.”
It then mentioned, “Three hundred year after sake breweries were built in Osaka, and these were able to supply it on a large scale. The most superior quality is still made at this place.” Next, it noted, “Sake brewing is a new mode of the fermentation industry, not similar to European process in any way, but fully as complete.” A description of the sake brewing process was then given.
The Los Angeles Herald (LA), November 22, 1905, discussed a man's attempt to sell Sake. Frank Watanabe, a wealthy Japanese businessman, applied for a license to wholesale Sake at a location at 218 Commercial Street. However, the license was denied, as the commission didn't like its location, stating, "It is in a part of the city where liquor licenses of every kind should be few and far between." Watanabe had wanted to open the largest Japanese market on the West Coast, selling many different items imported from Japan, including Sake. Watanabe's lawyer claimed that his client was only going to use the Commercial street location on a temporary basis, while he sought to construct a permanent location elsewhere. The commission then told the attorney that Watanabe should return when he had his permanent location.
Another crime associated to Sake. The Mariposa Gazette (CA), February 9, 1907, reported on a knife-fight fueled by too much Sake. “T. Yeoka died at the Central Emergency Hospital, and H. Torogama, with an ugly slash across his shoulder, is being carefully nursed to life. The trouble was caused by the effects of the national drink, sake, of which a party of Japanese had been partaking heavily. At Sutter and Laguna streets the party under the influence of sake ran foul of Yeoka and Torogama. Knives flashed, and in the general melee which followed the two Japanese received the wounds.”
A police raid on 33 Japanese "blind pigs!" The Los Angeles Herald (CA), November 2, 1907, reported that thirty-three Japanese "blind pigs," illegal saloon, were raided by the police. Nearly $6,000 of alcohol was seized and thirty-three managers and proprietors were arrested. They were later released on bonds of $25 each. The Los Angeles Times (CA), November 3, 1907, then reported that all of the Japanese defendants pled guilty, each receiving a fine of $25. The article mentioned, "The Japanese yesterday, in many cases, pleaded ignorance. They told the court that they had paid a revenue tax to a Federal officer, and that they thought that was all that was necessary." I'll note that at this time, there were at least almost 150 blind-pigs throughout Los Angeles, and they weren't limited to the Japanese.
Sake and Gold! The San Francisco Call, January 14, 1908, briefly reported that, “Mr. Shibata, the brewer, has ordered a solid gold pan, which will be used for tempering sake. The capacity of the pan is such as to hold about 100 gallons. It will take two or three months to make the pan, during which time the house goldsmith will be specially guarded by the police.”
In 1908, there were about forty Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, many which served only Japanese customers. These restaurants were required to pay $60 for a liquor license, which the Japanese felt was too extreme. The Los Angeles Herald (CA), August 26, 1908, reported "The question of the Japanese restaurant is becoming a serious one for the police commission." It continued, "The Japanese will not eat a meal without something stronger than water to wash it down, and every Japanese restaurant is well supplied with beer and sake. Some of them pay the license required, but most of them find it more profitable to serve the liquor without the license and take their chances on being fined. It is extremely difficult to secure a conviction against these places, as many of them serve Japanese exclusively and one Japanese will not testify against another."
The Japanese restaurants requested that the license fee be reduced to $20, and the police commissioner considered lowering that fee, but only for restaurants which had an exclusive Japanese clientele. "The commission says the Japanese are not competitors of the American restaurant and as a consequence believes there will be no marked protest. If there is matters will continue as they are.”
Apparently, the license fee was not changed, and the city started to take action against those Japanese restaurants which lacked liquor licenses. The Los Angeles Herald (CA), October 9, 1908, reported that. “Patrolmen Busse, Beaumont, Cline, Cooke, Glenn and Stevens, working out of Captain Broadhead's office, raided four Japanese blind pigs last night, arrested the keepers and confiscated a large amount of beer and liquors. At 503 Banning street T. Tateishi, the proprietor and a wagon load of beer and sake was taken. Tateishi was released from jail on $100 cash bond for his appearance in police court today. K. Klnoshito was arrested at 313 East First street and a large quantity of beer and sake confiscated. He gave bond for his appearance. K. Watanabe of 139 Vine street and N. Tokunaga of 105 North San Pedro street were also arrested and several cases of beer and casks of sake confiscated. They also put up $100 each, for their appearance and were released from jail. The liquors will be held as evidence and afterward probably destroyed.”
The police were no longer accepting ignorance of the law as an excuse for the Japanese not to possess liquor licenses.
Over six months later, the Los Angeles Herald (CA), May 7, 1909, reported on additional raids. "We are not by any means through with raids on houses of bad repute and notorious resorts," said Chief of Police Dishman yesterday. In speaking of the four successful raids made Wednesday night. "The raids were not spasmodic, but the result of evidence we had been gathering for over a week. It ought to be a warning to places of a similar nature, and we will continue to bring inmates to police headquarters who are found in such places during a raid. The Inmates will be required to give their names and may be called upon as witnesses and the proprietors of such places arrested."
The article continued, "Before Police Justice Frederickson, John Foster of the Bacon, 325 East Second street; Bessie Hale of the Boston, 307 1/2 West Second street, and W. H. Salway of the Manhattan, 115 East Third street, were arraigned, charged with violating the liquor ordinances. It was alleged they conducted a retail liquor business without a license. The three proprietors were released on $200 bonds, Foster and Mrs. Hale demanding a jury trial and Salway asked time to plead and was given until Monday. Foster's case was set for May 11 and Mrs. Hale's for May 13. Yesterday afternoon C. C. Colyear, alleged proprietor of the Edison Annex, Fourth and Los Angeles, was arraigned and was given until this morning to plead to a similar charge. A complaint against Colyear was not issued until early yesterday afternoon. Kimi Kasada and Harry Sake, Japanese employed at the Manhattan, were also arraigned and released on $50 bonds to appear Monday for trial."
Then, the Los Angeles Herald (CA), May 24, 1909, reported on a new massive raid. “Fifteen alleged Japanese blind pigs, one being the fashionable Los Angeles Nippon club, were raided by the police last night under direction of Chief of Police Edward F. Dishman and forty-eight prisoners for violation of the liquor ordinance together with liquors valued at $2000, seized, and nine other prisoners, booked on suspicion, were taken to the station. The blanket raid was well planned and ably executed by the police, not one word of it having been allowed to escape from the station until the various squads of officers selected for the duty were ready to leave headquarters."
The places that were raided included: "Nos. 181 North San Pedro street, the Los Angeles Nippon club; 125 North Central avenue, 208 North San Pedro street, 433 Jackson street, 205 North San Pedro street, 226 North San Pedro street, 314 East First street, 211 1/2 North San Pedro street, 611 North Alameda street, 510 North San Pedro street, 105 North San Pedro street, 122 South San Pedro street, 340 East First street.” All of these places, with the exception of the Nippon club, were considered to be restaurants. A number of these restaurants also employed "geisha girls" to serve Sake and beer, as well as to play music and dance.
Although a majority of these restaurants had retail liquor licenses, issued by the federal government, they lacked city liquor licenses. “The persons arrested were all later released at the station house on the deposit of cash bail for their appearance in police court this morning. A total of $2850 was taken in by the desk sergeant in amounts of $50 and $100."
In an amusing incident, the Los Angeles Herald (CA), July 24, 1909, reported on a hearing for one of the arrested restaurant owners. D. Arika, a proprietor of a restaurant at 814 East First street, had been arrested after the police seized fifty-one full bottles of beer, forty-four empty beer bottles, and two large demijons of Sake. At the hearing, Arika claimed they were "All for my own use," but he clearly wasn’t believeable.
All of the arrests finally led the Japanese restaurants to apply for city liquor licenses, although not all of them were able to get a license. The Los Angeles Herald (CA), June 29, 1909, reported that twenty-six applications had been received by the police commission, but only twelve were granted. "The other fourteen were denied without prejudice. The grounds for the denial were that twelve restaurants could serve all the saki needed by the Japanese population and if all twenty-six were granted the privilege there would be too much trouble for the police." It was also noted that this was the first time any Japanese restaurant in the city had applied for a city liquor license.
Although the brewery had previously stated they wouldn't close until the end of the year, the brewery apparently closed in July rather than waiting until the end of the year. The Berkeley Gazette (CA), July 23, 1906, reported that the company had abandoned their brewery building. It was noted, “The company has established quarters at another point, and it is understood that the building will shortly be leased for some other purpose than brewering purposes.” However, this article didn't state where the company relocated, but other sources indicated it moved to Emeryville, which is only a few miles from Berkeley.
By February 1907, the Japan Brewing Co. had opened a Sake brewery in Emeryville, but it only lasted for just over a year, and by April 1908, this brewery was closed, and there's no indication that it was again relocated.
