Sugidama – a popular decoration at Japanese wineries

The origin of Sugidama – cedar ball

It is said that the decoration of cedar balls was originally a cultural feature of the Omiwa Shrine in Nara Prefecture, which is dedicated to the god of wine. Every November 14, the Omiwa Shrine decorates cedar balls to pray for good wine. This custom spread to breweries across Japan from the early Edo period, and today you can see Sugidama in many places. In addition, Sugi is a tree that grows naturally on Mount Miwa, where Omiwa Shrine is located, and Sugi from the Miwa Mountains is considered sacred, so it was used to create cedar balls.

Initially, Sugidama made from cedar wood from the Miwa Mountains were used for decoration. However, many wineries in some regions now make their own or hire specialized cedar ball makers.

The meaning of Sugidama – the color of the ball is compared to the process of making Japanese rice wine

Sugidama are usually decorated starting around February or March, when new batches of Japanese rice wine are made. In other words, Sugidama is an announcement that “This year’s new batch of rice wine, sake, has been brewed.”

However, Sugidama is naturally green at first, not the usual brown. Then, as time passes by, the green color becomes lighter in the summer, and in the fall, the cedar withers and the shade turns brown. You may be more familiar with the brown Sugidama, and through this color of the cedar shade, you will be able to recognize when the rice wine is in “season”. Green (from around February to June) is the new sake season, light green (until around late August) is the summer sake, and brown (around autumn from September to November) is the season when the sake is ready to be enjoyed. That is why it is said that the Japanese sake production process and the color of Sugidama are two similar things. It is very interesting to recognize the fermentation level of the sake through the color of Sugidama – the color changes with the season.

The connection between Japanese rice wine and Sugi

Since ancient times, the traditional sake familiar to the Japanese people has had a close connection with the Sugi tree – cedar. For example, in the process of distilling sake, the containers used for fermenting are made of Sugi wood. In addition, although metal barrels are often used for fermenting and preserving sake today, in the past, the Japanese mainly used wooden barrels made of Sugi. The tools used to mix yeast are also made of Sugi.

The wooden barrels used to store sake for New Year’s and other celebrations are often made from Japanese cedar. Storing sake in Sugi barrels allows the pleasant aroma of the tree to permeate the sake. Thus, Sugi plays a very important role in the production of Japanese sake. The production of Japanese sake using Sugi is a Japanese culture that needs to be preserved. This culture is also related to the custom of decorating Sugidama – cedar balls at Omiwa Shrine – the shrine to the god of sake.

Because cedar balls are made from Sugi, a tree that is important to Japanese sake, sake wineries often decorate cedar balls to express their passion and appreciation for the craft.

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