Japan Cuts XVIII Review: In THE SPIRIT OF JAPAN, …Cheers!
I’ve never had sochu before, and I certainly hope to enjoy my fair share before my time is up in this life. There’s a centuries-old process behind its craft, one that’s given an in-depth exploration in The Spirit Of Japan, Joseph Overbey’s documentary chronicling the life and trade of a remote distillery run by Tekkan Wakamatsu, a family man and fifth-generation “toji,” or master brewer.
The Spirit Of Japan immerses viewers in hypnotizing views of the landscape of the Kagoshima Prefecture, as well as the various mechanisms and functions of the Yamatozakura Distillery where Tekkan, his father, and their “family” of employees have undergone the evolutionary process of making sweet potato shochu since the 1850s. Tekkan talks a great deal about his philosophical connection to shochu as a practice he didn’t initially intend on taking before he started, even as he never really learned from his father on how to make it.
Overbey spotlights several key points on the process of shochu, namely involving rice, sweet potatoes, and the applications of “koji”. The rest of the film showcases the multi-step phases of shochu that Tekkan undertakes, and the grueling labor which often pulls him away from his family, even during Christmas. One key aspect the film highlights is how Tekkan isn’t trying to groom his children to become “toji” themselves, even as the future of shochu remains uncertain with the lack of younger people in the work force.
I was also piqued by quotes like “a god in every grain of rice” and “craft leads to connection” which in part embody the greater scope of Tekkan’s work ethic as a toji. He also makes an interesting analogy regarding the “koji” and rice, and how it models one’s self in terms of testing their will to endure the necessary intricacies of shochu making as opposed to cutting corners.
Tekkan’s closing thoughts in this documentary, at forty-seven minutes and some change, I think provide a deeper lodestone of thought for a documentary about spirit making. The breadth of it all really just stipulates that there’s no strict method to making shochu, compared to the importance of mastering the ingredients and finding a certain love and degree of purpose in it.
From a Western perspective, it’s a discernible truth that feels universal and palatable, possibly for a lot of folks like me who are outside looking in. Either way, it’s a send-off I’d sake a toast to.
The Spirit Of Japan enjoyed its World Premiere at the 18th Japan Cuts Festival of New Japanese Film.
Visit The Spirit Of Japan official website for more info.