As an aside, it appears that the former brewery building in Berkeley was taken over by the Louis Saroni Candy Factory, which intended to create a candy factory that would employ about one hundred people.
Why did this brewery shut down, especially as it had seemed to be previously successful? Although it was producing 90,000 gallons of Sake annually, they might not have been making significant profits. If they had been making a substantial profit, they might not have been so opposed to the $200 license fee. I'll also note that in November 1907, a lawsuit was brought against the Japan Brewing Co., indicating financial problems.
The San Francisco Call (CA), November 12, 1907, reported that, “Peter A. Breen has begun suit in the superior court to foreclose a mortgage for $1,000 against the Japan brewing company of West Berkeley. Breen claimed he supplied the concern with an extensive line of equipment for the brewing of sake in June 1906, but had received no money. In addition to the sake manufacturing plant the list of articles was said to include roller top desks and kitchen utensils.” That was a significant debt, and could easily have been sufficient to cause the brewery to close.
It's also interesting that in the Hawaiian Star (HI), July 10, 1908, there was a discussion with the President and Manager of the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. He stated, “There was a sake brewery in Berkeley, California, which failed, but that was due to the cooperage, the California firm using white oak, while Japanese cedar should have been used.” This was the only reference I found to this claim, so it's unsure whether this was an accurate claim or not. The taste of Sake in white oak would certainly taste different from Japanese cedar, and the Japanese would have been used to Sake in cedar.
Besides the Japan Brewing Co., there is evidence of the existence of at least a couple other Sake breweries in California around this time. In 1903, Kinzo Yasuhara came to California and two years later opened a Sake brewery on Jackson Street in Los Angeles, which would have been the second Sake brewery in the U.S. It appears to have closed around 1917, having lasted about 12 years, although it's possible it might have lasted a bit longer. As Prohibition came into effect, the Sake brewery was turned into a miso and soy sauce factory.
The Sugita Bros. Brewery, located at 569 East Taylor Street, San Jose, opened in 1905 but changed its name, to J. Sugita, under which it was open from 1906-1908. However, the Sugita brewery might not have started by producing Sake as its primary business appeared to have been shoyu, soy sauce.
As of December 1908, this brewery was succeeded by K. Iida, which is the first time the company is definitely known to have produced Sake. By August 2011, K. Iida changed its name to K. Iida & Company, and by September 1913, it underwent another name change, to Keeichi Kawaguchi. By September 1914, the brewery changed its name once again, to K. Kawaguchi & Co. A year later, in September 1915, the brewery was succeeded by Kenzo Hayashi. The brewery was eventually relocated to around 665 North 5th Street, San Jose.
However, tragedy struck. The Evening News (CA), March 3, 1916, reported that, “The Japanese theater and the Japanese saki brewery located at 651-663 North Fifth street were burned to the ground at 5 o’clock in the morning, the total loss amounting to somewhat more than $5000.” The origin of the fire was unknown. There had been 2000 gallons of Sake in a big tank, and “On account of the alcohol in the saki, it burned freely and added to the fierceness of the heat.” The property was owned by Mrs. Eliza Randall and leased to K.Z. Hayashi, who had very little insurance.
There was also a Sake brewery in Watsonville, the Tamasaki & Murata Sake Brewery, which opened around September 1906 but which closed by July 1907. There was another Sake brewery in San Jose in 1916, the Nippon Sake Company, which was located at the corner of Jackson and Seventh Streets.
I haven't yet been able to find much information about these California Sake breweries, and there might have even been others too.
As for the rest of the country, in 1903, there were thoughts of opening a Sake brewery in Texas! According to the Boston Evening Transcript (MA), October 19, 1903, R. and T. Onishi, S. Saibara and S.T. Nichimura, Japanese capitalists, had recently purchased 900 acres of land, in the rice belt. They planned to plant rice, and had an option to purchase another 2100 acres. If they were successful in their efforts, they planned to bring additional Japanese workers to Texas, to work the land. They felt they could grow rice that was as high in quality as that grown in Japan.
The article also mentioned that T. Onishi was a Sake brewer, and would experiment with some of the rice to produce Sake. “He feels that the people will show a preference for it over soda water, wine or beer. Should they do so, he has assurances from numbers of capitalists that they will take stock in an extensive brewery plant.”
As the rice production succeeded well, a large Japanese settlement was established in Webster, which was a short distance from Houston. They imported Japanese shinriki seed rice, which was superior to American rice, and it yielded almost twice what American rice yielded. They contributed significantly to the rice industry in Texas.
Toraichi Onishi, who was also sometimes referred to as a "wealthy wine merchant," either decided eventually not to produce Sake, or his experiment failed, as there was no further mention of it. At best, he might have produced a small amount of Sake for the members of the settlement, but even that doesn't appear to be documented. However, it's possible that some of the rice they grew was used by the Japan Brewing Co., which we know purchased some rice from Texas.
************
During this time period, let's explore some other newspaper references concerning public perceptions of Sake.
The Los Angeles Herald (CA), November 17, 1903, reported that Sotaro Inui, a 31 year-old Japanese man, came to Fresno a few weeks ago. He recently jumped off the back porch of a two-story house, and his friends were concerned that he might have been crazy. Thus, he was brought before a judge to assess his sanity. However, it was learned that Sotaro had only been drunk on Sake, so the matter was dismissed.
Sake cups! The Los Angeles Herald (CA), March 20, 1904, discussed "China Collecting in Los Angeles," concentrating on Sake cups. The article began, “China sake cups are most alluring.” It continued, “As everybody in Los Angeles knows, sake is the pale, beer-colored liquor distilled by the Japanese from rice— their favorite stimulant—and, although sake cups are shallow, doll-like affairs, the Japanese bon vivant can speedily attain the beatific, non-existent form of intoxication. Many sake-drinking accessories are required by the elegantes of an art-loving country like Japan and so the united efforts of many craftsmen and artists are called forth to provide and properly to beautify them."
Continuing its explanation, it was noted, "There must be a sake-kettle and a sake bottle as well as a sake cup, because the liquor is first heated in a kettle (one with the longest and slenderest of spouts), and then poured into a porcelain bottle, ready to be served. At a Japanese feast, the position of the kneeling serving maid with the bottle of hot sake is conveniently near the guest and it is specified in the bond that she shall see that his cup is never empty.”
There was information about Sake kettles. “The masterpieces of old Japanese metal work are, to be sure, temple-bells and swords, yet some of the old wine kettles are classed among the precious specimens of this splendid art and those who have seen them utter no protest. Usually they were of iron, with lids of bronze. The ornamentation of the sake kettle was commonly in the way of a design inlaid or engraved, with a background quite subdued yet wonderfully telling. High polish and glitter in metal work were not sought or esteemed in old Japan. The sake kettles now obtainable rarely date back farther than the last shogunate and most of them are in brass repousse, or they are of iron with small conventionalized flower-forms as an all-over decoration.”
Then, there was a brief description of Sake bottles, “Sake bottles are frequently made in the shape of a ‘pilgrim gourd,’ one of the earliest pottery forms in the world....Many of the modern sake bottles show no decoration except crests or poems, or moral precepts for the benefit of the sake-toner.”
Finally, the article explain the beauty of Sake cups. “One is easily persuaded that all sake cups are delightful and desirable, yet all are frail, perishing bits of porcelain. In form, they are generally round but occasionally there are those shaped like the cherry blossom or the morning glory, or with five or six or eight sides. Usually, the collector divides her cups into three groups—those on which the design is stencilized, those showing a free-hand decoration and those of a plain, solid color." The article then continues discussing the decorations of the various style of Sake cups.
More basic information on Sake. The San Francisco Chronicle, September 18, 1904, noted, “Japan without sake would be equally as strange as England without beer,…” It was the said, “Sake is a rice beer, containing from 11 to 17 per cent of alcohol, and is used everywhere, and at all times, in fair Japan.” The article then continued, “The sake breweries are very quiet, except from the 1st of September to the middle of February, as that is the season for making it, and a low temperature is required for its brewing. It is said that sake has been made in Japan for more than 2500 years, and that two brewers of sake came from China in 400 A.D. introducing the improved Chinese process, but then they made it in houses and in small quantities only.”
It then mentioned, “Three hundred year after sake breweries were built in Osaka, and these were able to supply it on a large scale. The most superior quality is still made at this place.” Next, it noted, “Sake brewing is a new mode of the fermentation industry, not similar to European process in any way, but fully as complete.” A description of the sake brewing process was then given.
