Editing Sake (section)

=== From the Meiji era to the early Shōwa era ===
Starting around the beginning of the [[Meiji era]] (1868–1912), the technique for making sake began to develop rapidly. Breeding was actively carried out in various parts of Japan to produce [[#Rice|sake rice]] optimized for sake brewing. ''Ise Nishiki'' developed in 1860, ''Omachi'' developed in 1866 and ''Shinriki'' developed in 1877 are the earliest representative varieties. In 1923, [[Yamada Nishiki]], later called the "king of sake rice," was produced.<ref name="lab1"/> Among more than 123 varieties of sake rice as of 2019, Yamada Nishiki ranks first in production and ''Omachi'' fourth.<ref name ="nourin"/> The government opened the sake-brewing research institute in 1904, and in 1907 the first government-run sake-tasting competition was held. In 1904, the National Brewing Laboratory developed ''[[#Methods of preparing the starter mash|yamahai]]'', a new method of making starter mash, and in 1910, a further improvement, ''[[#Methods of preparing the starter mash|sokujō]]'', was developed.<ref name="lab1"/> Sake [[yeast]] strains specifically selected for their brewing properties were isolated, and enamel-coated steel tanks arrived. The government started hailing the use of enamel tanks as easy to clean, lasting forever, and devoid of bacterial problems. (The government considered wooden tubs to be unhygienic because of the potential bacteria living in the wood.) Although these things are true, the government also wanted more tax money from breweries, as using wooden tubs means a significant amount of sake is lost to evaporation (approximately 3%), which could have otherwise been taxed. This was the temporary end of the wooden-tubs age of sake, and the use of wooden tubs in brewing was temporarily eliminated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/43735?page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122013850/https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/43735?page=2|script-title=ja:最後の大桶職人が抱く｢木桶文化｣存続の焦燥|language=ja|publisher=[[Toyo Keizai]] Online|date=27 July 2017|archive-date=22 January 2021}}</ref>

In Japan, sake has long been taxed by the national government. In 1878, the liquor tax accounted for 12.3% of the national tax revenue, excluding local taxes, and in 1888 it was 26.4%, and in 1899 it was 38.8%, finally surpassing the land tax of 35.6%.<ref name="times130117"/> In 1899, the government banned home brewing in anticipation of financial pressure from the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] and in preparation for the [[Russo-Japanese War]]. Since home-brewed sake is tax-free, the logic was that by banning the home-brewing of sake, sales would increase, and more tax revenue would be collected. This was the end of home-brewed sake.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ruralnet.or.jp/syutyo/2002/200212.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619123714/https://www.ruralnet.or.jp/syutyo/2002/200212.htm|script-title=ja:「ドブロク」から21世紀の新しい社会を展望する|language=ja|publisher=Rural Culture Association Japan|date=December 2002|archive-date=19 June 2020}}</ref> The Meiji government adopted a system in which taxes were collected when sake was finished, instead of levying taxes on the amount and price of sake at the time of sale to ensure more revenue from liquor taxes. The liquor tax for the sake produced in a given year had to be paid to the government during that fiscal year, so the breweries tried to make money by selling the sake as soon as possible. This destroyed the market for aged {{Nihongo3|||koshu}}, which had been popular until then, and it was only in 1955 that sake breweries began to make {{Nihongo3|||koshu}} again.<ref name="times130117"/>

When [[World War II]] brought rice shortages, the sake-brewing industry was hampered as the government discouraged the use of rice for brewing. As early as the late 17th century, it had been discovered that small amounts of distilled alcohol could be added to sake before pressing to extract aromas and flavors from the rice solids. During the war, large amounts of distilled alcohol and [[glucose]] were added to small quantities of rice mash, increasing the yield by as much as four times. A few breweries were producing "sake" that contained no rice. The quality of sake during this time varied considerably. Incidentally, as of 2022, so much distilled alcohol is not allowed to be added, and under the provisions of the Liquor Tax Act, 50% of the weight of rice is the upper limit for the most inexpensive sake classified as ''[[#Special-designation sake|futsū-shu]]''.<ref name="jozo">{{cite web|url=https://tanoshiiosake.jp/8357|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626121242/https://tanoshiiosake.jp/8357|script-title=ja:「醸造アルコール」って何？ なぜ使われているの|language=ja|publisher=Tanoshii osake.com|date=7 February 2022|archive-date=26 June 2022}}</ref>