The Origin Story of Kubota: Handmade Japanese Paper and Calligraphy for the Label

Encountering Handmade Japanese Paper

Kubota is a Japanese sake brand bearing the original brewery's name "Kubotaya". This came from a determination to spread the delicious flavors that Niigata Prefecture is known for and deliver new tastes. The president at the time, Toru Hirasawa, was intent on using a sake label with handmade Japanese paper (washi) nurtured in the climate of his birthplace in Niigata, to become the face of his company. Niigata Prefecture boasts a long tradition of papermaking since ancient times.

Before Kubota was launched in early March of 1985, Hirasawa heard that a young man named Yasuo Kobayashi was making washi in his hometown. Amid heavy snowfall exceeding four meters, he visited the washi paper studio with Teiji Shima, the factory manager of Asahi-Shuzo Sake Brewing, to convey his passion for creating a label for Kubota. He told Kobayashi, "I want you to work with us in creating a label for 'Kubota,' a sake that returns to the roots of Asahi-Shuzo Sake Brewing."

Yasuo Kobayashi reminisces about those days and says, "Kubota was described to me as a sake that returns to the roots; I associated this image with “simple and rustic.” As a result, we decided on the current Japanese washi label. I think that nature, or rather, natural textures have the power to persuade people." (Teiji Shima in "Talking about Sake" published in 2007 )

The two parties' mutual desire to promote authenticity worldwide matched, and resulted in Kubota's present-day label, lovingly handcrafted one by one with washi paper.

Making Japanese Paper in Proximity to Nature

Kadoide Washi studio, where Yasuo Kobayashi works, is a traditional workshop in the Takayanagi district of Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture. Surrounded by terraced rice fields, it is a *satoyama landscape with lush nature and heavy snowfall, where snow piles up to three meters in winter. The techniques that utilize this climate continue to be passed down from generation to generation.

Satoyama: an underdeveloped woodland near a populated area, the border zone between mountain foothills and arable flat land.

At Kadoide Washi studio, we locally grow paper mulberry trees, the raw material for making paper. The area where the raw materials are grown is the same production area of ​​the product. No bleaching agents are used to whiten the washi, and the traditional method of "yukisarashi" creates a glossy, durable paper. "Yukisarashi" is a process that occurs on sunny days from February to April. Harvested and dried paper mulberry bark is laid out on pure white snow to remove its color.

Starting with the cultivation of paper mulberry trees that will become washi, the skills and feelings of each artisan are connected to those who harvest, expose the paper to the snow, boil it, peel it off, and scoop up the paper to continuously create the "face" of Kubota.

According to Yasuo Kobayashi, "The Japanese paper that I aim to create is an 'inevitable, simple paper created without much human intervention.' Each sheet has a different texture, allowing you to feel warmth as it were alive. I believe that 'quality paper' is not perfect like a craftsperson but like a peasant close to nature and the climate."

“Adjust the Machinery in Tune with the Washi Paper”

At the time of its launch, Kubota's washi labels were hand-applied one by one by employees at the bottling factory. Due to its handcrafted nature, there are differences in thickness, with the paper becoming soft when it is humid and firm on days of dry weather. It was difficult pasting each label while adjusting to the condition of each sheet of washi paper.

Yasuo Kobayashi recalls: "Many employees said that handmade washi was not suitable for machinery, dismissing it as unusable. However, Mr. Hirasawa of Asahi-Shuzo Sake Brewing said, 'We should adjust the machine according to the washi paper.' No matter how many times the mechanization process failed, he never once asked me to improve the washi."

After countless improvements to the machines at Asahi-Shuzo Sake Brewing, the machine labeling finally began the following year. Hirasawa had already made up his mind before launching Kubota that the label could only be crafted with handmade Japanese paper nurtured in the climate of Niigata.

The Completed Calligraphy

Similar to the washi paper, the kanji characters for "Kubota" were calligraphed by Shoichi Sakazume, a calligrapher from Niigata Prefecture.

Shoichi Sakazume initially proposed using the characters of "Kubota" on a sake bottle when the company was founded. However, Hirasawa asked him to write it anew. There was a strong desire to carry on the spirit of the company's founding while expressing the challenges of creating "a new delicious flavor" at the time.

Shoichi Sakazume visited Asahi-Shuzo Sake Brewing multiple times to learn about the significance of Kubota's launch. According to Sakazume, "It's not just about writing. I listen to the client's future prospects, direction, and depth of the sake product, then write the label praying that everyone reads it as dignified.

The number of "Kubota" pieces he wrote exceeded 600. Sakazume submitted several of them, with the final one selected by Hirasawa becoming the "face" of Kubota.

The Culmination of Thoughts and Techniques

"Kubota" originated from the combination of sake, Japanese paper, calligraphy, and the thoughts and techniques of each artisan. The foundation of Kubota was not solely the inheritance of tradition but also the spirit of enterprising challenge and honesty. The spirit of that time still lives on at Kubota, and we will continue to challenge ourselves in the future.