The Los Angeles Herald (LA), November 22, 1905, discussed a man's attempt to sell Sake. Frank Watanabe, a wealthy Japanese businessman, applied for a license to wholesale Sake at a location at 218 Commercial Street. However, the license was denied, as the commission didn't like its location, stating, "It is in a part of the city where liquor licenses of every kind should be few and far between." Watanabe had wanted to open the largest Japanese market on the West Coast, selling many different items imported from Japan, including Sake. Watanabe's lawyer claimed that his client was only going to use the Commercial street location on a temporary basis, while he sought to construct a permanent location elsewhere. The commission then told the attorney that Watanabe should return when he had his permanent location.
Another crime associated to Sake. The Mariposa Gazette (CA), February 9, 1907, reported on a knife-fight fueled by too much Sake. “T. Yeoka died at the Central Emergency Hospital, and H. Torogama, with an ugly slash across his shoulder, is being carefully nursed to life. The trouble was caused by the effects of the national drink, sake, of which a party of Japanese had been partaking heavily. At Sutter and Laguna streets the party under the influence of sake ran foul of Yeoka and Torogama. Knives flashed, and in the general melee which followed the two Japanese received the wounds.”
A police raid on 33 Japanese "blind pigs!" The Los Angeles Herald (CA), November 2, 1907, reported that thirty-three Japanese "blind pigs," illegal saloon, were raided by the police. Nearly $6,000 of alcohol was seized and thirty-three managers and proprietors were arrested. They were later released on bonds of $25 each. The Los Angeles Times (CA), November 3, 1907, then reported that all of the Japanese defendants pled guilty, each receiving a fine of $25. The article mentioned, "The Japanese yesterday, in many cases, pleaded ignorance. They told the court that they had paid a revenue tax to a Federal officer, and that they thought that was all that was necessary." I'll note that at this time, there were at least almost 150 blind-pigs throughout Los Angeles, and they weren't limited to the Japanese.
Sake and Gold! The San Francisco Call, January 14, 1908, briefly reported that, “Mr. Shibata, the brewer, has ordered a solid gold pan, which will be used for tempering sake. The capacity of the pan is such as to hold about 100 gallons. It will take two or three months to make the pan, during which time the house goldsmith will be specially guarded by the police.”
In 1908, there were about forty Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, many which served only Japanese customers. These restaurants were required to pay $60 for a liquor license, which the Japanese felt was too extreme. The Los Angeles Herald (CA), August 26, 1908, reported "The question of the Japanese restaurant is becoming a serious one for the police commission." It continued, "The Japanese will not eat a meal without something stronger than water to wash it down, and every Japanese restaurant is well supplied with beer and sake. Some of them pay the license required, but most of them find it more profitable to serve the liquor without the license and take their chances on being fined. It is extremely difficult to secure a conviction against these places, as many of them serve Japanese exclusively and one Japanese will not testify against another."
The Japanese restaurants requested that the license fee be reduced to $20, and the police commissioner considered lowering that fee, but only for restaurants which had an exclusive Japanese clientele. "The commission says the Japanese are not competitors of the American restaurant and as a consequence believes there will be no marked protest. If there is matters will continue as they are.”
Apparently, the license fee was not changed, and the city started to take action against those Japanese restaurants which lacked liquor licenses. The Los Angeles Herald (CA), October 9, 1908, reported that. “Patrolmen Busse, Beaumont, Cline, Cooke, Glenn and Stevens, working out of Captain Broadhead's office, raided four Japanese blind pigs last night, arrested the keepers and confiscated a large amount of beer and liquors. At 503 Banning street T. Tateishi, the proprietor and a wagon load of beer and sake was taken. Tateishi was released from jail on $100 cash bond for his appearance in police court today. K. Klnoshito was arrested at 313 East First street and a large quantity of beer and sake confiscated. He gave bond for his appearance. K. Watanabe of 139 Vine street and N. Tokunaga of 105 North San Pedro street were also arrested and several cases of beer and casks of sake confiscated. They also put up $100 each, for their appearance and were released from jail. The liquors will be held as evidence and afterward probably destroyed.”
The police were no longer accepting ignorance of the law as an excuse for the Japanese not to possess liquor licenses.
Over six months later, the Los Angeles Herald (CA), May 7, 1909, reported on additional raids. "We are not by any means through with raids on houses of bad repute and notorious resorts," said Chief of Police Dishman yesterday. In speaking of the four successful raids made Wednesday night. "The raids were not spasmodic, but the result of evidence we had been gathering for over a week. It ought to be a warning to places of a similar nature, and we will continue to bring inmates to police headquarters who are found in such places during a raid. The Inmates will be required to give their names and may be called upon as witnesses and the proprietors of such places arrested."
The article continued, "Before Police Justice Frederickson, John Foster of the Bacon, 325 East Second street; Bessie Hale of the Boston, 307 1/2 West Second street, and W. H. Salway of the Manhattan, 115 East Third street, were arraigned, charged with violating the liquor ordinances. It was alleged they conducted a retail liquor business without a license. The three proprietors were released on $200 bonds, Foster and Mrs. Hale demanding a jury trial and Salway asked time to plead and was given until Monday. Foster's case was set for May 11 and Mrs. Hale's for May 13. Yesterday afternoon C. C. Colyear, alleged proprietor of the Edison Annex, Fourth and Los Angeles, was arraigned and was given until this morning to plead to a similar charge. A complaint against Colyear was not issued until early yesterday afternoon. Kimi Kasada and Harry Sake, Japanese employed at the Manhattan, were also arraigned and released on $50 bonds to appear Monday for trial."
Then, the Los Angeles Herald (CA), May 24, 1909, reported on a new massive raid. “Fifteen alleged Japanese blind pigs, one being the fashionable Los Angeles Nippon club, were raided by the police last night under direction of Chief of Police Edward F. Dishman and forty-eight prisoners for violation of the liquor ordinance together with liquors valued at $2000, seized, and nine other prisoners, booked on suspicion, were taken to the station. The blanket raid was well planned and ably executed by the police, not one word of it having been allowed to escape from the station until the various squads of officers selected for the duty were ready to leave headquarters."
The places that were raided included: "Nos. 181 North San Pedro street, the Los Angeles Nippon club; 125 North Central avenue, 208 North San Pedro street, 433 Jackson street, 205 North San Pedro street, 226 North San Pedro street, 314 East First street, 211 1/2 North San Pedro street, 611 North Alameda street, 510 North San Pedro street, 105 North San Pedro street, 122 South San Pedro street, 340 East First street.” All of these places, with the exception of the Nippon club, were considered to be restaurants. A number of these restaurants also employed "geisha girls" to serve Sake and beer, as well as to play music and dance.
Although a majority of these restaurants had retail liquor licenses, issued by the federal government, they lacked city liquor licenses. “The persons arrested were all later released at the station house on the deposit of cash bail for their appearance in police court this morning. A total of $2850 was taken in by the desk sergeant in amounts of $50 and $100."
In an amusing incident, the Los Angeles Herald (CA), July 24, 1909, reported on a hearing for one of the arrested restaurant owners. D. Arika, a proprietor of a restaurant at 814 East First street, had been arrested after the police seized fifty-one full bottles of beer, forty-four empty beer bottles, and two large demijons of Sake. At the hearing, Arika claimed they were "All for my own use," but he clearly wasn’t believeable.
All of the arrests finally led the Japanese restaurants to apply for city liquor licenses, although not all of them were able to get a license. The Los Angeles Herald (CA), June 29, 1909, reported that twenty-six applications had been received by the police commission, but only twelve were granted. "The other fourteen were denied without prejudice. The grounds for the denial were that twelve restaurants could serve all the saki needed by the Japanese population and if all twenty-six were granted the privilege there would be too much trouble for the police." It was also noted that this was the first time any Japanese restaurant in the city had applied for a city liquor license.
The article continued, “It is said that 7 per cent of the entire rice crop of Japan goes to the making of this amber fluid, which contains about 15 per cent of alcohol and is characterized by five distinct tastes, according to experts— sweetness, sharpness, sourness, bitterness and astringency." It was also noted, “It comes from the, breweries in wooden casks or tubs, bound with heavy hoops of bamboo.” As for its price, it was mentioned, “A good sized cask of the best— and the best comes from the great rice fields in the region of Osaka, near the Inland sea — costs between $3 and $4 in Japan. In this country the wholesale price is at the rate of $1.25 a gallon.”
Vaughan then stated, “It is a heady beverage, but while it quickly intoxicates the effects soon pass away, and the intoxication is one of steadily increasing good humor. Under its influence the Japanese peasant may become noisy—laughing, shouting and cutting strange capers—but he is never rough, ill natured or quarrelsome. As for the better classes, they become ‘politely drunk,’ and the politeness increases with the progress of the exhilaration.” This helped to combat some of the claims that Sake consumption led to violence and crime.
