THE MAKING follows the process of fabricating everyday products from raw materials. No.324 illustrates the preparation of Mirin (sweet rice wine used in cooking).

HonMirin (authentic Mirin) is made from glutinous rice, rice koji (Koji mold [certain Aspergillus spp.] grown on steamed rice; fermentation starter), and shochu (Japanese spirits). Steamed glutinous rice is mixed with rice Koji and shochu to make “Moromi (fermentation mash),” which is then placed in a preparation tank. The moromi is allowed to sit in the tank for about 2 months, during which the sweetness and flavor are created by a process called “saccharification and maturation.” The liquid squeezed out of the moromi is then matured in storage tanks for about 1 year to produce HonMirin.