［Last updated: August 4, 2022］
On November 21, 2017, a new sake ambassador was born at the Second Annual Mister Sake Finals. The event took place as part of the 69th meeting of the Sake Culture Appreciation Society (Nihonshu Bunka wo Tanoshimu Kai), over a lively feast featuring delicious sake from Suehiro Sake Brewery in Fukushima and mouth-watering seafood. Today, we’d like to share our impressions of the event with all you sake fans out there!
The Mister Sake Contest—What’s It All About?
The Mister Sake contest is run by the Sake Culture Appreciation Society, an organization founded in February 2012 to further spread the joy of sake. It’s headed by Eiji Sugihara, who is both a Sake Samurai (honored in 2015 by the Japan Sake Brewers’ Association Junior Council) and board member of the non-profit Storyteller of Sake Association, among the many hats he wears.
We spoke with Mr. Sugihara about the goals of his organization. “Traditional Japanese cuisine (washoku) was registered by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, and so we formed this group to support sake, which we believe is an indispensable part of the Japanese culinary tradition,” he explained. “There are so many brewers across Japan making incredible sake—we invite them to our events to foster communication and camaraderie over delicious food and drink. We also introduce Japanese traditional culture in all forms—music, movies, art, and more—to promote a deeper understanding of sake and the culture that surrounds it.”
As part of his efforts, Mr. Sugihara, along with his fellow sake lover Ms. Tamami Takano created the Mister Sake Contest, which was held for the second time this year. The first Mister Sake, crowned in 2016, is Motoki Hashino, owner and proprietor of SAKE story, a sake bar located in Tokyo’s Gotanda district. At his establishment, Mr. Hashino seeks to carry on Mr. Sugihara’s mission “to identify people with a true passion for sake, and create an environment that will cultivate true sake ambassadors.” (Mr. Sugihara’s words)
The Road to the Mister Sake Finals
Entrants who aspire to the title of Mister Sake can either nominate themselves or be nominated by others. Nominations this year were accepted from September 15 to October 31, 2017, with the only condition being that entrants must be male and over twenty years of age. According to official website, entrants are judged on the following three criteria:
(1) Possessing a deep understanding of sake and sake culture
(2) Having a passion to spread the love of sake
(3) Being available to attend sake-related events such as the monthly meetings of the Sake Culture Appreciation Society and other events sponsored by the Sake Brewery Press.
In the first round, nominations were reviewed for eligibility by the organizers. Entrants deemed suitable then proceeded to the second round, where votes were gathered online at the official Mister Sake Contest website. Voters could review the nominees’ profiles and photographs, and vote for the entrant they felt was most suited to carry the torch as the second Mister Sake. Votes were collected over a ten-day period from November 1 to 10, 2017, after which the top four vote-getters were announced as finalists. (Typically, there are only three finalists, but a special rule was invoked this time due to an extremely close margin.)
All told, a whopping 2,908 votes were cast for the contest, and after they were counted, the following four entrants were named as finalists. (Listed in order of votes cast.)
– Mr. Norimasa Ishimaru (33 years old, sake fan for thirteen years)
– Mr. Naoya Namisato (29 years old, sake fan for six years)
– Mr. John Townsend (39 years old, sake fan for six years)
– Mr. Tatsuro Sakaki (60 years old, sake fan for forty years)
With no clear favorite and all four finalists showing strong credentials, the stage was set for a dramatic final competition.
May the Best Man Win: The Mister Sake Finals Commence!
The Mister Sake Finals were held on November 21, 2017 as part of the 69th meeting of the Sake Culture Appreciation Society. The event took place at the sold-out Meguro Oyster Bar in Tokyo, over a feast featuring delicious seafood and sublime sake from Fukushima’s Suehiro Sake Brewery. The venue was packed, with almost a hundred individuals (including the finalists and organizers) in attendance. It was the votes of these hundred sake lovers that would decide who would be crowned as the second Mister Sake.
The judges’ committee was chaired by the sake stylist Ms. Ritsuko Shimada, with master of ceremony duties performed by Ms. Kako Sarubiatei, a kamishibai (Japanese paper play) performer from Machida, Tokyo. Under the auspices of President Inokichi Shinjo of Suehiro Sake Brewery, who kicked things off with a jovial toast, the festivities began!
After the introductory speeches and toast, the four finalists took the stage to give their presentations. Each finalist was given seven minutes to make their case, after which they would be judged on their love and understanding of sake, as well as their passion for promoting sake culture.
After all four presentations concluded, the four finalists were free to go around the room to share drinks and mingle with the voters. With delicious sake from Suehiro and scrumptious seafood, the attendees were clearly in good spirits, but with a prestigious title hanging in the balance, the judging would be strict.
Final Results: The Second Mister Sake is Crowned!
Time flies when you’re having fun, and before long it was time for the moment of truth: the announcement of the final results. As expected, the voting was close, and results were delayed as the judges scrambled to recount over and over to ensure that the final tally was accurate—a testament to the strong performance of the finalists. Now, without further ado, we present the full results from the second Mister Sake Contest!
Grand Prize (the Second Mister Sake): Mr. John Townsend
Second Prize (Judges’ Special Award): Mr. Naoya Namisato
Suehiro Dr. Hideyo Noguchi Prize: Mr. Tatsuro Sasaki
Photogenic Prize: Mr. Norimasa Ishimaru
And it’s official—John Townsend is the second Mister Sake! Congratulations!
The event concluded with an award ceremony, where all four finalists were presented with merit certificates and lavish prizes, including sake from Suehiro Sake Brewery. As the grand prize winner and the second Mister Sake, John Townsend also will receive a one-year trophy (a giant lacquer sake cup from Yamada Heiando), in addition to an order-made kimono from Wanowa, a specialty men’s kimono boutique in Ginza.
As the second Mister Sake, John Townsend will no doubt be a presence at various events and in the media for the year to come, spreading the love of sake far and wide. If you’re a sake lover reading this article, be sure keep an eye out for our four prizewinners, and if you meet one of them at a sake bar or tasting event, raise a glass of sake and say kanpai!
In closing, we’d like to express our gratitude to all members of the Sake Culture Appreciation Society and everyone in attendance for cooperating with our coverage of the event.
*This article is a revised version of a post that appeared on the Ark Blog on December 27, 2017.
Translation: Jon Machida