In one intriguing section, Vaughan also wrote that, “In the olden days of the samurai the fierce warriors often preserved the heads of conquered foemen in tubs of sake and offered them for the identification of their feudal lords, as evidence of their prowess.”
In a more beautiful section, a Japanese drinking song was provided:
"When you drink sake
You feel like the springtime
And the loud cries
Of impatient creditors
On the outside
Sounds in your ears
Like the voices of nightingales
Singing most sweetly"
The San Francisco Call (CA), January 23, 1911, briefly stated, “About 250,000 gallons of sake, the national drink of Japan, is consumed in the United States every year.”
The Sun (NY), March 10, 1912, ran an interesting article about Sake. It began, "Sake was introduced into Japan about the fourth century A.D., or at the time that the Japanese made their first excursions into Corea,.." Sake is "often spoken and written of as rice beer, rice wine and rice brandy, but none of these terms fully describes the drink." It also noted, "Essentially the making of sake is of Chinese origin and it was the Chinese who perfected it." There was then a description of the production process of Sake.
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Sake and Hawaii Again
Let's return to Hawaii. Around January 1902, there were approximately 60,000 Japanese living in Hawaii. Sake imports from Japan had increased from the lows of a few years prior. The Evening Bulletin (HI), October 2, 1901, briefly noted there were, “One hundred sake tubs for sale at the Fountain saloon. Palama; 10 cents each.” From July 15, 1901 to January 15, 1902, Hawaii imported 27,660 barrels of Sake (about 221,000 gallons), each priced at $8.50, and 6984 bottles, each priced at $2.80.
With this increased consumption, there was also a growing temperance movement in Hawaii, mainly led by women and priests, who claimed Sake caused terrible harms. The Hawaiian Gazette (HI), January 31, 1902, reported on the Anti-Saloon League, a temperance organization, which alleged, “There was an average of one death a day among the Japanese population in Honolulu due to drink alone.” I have not found any evidence to prove that extraordinary claim, and it probably was merely hyperbole.
The temperance movement even thought that "Those who drink sake were sapping their moral strength.” They also claimed that “...95% of the Portuguese residing in Honolulu were addicted to the liquor habit, and that not only adults, but little children of six years of age, are often intoxicated.” Again, no evidence was put forth to support any of these statements.
The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), November 3, 1902, mentioned that November 2 had been the Emperor’s birthday, and there had been problems with the supply of Sake. “An emperor’s birthday and no sake to celebrate it with would be about as disagreeable to Japanese as a Christmas in New England without any cranberries and cider.” A ship had just arrived with plenty of Sake, but it would normally had taken too long for the Sake to clear customs to reach the Japanese to celebrate. However, Custom Collector Stackable granted them a special permit so they could quickly take about 400 tubs of Sake of the ship for their celebrations.
A customs broker visited a Japanese Sake brewery! The Hawaiian Star (HI), December 1, 1902, reported J.T. Johnson, a customs broker, had traveled to Japan and visited the Kano Sake brewery in Nada, about 10 miles from Osaka. He was said to be one of the few white men to visit a Sake brewery. One of the primary reasons he traveled to Japan was to learn about Sake production, and he discovered the process involved brewing and not distillation.
The first Sake brewery in Hawaii? Interestingly, at about the same time that the Sake brewery in Berkeley, California, was being established, there was an attempt to establish a Sake brewery in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, that attempt was unsuccessful. The Honolulu Republican, July 26, 1901, briefly mentioned, “The request of T. Dadani for permission to conduct a sake distillery at Manoa valley was referred to the Attorney General.” Unfortunately, I've been unable to locate any background information about T. Dadani.
The Evening Bulletin (HI), July 26, 1901, noted, “Attorney General Dole has under consideration the matter of permitting one T. Dadani to establish a sake distillery in Moana Valley.” Then, the Honolulu Republican, July 30, 1901, reported that, “Attorney General Dole made a report on the application of T. Tadeni to establish a sake distillery in Manoa valley. He thought it would be best not to grant the desired permission.” It's unclear whether the correct name is "T. Dadani" or "T. Tadeni." In addition, the article didn't explain Dole's reasoning for his support of a denial.
The Hawaiian Star (HI), July 30, 1901, then provided a little more information on the reason for the denial. “Dole held that the Hawaiian laws under which such a distillery could be established had been substantially repealed, and the application was therefore denied.” There's no information that T. Dadani ever attempted again to establish a Sake brewery in Hawaii. If the license had been granted, then it's likely the Berkeley Sake brewery and that of T. Dadani would have tied for the first Sake brewery in the U.S.
The Hawaiian Star (HI), February 6, 1904, claimed that, “The establishment of a saki brewery in Honolulu will be a not unlikely result of a decision sustaining Collector Stackable’s ruling that duty must be paid on imported saki as a wine." However, the IRS treated Sake as similar to beer. As the customs duty was much greater than the IRS tax, it could be economically beneficial to produce Sake in Hawaii rather than import it. However, it was also noted in the San Francisco Call (CA), February 26, 1904, that, “There is a scarcity of Japanese rice in Honolulu and the dealers will be obliged to make importations from the United States.”
With this increased consumption, there was also a growing temperance movement in Hawaii, mainly led by women and priests, who claimed Sake caused terrible harms. The Hawaiian Gazette (HI), January 31, 1902, reported on the Anti-Saloon League, a temperance organization, which alleged, “There was an average of one death a day among the Japanese population in Honolulu due to drink alone.” I have not found any evidence to prove that extraordinary claim, and it probably was merely hyperbole.
The temperance movement even thought that "Those who drink sake were sapping their moral strength.” They also claimed that “...95% of the Portuguese residing in Honolulu were addicted to the liquor habit, and that not only adults, but little children of six years of age, are often intoxicated.” Again, no evidence was put forth to support any of these statements.
The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), November 3, 1902, mentioned that November 2 had been the Emperor’s birthday, and there had been problems with the supply of Sake. “An emperor’s birthday and no sake to celebrate it with would be about as disagreeable to Japanese as a Christmas in New England without any cranberries and cider.” A ship had just arrived with plenty of Sake, but it would normally had taken too long for the Sake to clear customs to reach the Japanese to celebrate. However, Custom Collector Stackable granted them a special permit so they could quickly take about 400 tubs of Sake of the ship for their celebrations.
A customs broker visited a Japanese Sake brewery! The Hawaiian Star (HI), December 1, 1902, reported J.T. Johnson, a customs broker, had traveled to Japan and visited the Kano Sake brewery in Nada, about 10 miles from Osaka. He was said to be one of the few white men to visit a Sake brewery. One of the primary reasons he traveled to Japan was to learn about Sake production, and he discovered the process involved brewing and not distillation.
The first Sake brewery in Hawaii? Interestingly, at about the same time that the Sake brewery in Berkeley, California, was being established, there was an attempt to establish a Sake brewery in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, that attempt was unsuccessful. The Honolulu Republican, July 26, 1901, briefly mentioned, “The request of T. Dadani for permission to conduct a sake distillery at Manoa valley was referred to the Attorney General.” Unfortunately, I've been unable to locate any background information about T. Dadani.
The Evening Bulletin (HI), July 26, 1901, noted, “Attorney General Dole has under consideration the matter of permitting one T. Dadani to establish a sake distillery in Moana Valley.” Then, the Honolulu Republican, July 30, 1901, reported that, “Attorney General Dole made a report on the application of T. Tadeni to establish a sake distillery in Manoa valley. He thought it would be best not to grant the desired permission.” It's unclear whether the correct name is "T. Dadani" or "T. Tadeni." In addition, the article didn't explain Dole's reasoning for his support of a denial.
The Hawaiian Star (HI), July 30, 1901, then provided a little more information on the reason for the denial. “Dole held that the Hawaiian laws under which such a distillery could be established had been substantially repealed, and the application was therefore denied.” There's no information that T. Dadani ever attempted again to establish a Sake brewery in Hawaii. If the license had been granted, then it's likely the Berkeley Sake brewery and that of T. Dadani would have tied for the first Sake brewery in the U.S.
The Hawaiian Star (HI), February 6, 1904, claimed that, “The establishment of a saki brewery in Honolulu will be a not unlikely result of a decision sustaining Collector Stackable’s ruling that duty must be paid on imported saki as a wine." However, the IRS treated Sake as similar to beer. As the customs duty was much greater than the IRS tax, it could be economically beneficial to produce Sake in Hawaii rather than import it. However, it was also noted in the San Francisco Call (CA), February 26, 1904, that, “There is a scarcity of Japanese rice in Honolulu and the dealers will be obliged to make importations from the United States.”
