Shochu is a Japanese distilled spirit, typically lower in alcohol content than whisky or vodka, made from a range of base ingredients depending on region and style, most commonly barley, sweet potato or rice, though buckwheat, brown sugar and other ingredients are also used. It is distinguished from sake, which is brewed rather than distilled, though both traditionally rely on koji, rice inoculated with mold, to convert starch into fermentable sugar before fermentation or distillation. Shochu is especially associated with the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, and it is traditionally drunk on the rocks, mixed with hot or cold water, or in mixed drinks, and has a long established place in everyday Japanese drinking culture distinct from sakes more ceremonial associations.
Facts
Partially Attested
Origin Period, From (Year)1559 is the year of the oldest surviving direct reference to shochu in Japan, a graffiti inscription at Koriyama Hachiman shrine; the source says only that production is historically attested since the 16th century, so the true start of shochu is earlier and unknown. Origin RegionKagoshima is where the oldest surviving direct reference to shochu was found; the source does not name a single proven region of origin. Connections
Expresses Tradition
Uses Ingredient
Sources
1. Shochu, Wikipedia
History section, sentence on the 1559 graffiti
There, two carpenters working on the shrine in 1559 inscribed the following graffiti on a wooden plank in the roof:
History section, sentence on the oldest reference
The oldest existing direct reference to shōchū in Japan can be found at Kōriyama Hachiman shrine in Isa, Kagoshima.
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