Hisamatsu Is Away

Since the end of the Obon holiday, we have begun polishing the rice for this year's sake brewing.
Sake brewing at the brewery will finally begin in mid-September.

Before that, I hung a sign reading “Hisamatsu Away” at the entrance to the storehouse.

"Hisamatsu Rusu" is a traditional charm for warding off epidemics and misfortune.
The origin of this name is derived from “O-some and Hisamatsu,” a story also known from Bunraku and Kabuki.
By likening an epidemic to “O-some” and hanging a sign at the entrance that reads, “Hisamatsu is away,” the intention is to send O-some on her way—in other words, this reflects the wit and wishes of people in the past, expressing the hope that “epidemics and disasters will not enter the storehouse.”

For this edition of “Hisamatsu Rusu,” the calligraphy was written by calligrapher Miho Tanaka.

For the next six months or so, I hope that all the brewery workers stay healthy and complete the sake-brewing process safely.
And here’s hoping we can brew some great sake again this year.

They’ll be watching over us from the entrance to the storehouse.

Sake brewing must go on.