California Sake sent to Hawaii! The Hawaii Herald (HI), March 10, 1904, noted that, “As the result of the establishment of a saki brewery in California the importation of that article at this port is likely to fall off and the customs receipts be diminished to a considerable extent.” The article continued, “An enterprising Japanese has formed a company at Berkeley, California, and has been at work for some months turning out the article.” Finally, it was mentioned, “The Alameda brought a good sized consignment of the Berkeley saki last Friday.” So, many Japanese in Hawaii probably would have been aware of the Berkeley Sake brewery, and cognizant that it predated any Hawaiian Sake brewery.
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Imported Sake faced another significant legal obstacle in 1908, which may have contributed to a desire for establishing breweries in the U.S. and Hawaii. Back in June 1906, the Pure Food & Drugs Act was passed, banning adulterated foods and drinks from interstate commerce. This act would eventually lead to the creation of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Two years later, in April 1908, the federal government stated they were going to ban the importation of any Japanese Sake that contained salicylic acid, a common preservative used in Sake. Though salicylic acid can be toxic in high doses, it naturally occurs in a number of foods, such as artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower.
The government ordered all Sake imports to be detained so that they could be analyzed by chemists for salicylic acid. Initially, several hundred barrels of Sake in San Francisco were examined and it was determined they were 90% adulterated. All further Sake imports were essentially prohibited as nearly all of them contained salicylic acid. Though Japanese representatives protested this ban, the Sake brewing industry in Japan had already been addressing the issue of the use of salicylic acid as a preservative.
The Spokane Chronicle (WA), April 24, 1908, noted, “There is found to be considerable salicylic acid used in the manufacture and preservation of sake. For some time past the treasury department has allowed sake to enter at this port if it was labeled in plain marks ‘Preserved in salicylic acid.’” The article continued, “As salicylic acid is necessarily used in the preservation of all sake the Japanese realize that it will virtually stop all importation of the national drink of Japan to this country.”
The new prohibition prevented a number of Sake shipments from being imported into Hawaii and the U.S., but that didn't last long. As mentioned in the Hawaiian Star (HI), August 13, 1908, just as much Sake was still being imported, however it didn't contain salicylic acid or another type of preservative. Thus, much of the Sake spoiled before it could be drank. So, “It is being brought in smaller quantities but more frequently to meet the new condition.”
The Hawaiian Gazette (HI), August 14, 1908, provided more detail, “Sake, pure and unadulterated, will keep untainted for twenty-four days, but at the end of thirty days it will have soured so badly that even the thirstiest field hand will pass it by.” Japanese brewers advised that, “the life of the juice can be preserved by bringing the liquor to the boiling point, although this results in a considerable diminution in the quantity. A boiling insures the preservation of the sake for an additional three weeks.”
However, boiling added a burdensome component. The Collector of Internal Revenue Drake had ruled that “before they would be allowed to boil their sake they would have to take out a brewer’s license and pay the internal revenue duties on their retubbed product, which would be considered as a new product in the eyes of the law.” This would raise the cost of the Sake even more.
The Sake industry had long been concerned with trying to prevent Sake from spoiling, During the 1880s, they started to follow the advice of Oscar Korschelt, a German who taught at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tokyo, and began using salicylic acid as a preservative. Eventually, the use of salicylic acid began to be questioned, with worries that it could have a deleterious effect on people. In September 1903, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the “Regulations on Food and Drink Preservatives” which prohibited the use of salicylic acid in Sake, though the actual ban would not take place until October 1911.
As can be seen, the Japanese were already on top of this issue when the U.S. instituted their own ban on imported Sake containing salicylic acid. The breweries were already struggling to find a different way to preserve Sake. Gekkeikan, which had been producing Sake for almost 380 years, might have been the first brewery to create a preservative-free Sake which would not spoil. They also started labeling their Sake, “Noninjurious to Health; No Preservatives,” and that claim was tested and certified by the Osaka Institute of Hygienic Sciences.
All of this was added incentive for some Japanese entrepreneurs in Hawaii to start their own Sake breweries.
Sake & Rice
Let's discuss rice for a short bit. It's believed that rice first came to America, to Virginia, sometime before 1647. It later spread to South Carolina and then Georgia, and remained largely in the South. At the start of the 20th century, people in Sacramento Valley, California, thought that they too could grow good rice, and they started experimentation, with assistance from the government. Many different types of rice were imported from Asia and elsewhere, trying to determine which might be most suitable for Sacramento Valley.
In 1909, Tokuya Yasuoka, a Japanese immigrant, was the first to successfully harvest 25-acres of rice in the valley. Other farmers then followed his path so that by 1920, there were approximately 162,000 acres of rice grown in California. The rice variety that proved best to the area was Wataribune, and its descendant, known as Pearl Rice, still grows in the region. Wataribune could be used as an eating rice, and that was probably its main function in California, though it also could be used to make excellent Sake.
Other major rice growing states included Texas and Louisiana, as well as the Territory of Hawaii. Prior to 1875, numerous rice mills had been constructed in Hawaii by James A. Hopper. Once the Treaty of Reciprocity was enacted in 1875, allowing the duty-free import of Hawaiian agricultural products into the U.S., Hopper erected his own rice mill, which was destroyed by fire in December 1877. The mill was rebuilt, a fully modernized facility, with a capacity of over 20,000 pounds of rice a day. In 1903, the James A. Hopper Co., Ltd., run by W.L. Hopper, was one of the leading rice mills in Hawaii.
The Japanese decided they wanted their own rice mill, establishing the Japanese Rice Milling Co., Ltd. in 1901. The Hawaiian Star (HI), September 24, 1901, stated, “A large and modern rice mill is to be equipped by Japanese capital on the site of the Japanese warehouse in Kakaako. The machinery has been ordered from the coast at a cost of about $20,000. It is up-to-date and elaborate, including the largest gasoline engine now on these islands. A rice polishing machine with a capacity of 3500 pounds per hour and a rice grader are parts of the general plan." The article continued, "The anticipated business is to come from the Japanese on the islands who are large producers, besides importing some eighty thousand bags of rice yearly from Japan. Hitherto their trade has been taken to Hopper’s or the various Chinese mills in operation.”
The Honolulu Republican (HI), September 24, 1901, mentioned, “The Japanese import a great deal of what is known as ‘brown’ rice from Japan.” The duty on polished rice from Japan was 2 cents a pound, while the duty on brown rice was half a cent less. As Hawaii didn’t produce enough rice for local demand, they imported some rice from the U.S., and they also imported 5,000-6,000 bags of rice from Japan each month.
In 1909, Tokuya Yasuoka, a Japanese immigrant, was the first to successfully harvest 25-acres of rice in the valley. Other farmers then followed his path so that by 1920, there were approximately 162,000 acres of rice grown in California. The rice variety that proved best to the area was Wataribune, and its descendant, known as Pearl Rice, still grows in the region. Wataribune could be used as an eating rice, and that was probably its main function in California, though it also could be used to make excellent Sake.
Other major rice growing states included Texas and Louisiana, as well as the Territory of Hawaii. Prior to 1875, numerous rice mills had been constructed in Hawaii by James A. Hopper. Once the Treaty of Reciprocity was enacted in 1875, allowing the duty-free import of Hawaiian agricultural products into the U.S., Hopper erected his own rice mill, which was destroyed by fire in December 1877. The mill was rebuilt, a fully modernized facility, with a capacity of over 20,000 pounds of rice a day. In 1903, the James A. Hopper Co., Ltd., run by W.L. Hopper, was one of the leading rice mills in Hawaii.
The Japanese decided they wanted their own rice mill, establishing the Japanese Rice Milling Co., Ltd. in 1901. The Hawaiian Star (HI), September 24, 1901, stated, “A large and modern rice mill is to be equipped by Japanese capital on the site of the Japanese warehouse in Kakaako. The machinery has been ordered from the coast at a cost of about $20,000. It is up-to-date and elaborate, including the largest gasoline engine now on these islands. A rice polishing machine with a capacity of 3500 pounds per hour and a rice grader are parts of the general plan." The article continued, "The anticipated business is to come from the Japanese on the islands who are large producers, besides importing some eighty thousand bags of rice yearly from Japan. Hitherto their trade has been taken to Hopper’s or the various Chinese mills in operation.”
The Honolulu Republican (HI), September 24, 1901, mentioned, “The Japanese import a great deal of what is known as ‘brown’ rice from Japan.” The duty on polished rice from Japan was 2 cents a pound, while the duty on brown rice was half a cent less. As Hawaii didn’t produce enough rice for local demand, they imported some rice from the U.S., and they also imported 5,000-6,000 bags of rice from Japan each month.
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Tajiro Sumida
Two years later, the Honolulu Advertiser (HI), January 10, 1906, noted that T. Sumida had been elected to serve as a Director of the Japanese Rice Mill. Co. Ltd.
