"Erik Shirai makes his directorial debut with this deliciously textured and rewarding doc about its actual creation and effect on not only those who imbibe it, but those who painstakingly craft it as well." – New York Times 

The Birth of Saké is an award-winning documentary that reveals the history of passionate sake makers, and what it takes to create a traditional sake at the Yoshida Brewery, a family distillery with more than 140 years of history, in northern Japan. 

The workers at Yoshida Brewery are an eclectic cast of characters, ranging from 20 to 70 years old. As a vital part of this cast that must live and work for a six-month period through the brutal winter, charismatic veteran brewmaster Yamamoto (65) and the brewery’s sixth-generation heir, Yasuyuki Yoshida (27), are keepers of this tradition, and are the main characters who bring the narrative forward.

Currently, stiff competition and the eventual retirement of experienced workers intensify the pressure of preserving quality of taste, tradition and brand reputation for Yoshida Brewery. Surrounded by 1,000 competitors, Yoshida must surface as a worthy contender in a market overrun by choices. While the narrative follows the brewery’s energy and ambition to survive, the characters remain central to the storytelling. As artisans who must dedicate their whole lives to the making of this world-class saké, their private sacrifices are often sizable and unseen.