・1586-1592 (Tensho 14-20) “Sotan Nikki” (Record of Tea Ceremony)
In a letter from Josui Kuroda, a sengoku daimyo in the Sengoku period, to Sotan Kamiya, a wealthy merchant in Hakata,
the word “Mitsurinshu” was mentioned.
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・1593 (Bunroku 2) “Komai Nikki”(Diary on the Toyotomi family)
“The story of how the Sani Hoin (Yoshifusa Toyotomi) gave mirin, an alcoholic beverage.”
was described. Since then, “Mirinshu” had been used with various kanji characters.
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・1596 (Keicho 1) “Toshimaya” founded in Kanda, Kamakura Gashi.
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・1614 (Keicho 19) “Rokuen Nichiroku” (Diary of Rokuenin, a pagoda of Shokokuji Temple, Kyoto)
The word “Mirin” was mentioned for the first time.
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・1697 (Genroku 8) “Honcho Shokkan”
The manufacturing process of mirin is described as “Make it with shochu. In spring, soak three cups of glutinous rice in water overnight and steam it with a strainer to make rice. After it cools down, add two cups of koji and 1 to (1 to is about 18 liters) of shochu at the same time, grind it constantly, transfer it to a pottery jar, and grind it every seven days. It is completed in 37 days.”
*Sugar content at that time is estimated to be about 1% (Sugar content of the current mirin is about 43-47%.).
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・1713 (Shotoku 3) “Wakan sansai zue”
The manufacturing process of mirin is described as “Soak three sho (1 sho is about 1.8 liters) of glutinous rice in water overnight and steam to make rice. Mix 2 sho of cold koji and 1 to (1 to is about 18 liters) of shochu evenly and grind them every 7 days. It is completed in 37 days.” Also, it is reputed as “it has been produced in large quantities in recent years and is favored by both non-drinkers and ladies.” and it is evident that during the Edo period, it was favored by those people.
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・Mid-Edo Period Classic Rakugo “Aona”
It is said that the prototype for the classic Kamigata rakugo story “Aona” was born. In “Aona”, yanagikage (a drink made by mixing shochu and mirin at a ratio of 1:1) appears.
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・1799 (Kansei 11) “Nihon sankai meisan zue”The manufacturing process of mirin is described as “it is made from 10 koku (1 koku is about 180 liters) of shochu, 9.2 koku of glutinous rice, and 2.8 koku of rice koji in a pail.”.
*Sugar content at that time is estimated to be about 30%.
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・1837-1867 (Tenpo 8-Keio 2) “Morisada Mankou”It is mentioned that mirin was used for broiled eel and soba soup in the Kanto region.
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・1867 (Keio 2) “The Second Paris Exposition”
This was the first time Japan officially participated in the Expo, and both the shogunate and the Satsuma and Saga domains exhibited. Akitake Tokugawa (Yoshinobu Tokugawa’s younger brother) was the nominal representative, and Eichi Shibusawa also accompanied him. They built a teahouse as a Japanese pavilion, where geisha in kimonos served Japanese tea and mirin to customers. The pavilion became so popular that Uzaburo Shimizu, who opened the teahouse, received a medal from Napoleon III. It is also said that the Japanese booth, including this pavilion, was the catalyst for the so-called “Japonism”.
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・1935 Establishment of “Toshimaya Shuzo L.P.”
Began brewing in earnest in Higashimurayama, Tokyo.
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・In 2021 (Reiwa 3) Launch of “Me”, a liqueur made of a traditional Japanese koji
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・In 2022 (Reiwa 4) “Me” won a medal at the world’s three major liquor competitions (for the first time in mirin history).
The “Me” series of liqueurs were entered in all three of the world’s major liquor competitions: IWSC, ISC, and SFWSC. They won medals in all these competitions.