The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), November 23, 1906, reported on the local rice industry. It mentioned, “The rice mills of the city are very busy cleaning up the new Hawaiian crop, which is just about all harvested, and the large shipments of Japan rice which has been coming in of late. The high price of American or Texas seed rices, as they are called, has had a tendency to strengthen the market here,…” The City Mill was processing mostly Hawaiian rice, while the Japanese Rice Mill was processing mostly Japanese rice. Walker’s large mill was using both Hawaiian and Japanese rice. Price was a major concern, so the mills were rarely using any American rice.
The Japanese Rice Mill was doing very well, and in the first six months of 1908, their profit was $8,872.46. They were paying dividends of 15%-20%, and increased their capital stock from $30,000 to $40,000, using the extra money to increase their capacity.
The Japanese Rice Mill was doing very well, and in the first six months of 1908, their profit was $8,872.46. They were paying dividends of 15%-20%, and increased their capital stock from $30,000 to $40,000, using the extra money to increase their capacity.
In June 1907, Tajiro Sumida acquired a Wholesale License to sell "intoxicating beverages" at Maunakea Street, Honolulu. Sumida decided that he could lower the price of Sake, from $2.25 a gallon to $1.50 a gallon, and make it more affordable to the poor Japanese workers in Hawaii, if he produced it himself so he decided to open a Sake brewery. He knew that Sake brewing had succeeded in California, so thought it could work in Hawaii too.
Thus, the Honolulu Advertiser (HI), June 17, 1908, noted that T. Sumida and T. Iwanaga had applied for a “Fifth Class License to sell intoxicating liquor, other than wine manufactured in the Territory” on the premises on Booth Road, near Pauoa road, in Pauoa Valley, Honolulu. The Pacific Commercial Advertiser (HI), June 29, 1908, mentioned that the brewing machinery was being imported from Japan. Sumida was said to be a local Sake Merchant and Iwanaga worked for Kimura & Co., an importing company.
The Hawaiian Gazette (HI), June 30, 1908, quoted Iwanaga who stated the brewery must be regarded as “purely experimental one at first, as the successful brewing of sake in any locality is possible only when all conditions are favorable.” They needed to assess and test whether the conditions were proper for brewing Sake. They had dug a well, hoping that the water would be good for Sake. It was also mentioned that since 1900, the value of imported Sake had never fallen below $150,000, and sometimes even rose as high as $200,000. Sake remained a popular product.
Around June 1908, Sumida and Iwanaga established the Honolulu Japanese Sake Brewery Co. This occurred seven years after the formation of the Japan Brewing Co. in Berkeley, and a couple months after the closing of that brewery.
Sumida and Iwanaga's corporation had an initial capital of $30,000 with 1500 shares valued at $20 each. The corporate officers and share holders included: T. Sumida as President (450 shares), S. Kojima as Vice President (200 shares), T. Iawanaga as Secretary and Treasurer (450 shares); K. Odo as Auditor (200 shares) and Y. Yamasato (200 shares). The main brewery building was built from Hawaiian stone, and when the Sake was ready for sale, it would be placed into large, 810 gallon tubs.
The incorporation papers stated they would not only produce and sell Sake, but also shoyu, soy, and miso. In addition, they would manufacture ice and establish cold storage and refrigerated warehouses. Besides the Sake, the additional items, an almost prescient addition, would serve the brewery well during Prohibition and World War II.
At this time, about 500,000 cases of Sake were being imported into Hawaii. It's also important to know that there were only about 70,000 to 90,000 Japanese living in Hawaii at this time. In comparison, in 2013, the entire U.S. only imported about 516,000 cases of Japanese Sake. Sake imports to the U.S. evidently took a nose dive during the last one hundred years. Fortunately, the amount of Sake imports has been increasing in recent years, so Sake's popularity is at least on the rise.
Sumida wasn't the only one at this time who wanted to start brewing Sake in Hawaii. In 1908, C.G. Bartlett, the President and Manager of the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co., also indicated interest in being able to produce Sake. This company was founded in 1898, as the Honolulu Brewing Co., and became the Honolulu Brewing and Malting Co. Ltd. in 1900. They began as a beer brewery and were most famous for their Primo Lager. They eventually ended up producing Sake though it is unclear when they actually started doing so.
In July 1908, both the Honolulu Japanese Sake Brewing Co. and Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. made application to the Internal Revenue Department to determine if the recent court decision, which classified Sake as wine for customs purpose would affect the previous IRS decision to classify it as a beer, which would make an important factor in the proposed Sake breweries.
The Hawaiian Star (HI), July 10, 1908, reported that the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. was investigating the best methods to brew Sake, and had written to the American embassy in Tokyo for more information. Manager Bartlett claimed, "... we will furnish a better article than could be obtained by importation, on account of the fact that the sake brought in must have preservatives used. It is on this account that its importation has been stopped by the government.” This referred to the Pure Food Act which prevented most Sake from being imported. It was also noted that, “There is a demand for 500,000 cases of sake in these islands annually,..” and Bartlett stated, “I believe that the manufacture of sake here will be a great success, as there is a big demand for it from the local Japanese.” Their Sake brewery would be located next to their current beer brewery.
It's possible the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. began brewing Sake sometime later in 1908, although it might have been later instead. When Prohibition struck, the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co., would close, and reopen in 1933 as the American Brewing Co. Ltd., remaining in operation until 1962.
The Honolulu Advertiser, November 16, 1908, discussed the Japanese in Hawaii, including mentioning that 2 or 3 Sake breweries had already opened in Hawaii, although it still wasn't being produced in large quantities. This makes sense as it was still experimental at this point, as each brewery was still trying to determine whether they could successfully brew Sake or not. However, the article stated, “The prospect of the enterprise is bright and promising, in spite of the fact that the same enterprise has met with complete failure on the Pacific Coast.”
The article also mentioned that there were 3-4 soy sauce manufactories in Hawaii. In addition, “At Hawaii there are four Japanese papers, while those published in English number three.” It was also noted that, “...almost the whole economy of the Islands is governed by a single industry—sugar.” There was a disparity in the wages paid to Japanese versus white laborers, with Japanese receiving as low as $18 while whites were often getting $22.50 or more, although there was some evidence of a number of Japanese workers who were receiving $20.
Sumida and his brew masters, S. Fujikawa and T. Watanabe, encountered significant problems with the fermentation process due to the heat of Hawaii but they persevered and were still able to produce a brew in December 1908 which was named Takarajima, “treasure island.” The Honolulu Advertiser, (HI) January 08, 1909, published an article titled,“Sake Brewing is Great Success.” The article praised the Japanese Sake Brewing Co., noting that "other Sake breweries in Hawaii have proved more or less failures” though those were not identified. Their test batches had worked out well. “... being judged by experts to be of the very finest quality.” The article continued, “So encouraged are the promoters of the brewery that they intend to start right in making their product in large quantities, satisfied of their ability to capture the market.”
The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), January 10, 1909, mentioned that the Japanese Sake Brewing Co.'s Sake brewing experiments were conducted with Hawaiian-grown rice although by October 1909, it was reported they were now using both Hawaiian and Japanese rice.
Interestingly, the Hawaiian Star (HI), April 3, 1909, reported that “Imports from Japan for the 1909 ending period were $980,592, a decrease of $169,161 (which is probably accounted for by the starting of a sake distillery here).” So, even though the brewery had only been in business for less than a year, it apparently was already having a significant economic impact.
The Evening Bulletin (HI), October 30, 1909, provided more details about the Honolulu Japanese Sake Brewing Co. It was said, “The result of the experiment, which has been in operation for a little over a year has been very satisfactory.” It was also noted, “The main building is built of Hawaiian stone. It contains cooking, packing, and fermentation and other apartments.” It was also claimed, “The Hawaiian-made sake, it is said, is equally as good as that made in and imported from Japan.” That is a similar claim as the one previously make by the Japan Brewing Co. in Berkeley.
Interestingly, the Hawaiian Star (HI), April 3, 1909, reported that “Imports from Japan for the 1909 ending period were $980,592, a decrease of $169,161 (which is probably accounted for by the starting of a sake distillery here).” So, even though the brewery had only been in business for less than a year, it apparently was already having a significant economic impact.
The Evening Bulletin (HI), October 30, 1909, provided more details about the Honolulu Japanese Sake Brewing Co. It was said, “The result of the experiment, which has been in operation for a little over a year has been very satisfactory.” It was also noted, “The main building is built of Hawaiian stone. It contains cooking, packing, and fermentation and other apartments.” It was also claimed, “The Hawaiian-made sake, it is said, is equally as good as that made in and imported from Japan.” That is a similar claim as the one previously make by the Japan Brewing Co. in Berkeley.
