TEMA -手間-

The Concept of "Tema" Valued by Dassai

Dassai places great importance on the concept of "Tema".
(Tema means putting a lot of time, effort and most importantly human touch with caring heart to produce something beautiful)

The term "Tema" has been perceived as somewhat inferior or an obstructive concept in the context of modernization and mechanization, as well as the globally competitive society that has progressed from modern times to the present. However, we draw a distinct line from such thinking.

Over a hundred years ago, in the late Edo period, the population of Japan was 34 million. Considering the mountainous terrain of this small island nation, this is an unbelievable population number. At this point, machine civilization had not yet begun in Japan, but the population was still substantial.

One reason for maintaining this large population is thought to be Japan's distinctive agricultural form. Unlike the extensive rice cultivation that was common worldwide at the time, Japan developed a technology that could be called ultra-precise rice cultivation. This significantly increased the yield per unit area, supporting the 34 million population. In the production fields of rural areas, a significant workforce was needed for this cultivation, requiring a considerable amount of labor and effort.

The Concept of Tema Valued by Dassai
Due to the development of this production form, even the second and third sons of farmers, who would normally be considered as obstacles and excluded, were required to be part of the rural community. In other words, by pursuing "Tema" we, the Japanese, were able to maintain this country, Japan without major internal conflicts for 300 years. For the people at that time, it was more rational to expect an increase in harvest resulting from the pursuit of labor-intensive rice cultivation than to compete with others over the harvest.

The concept of "Tema" flows continuously in Dassai as the "ethnic sake" born in Japan. While not ranking in the top 10 in terms of production quantity in Japan, the number of production staff surpasses that of many other major manufacturers by more than double, making it the largest workforce in Japan, which is proof of this concept.

Moreover, these staff members are not merely part of the "handmade myth"; their skills operate on thoroughly data-driven modern verification techniques. This is because we are sensitive not only to the negative aspects of "Tema," which tend to ignore progress but also because "Tema" is essential to deliver a "slightly more delicious Dassai" to our customers. It is not that there is "Tema" for the members of the sake brewery to get along well at work; rather, there is "Tema" for the sake of delivering the best Dassai.

The Concept of Tema Valued by Dassai
The "Tema of Dassai" is built on this way of thinking.