Their 810 gallon wooden tubs were imported from Japan, and then they had their own carpenters adjust the metal hoops on the barrels. The brewery owners wanted to enlarge the capacity of their brewery in the near future. It was also noted that their Sake brew masters were S. Fujikawa and T. Watanabe. T. Sumida had recently returned from the States, where he had been studying the latest methods of manufacturing beverages.
The key to the success of Sumida's brewery was that they chose the right location, the Pauoa Valley, a place with conditions conducive to Sake production. To handle the difficulties of brewing Sake in Hawaii's heat, Sumida eventually invented a refrigeration process to handle the problem and that innovation would later be adopted by breweries in Japan. In numerous other ways, Sumida was also a pioneer and innovator, being the first to use stainless steel tanks, the first to brew Sake year round, devising a method to use California rice, and also creating a yeast strain which reduced the foam created by fermentation, increasing the yield in a vat by 30%. These foamless yeasts are now used by a number of Japanese breweries.
A slight scandal for Sumida. Although he was involved with the Sake brewery, Sumida also continued to operate as a wholesale liquor dealer. The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), February 17, 1910, reported that, “A few blind pigs were discovered, at a meeting of the liquor license commissioners yesterday, considerably to the surprise of the commissioners and of Inspector Fennell.” A "blind pig" is basically an illegal speakeasy or unlicensed saloon. It was claimed that the Japanese would rather purchase liquor from other Japanese rather than white men. One of the allegations was that Tanaka of Ewa was illegally selling liquor to the Japanese. During the meeting, it was also alleged that Sumida had sold large quantities off liquor to Tanaka, even though Tanaka didn't have a license to sell the liquor at his saloon. Sumida denied the allegations, but Inspector Fennell claim that he knew Sumida had made the sales to Tanaka. However, it doesn't appear any charges were brought against Sumida for these allegations.
A few months later, the Honolulu Advertiser (HI), April 1, 1910, alleged that “Imitation gin in large quantities is being sold in this city. It is upon the shelves of the Japanese ‘wholesalers’ that the stuff is most generally found, but the bottles bear the labels of leading members of the Wholesale Liquor Dealers’ Association. Though imitation whisky is in evidence in the Japanese stores, it is evident that ‘gin’ is the more popular article, for often as many as six varieties of ‘compounds’ will be found on a single shelf. And each compound bears the name of a local rectifier.” Although it was claimed that T. Sumida had been selling compounds of gin and whiskey, they had recently announced they would no longer conduct any rectifying or bottling.
Sumida continued to get involved in other endeavors, expanding his mercantile endeavors. In February 1910, Sumida became a part of the Hawaiian Drug Co., Ltd, which had just filed for incorporation. The company would sells drugs, chemicals, proprietary medicines, perfumes, rubber goods, and toilet articles. The corporation issued 2500 of $10 par value, and Sumida owned 700 shares, the most of anyone else. He was also made the President of the company. In December 1910, Sumida was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Japanese Merchants’ Association. And in June 1911, Sumida became the Treasurer of the Hawaii Produce Company, Ltd.
Sumida continued to get involved in other endeavors, expanding his mercantile endeavors. In February 1910, Sumida became a part of the Hawaiian Drug Co., Ltd, which had just filed for incorporation. The company would sells drugs, chemicals, proprietary medicines, perfumes, rubber goods, and toilet articles. The corporation issued 2500 of $10 par value, and Sumida owned 700 shares, the most of anyone else. He was also made the President of the company. In December 1910, Sumida was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Japanese Merchants’ Association. And in June 1911, Sumida became the Treasurer of the Hawaii Produce Company, Ltd.
By 1914, Sumida was making about 300,000 gallons of Sake annually and by 1920, he was the most successful Japanese businessman in Hawaii. However, Sumida didn't have a monopoly on Sake brewing for very long though. As previously mentioned, the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. started Sake brewing at some point, maybe even as early as 1908, and there's evidence they were brewing Sake at least by 1913.
The brewery was completed in May 1909, and it was thought the brewery would begin production in about a month. However, their plans were delayed, apparently as they sought the proper type of water, and their Articles of Association for the Hilo Sake Brewery, Ltd. weren't filed until November 1912. With a capital of $30,000, their corporate officers and share holders included T. Machida as President (70 shares), T.R. Saiki as Vice President (75 shares), C. Shimamoto as Secretary &/Treasurer (75 shares), S. Kido as Auditor (75 shares), and H. Kawashima (5 shares). For unknown reasons, K. Koizumi didn't appear to be any longer connected to the brewery.
The Honolulu Advertiser, September 22, 1913, reported that the Hilo Sake Brewery, Limited, opened in Hilo on Piopip Street. The brew master was Nakanishi, an "expert brewer" who came to Hilo about a year ago from Japan. At full capacity, the brewery had a capacity of 12,500 gallons of Sake a day, although it was currently making only about 5,000 gallons each day. Initially, they made only an ordinary grade of sake with plans to make more quality Sake in the future.
They sold Sake in tubs and 5-gallon demijohns, as they didn't do any bottling at the brewery. As they hadn't yet determined the manufacturing cost, they hadn't priced the Sake yet but felt it would be much cheaper than imported Sake. Their Sake was made from imported rice from Japan which had been hulled but not polished. They also possessed an “extensive cold storage plant,” which they imported from the U.S., to assist in Sake production.
When Prohibition struck Hawaii, the Hilo Sake Brewery dissolved their corporation in October 1918, and then in November, they auctioned off the brewery and associated buildings.
When Prohibition struck Hawaii, the Hilo Sake Brewery dissolved their corporation in October 1918, and then in November, they auctioned off the brewery and associated buildings.
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There was another failed attempt to open a Sake brewery in 1909. The Hawaiian Star (HI), August 27, 1909, reported that the Toyo Sake Brewing Company, Ltd., newly incorporated, hoped to open a Sake brewery in Honolulu. The corporation had capital of $10,000, with 500 shares of capital stock at $20 a share, with an extension not to exceed $200,000. S. Yoshimatsu, the President, owned 240 shares and M.K. Hoto owned 175 shares. There were ten other shareholders, with from 1-15 shares each. The incorporators included S. Yoshimatsu, M.K. Goto, Miyoguchi Komeya (secretary), Yukichi Ishii (treasurer) and Tokusaburo Kobayashi. The papers stated they proposed to brew Sake, and distill whisky, gin, sochiu, and other liquors.
However, the Honolulu Advertiser (HI), November 11, 1909, noted that their application for a fifth-class license was denied. Their attorney told the board the company would only brew sake, despite the papers permitting other liquors too. On the board, Inspector Fennel had been favorable to the idea, but Chairman Cooke refused it, without providing a reason.
This denial angered Toyo's attorney. In the Hawaiian Star (HI), December 4, 1909, the attorney claimed that Commissioner Craig stated, “I am opposed to any license being issued to an Oriental.” The attorney also stated that Toyo wanted to open a Sake brewery in Kalihi, Honolulu, and would have used Hawaiian grown rice. The attorney also claimed that Hawaii would receive much economic benefit from this brewery. Finally, the attorney advised Toyo to go ahead and produce Sake, and then contest the right of the License Commission to refuse the license.
It appears that Toyo Sake Brewing Co, chose not to go forward with a Sake brewery as the Honolulu Advertiser (HI), October 29, 1910, mentioned they had filed for the dissolution of their corporation. It's terrible that apparent racism prevented the establishment of this brewery, especially considering other Sake breweries had been granted licenses. It might also have been discouraging to other Japanese entrepreneurs who wanted to establish breweries.
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The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), July 16, 1911, published an extensive article, titled Japanese Industries on American Soil. The article noted there were now about 90,000 Japanese living in Hawaii and their three main industries included the production of macaroni, soy sauce and Sake. It noted, “The soy and saki industries have survived after numerous disappointments…” The Honolulu Japanese Sake Brewery Co. had sustained two disappointing years, but things were looking up and they were making plans to double their capacity.
It was stated that only three Sake breweries existed in the U.S., the one in Hawaii and the others in San Francisco and San Jose, but the latter two were small businesses. It was also noted that the Honolulu brewery, with 18 employees, was working year round but the other two breweries were only brewing during the winter. The Honolulu brewery had found a Sake brewmaster from Japan, who possessed 15-20 years of experience, and it took him about two years to brew a proper Sake. Currently, they use about 650 sacks of Japanese rice each month, producing 1100 tubs of Sake (each over 10 gallons). Thus, the government received about $4,000 in taxes from the brewery each year.
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Around July 1912, the Hawaii Seishu Kwaisha, Ltd., located on Queen Street in Honolulu, was incorporated with President K. Ono, Vice President P. A. Hocking, Secretary Y. Kimura, Treasurer Chas G. Bartlett, and Auditor D. Nagatani. Chas Bartlett may have been the same individual who was also the President of the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. William C. Parker was also on the board of directors. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI), July 13, 1912, noted, “The fifth-class license of the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company was transferred to the Hawaii Seishu Kawaisha, Ltd. with the provision that the new concern manufacture only saki.”
They began constructing a Sake brewery, for a cost of about $18,000, on Beretania Street. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI), May 5, 1913, noted that the Hawaii Seishu Kwaisha, Ltd had plans to brew 10,000 gallons of "refined sake" by the end of the month. Their brewing was to be supervised by K. Otake, a graduate from the Sake brewing department of the famed Tokyo High Industrial School. About $25,000 had been invested in the construction of the concrete Sake brewery and its equipment. They wanted to sell ten gallon tubs of Sake for $5-$6 less than the cost of imported Sake. In 1915, this brewery was doing well enough that they expanded the size of their premises to Halekauila street .
Legal issues! Kenkichi Ono, the President of the Hawaii Seishu Kwaisha, Ltd. and a half-owner of the Banzai saloon, got involved in divorce proceedings. In March 1914, his wife, Kan Ono, filed a bill for maintenance, alleging that Kenkichi was now living with a former Geisha girl. Kenkichi and Kan were married in Honolulu in May 1899, and they had five children. However, in April 1914, the maintenance suit was discontinued, but two years later, in April 1916, it was noted that divorce proceedings had been ongoing once again, but then were discontinued.
Legal issues got worse! The Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI), March 2, 1916, reported that Kenkichi had been arrested on charges of having violated the "white slave" law. It was alleged that around January 20, Kenkichi had transported Y. Miyamoto from Honolulu to Hilo for "immoral purposes." It was noted that he was still married and considered to be a millionaire. He was released on a $1500 bail and the case was supposed to be heard on March 28.
The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), March 29, 1916, stated that Yuki Miyamoto was a "Japanese geisha of much local celebrity." In the federal case, Kenkichi had a preliminary hearing, but had yet to put on his own defense. Afterwards, Commissioner Curry would decide whether to dismiss the matter or send it to a federal grand jury. There was also a circuit court case on this matter, a "statutory offense," against both Kenkichi and and Yuki. That matter was held over for another week or so. At the end of April, it was noted that Kenkichi was going to make a plea in these matters.
Although the exact disposition of these criminal charges wasn't explicitly detailed in any future newspapers, it appears that Kenkichi avoided any serious penalties, for around May 1916, he traveled to Japan with his wife. In August 1916, when he attempted to return to the U.S., he was denied entry, as the immigration authorities were concerned about his "moral character." After an appeal to Washington, he and his wife were granted admission.
Another scandal. The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), August 17, 1915, reported that K. Kamada, a 38-year-old who worked on and off at the Hawaii Seishu Kwaisha, Ltd., shot and killed Ichi Murakami, a Japanese woman, and then committed suicide. This occurred in a small shop that was owned by Ichi's husband. No motive for the killing was known, although some felt it was due to jealousy.
As Prohibition took hold in Hawaii, the Honolulu Advertiser (HI), August 6, 1918, mentioned that H. Tsurushima, the manager of the Hawaii Seishu Kwaisha, Ltd. and former president and secretary of the corporation, and I. Otake, the head Sake brewer, were moving to San Francisco to start brewing Sake there. They believed that if they could get a license to brew in San Francisco, they would transfer the Sake brewery equipment from Honolulu to San Francisco.
However, it doesn't appear they ever garnered a brewing license, and in October 1919, H. Tsurushima traveled back to Japan, Finally, it was noted that around September 1921, the Hawaiian Glace Pineapple Co. moved into the location of the former Sake brewery.
The Honolulu Advertiser (HI), January 18, 1913, reported that the government had collected $20,967 in taxes from Hawaii on fermented liquors, with about 1/4 of that due to Sake production. The article quoted a government official, who was both ignorant and racist, and stated, “Fortunately for the native Hawaiians and whites, the use of saki is confined almost entirely to Japanese and Chinese. The few whites who do use it soon become helpless slaves in its power, finally physical wrecks, and then either the prison or the grave marks their end.” Sake was very popular with native Hawaiians, and there's absolutely no evidence that whites, or any other group, had any significant problems due to Sake consumption.
In 1916, it was estimated that the Sake brewing industry in Hawaii was generating about $200,000 in annual revenue. As of September 1917, there were four Sake breweries in Hawaii, employing over 300 men, and selling their Sake to at least 13 Japanese liquor dealers. It was also estimated that there was about $500,000 invested in the local Sake industry. It is interesting to note that these breweries, to avoid cooperage problems, were importing cedar logs from Japan to craft their Sake vats.
In the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI), August 13, 1917, a survey was reported on the four Sake breweries in Hawaii, noting that they all used only imported Japanese rice, though there was an earlier newspaper account, from 1909, indicating the Honolulu Japanese Sake Brewing Co. used both Japanese and Hawaiian rice. They might have discontinued the use of Hawaiian rice by 1917. The survey also indicated the amount of rice, bran and malt each brewery used per month, including:
- Hilo Sake Brewery: 36,168 pounds of rice a month; 6,000 pounds of bran
- Hawaii Seishu Kwaisha: 100,000 pounds of rice a month
- Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co., 42,000 pounds of rice a month; 80,000 pounds of malt
- Honolulu Sake Brewery: 150,000 pounds of rice a month
- This is a total of about 164 tons of rice.
When rice is polished to make Sake, the remaining powder that is left behind is referred to as nuka. All of those tons of rice generated a significant amount of nuka, and the survey mentioned some of the figures. The Hilo Sake Brewery generated about 6000 pounds a month, which was fed to cattle and pigs. The Hawaii Seishu Kwaisha generated about 24,000 pounds, which they sold at 1 cent per pound for soup and manufacturing pickles. Some was also used as poultry feed though it costs more than corn or wheat. The Honolulu Sake Brewery generated about 19,000 pounds.
Just prior to Prohibition, in early 1918, a magazine indicated that the Honolulu Japanese Brewing Co., was producing two brands, Takara Masamune and Daikoku Masamune. This contradicts a later newspaper reference, from December 1935, indicating that Daikoku Masamune was a new brand at that time.
Prohibition came early to the Territory of Hawaii and worries about the sake industry began at least in March 1918. President Woodrow Wilson ordered that in the beginning of April, the island of Oahu would be made dry. The sake breweries initially believed that they would have to close, or change businesses. However, the new prohibition law wasn't as restrictive as initially believed. All saloons (about 43 in all), wholesale and retailers liquor houses had to shut down on Oahu but the new law “Allows for the manufacture of beer, sake, wines or other liquors for sale and consumption in other islands.”
The main objective of the new law was to prevent the 8000 U.S. servicemen on Oahu from having access to alcohol. You couldn't buy alcohol on Oahu though private citizens could receive imports for their own consumption. In addition, you could manufacture alcohol on Oahu and then sell it on any of the other Hawaiian islands. That would allow the sake breweries in Hawaii to continue in business, though worries would continue.
It was subsequently ordered that the islands of Maui and Kauai would go dry on June 30, still allowing alcohol on the island of Hawaii. If that wasn't bad enough, May 1918 also brought other challenges for the Hawaiian sake industry. Because of a severe rice shortage in Japan, most exports of rice were banned. Shipments were still permitted to Hawaii although they needed to seek a special permit, which didn't appear to be easily gotten. As such, the Hawaiian sake breweries produced only limited amounts of Sake. For example, it was stated that where they once produced 100 kegs a day, their output had decreased to only 25 kegs. Rice hoarding occurred and prices were quite high.
The Honolulu sake breweries shipped their limited output to Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui, and some of it was then sent to Oahu, though only to private individuals. That would change as a new bill declared that on August 25, even Hawaii would go dry. Before that time, both the Honolulu Sake Brewery and Hawaii Seishu Kaisha, Ltd., breweries sought to renew their licenses from July 1 to August 25, to make use of the limited time remaining. However, H. Tsurushima, the manager of Hawaii Seishu Kaisha, and I. Otake, its head brewer, both quit to move to San Francisco with plans to brew Sake there. As Prohibition would soon affect the entire U.S., their plans wouldn't last long.
In October 1918, Hilo Sake Brewery filed to dissolve its corporation and auctioned off their brewery and other real property in November. Prohibition was too much for them to handle. Even the Honolulu Sake Brewery had to shut down, at least for a few years, before they would return as an ice factory. It almost seems prescient that their original articles of incorporation noted that they could and might manufacture ice. They had no need to dissolve their corporation.
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