白米に付いている糠分を、水で洗い落とします。糠分が残ってしまうと、この後の作業にも影響が出てしまうので、単なる水洗いでなく、しっかりと丁寧に糠分を除去します。

The bran on the white rice is washed off with water. If there is any bran left on the rice, it will affect the work to be one later, so the bran must be removed carefully and thoroughly, not just washed with water.

洗米したお米はすぐに水に浸します。酒造に適した蒸米ができるように、必要な分だけお米に水分を吸収させ、余分な水分は機械で吸い出します。

The washed rice is immediately soaked in water. To make sure that the rice is steamed properly for sake brewing, only the necessary amount of water is absorbed by the rice, and any excess water is sucked out by the machine.

前日に浸漬したお米を大きな蒸籠（せいろ）のような甑（こしき）で蒸します。
蒸したお米の蒸し具合を確かめ、粗熱を抜いたら次の工程へ移ります。

The washed rice is immediately soaked in water. To make sure that the rice is steamed properly for sake brewing, only the necessary amount of water is absorbed by the rice, and any excess water is sucked out by the machine.

粗熱を抜いた蒸し米を糀室へ運びます。蒸米が冷めきらないうちに、蒸米の温度を一定にするため、台の上に広げます。

Take the steamed rice off the heat to the Koji Room. Before the steamed rice cools down, spread it out on a table to keep the temperature of the steamed rice constant.

温度が一定になった蒸米に、種糀を均一にふりかけていきます。
表側にふりかけたら蒸米を返し、反対側も同様の手順を繰り返します。

Sprinkle seed koji evenly on the steamed rice at a constant temperature.
After sprinkling on the front side, turn the steamed rice and repeat the same procedure for the other side.

種糀をふりかけ終えた蒸米は、山のようにひとまとめにして、布・毛布にくるんで寝かせます。こうすることで保温をしながら糀菌を蒸米にしっかりと定着させます。

After sprinkling the seed malt on the steamed rice, gather it into a pile and wrap it in a cloth or blanket and lay it down. In this way, the malt bacteria are firmly fixed on the steamed rice while keeping it warm.

数時間寝かせた後、糀菌が繁殖して米粒同士がくっついた状態になるので、蒸米の山を崩して、手のひらを使ってバラバラにほぐしていきます。
十分にほぐし終えたら再びひとまとめに集め、布・毛布・ビニールにくるんでから翌日まで寝かせます。

After letting the rice sit for a few hours, the malt bacteria will have multiplied and the rice grains will be stuck together, so break up the pile of steamed rice and use the palm of your hand to loosen it into pieces.
After the rice is fully loosened, gather them together again and wrap them in a cloth, blanket, or plastic, then let them sleep until the next day.

切り返しから10数時間寝かせた後、さらに細かく切り返します。その後、糀箱に小分けし、蓋をして毛布を被せてから数時間寝かせます。

After letting it sit for more than 10 hours after cutting it back, cut it back into smaller pieces. After that, divide them into small portions in a Koji box, cover them with a blanket, and let them sleep for several hours.

糀箱の中でお米の温度が上昇してくるので、内側と外側の温度や水分を均一化するため、箱内のお米をほぐしていきます。数時間ごとにこの作業を繰り返します。

As the temperature of the rice rises inside the Koji box, we loosen the rice inside the box in order to equalize the temperature and moisture between the inside and outside. This process is repeated every few hours.

夕方から深夜にかけて、熟練の杜氏が一人で行うこの作業は、職人の目と経験が頼りの、とても重要な工程になります。

This is a very important process that relies on the eyes and experience of the craftsmen, and is carried out by a skilled master brewer alone in the evenings and late at night.

適切な温度になった糀米を糀室から出し、量を測ってから枯らし場へと運びます。
運んだ糀米は平らに広げられ、糀米の温度を下げ、水分を飛ばして糀菌の活動を止めます。

When the malt rice has reached an appropriate temperature, we take it out of the Koji Room, measure the amount, and then carry it to the withering area.
The transported malt rice is spread out flat to lower the temperature of the malt rice and remove the moisture to stop the activity of the malt bacteria.

もろみ造りは仕込みとも呼ばれ、三冠酒造では仕込みを三段階に分けて行う「三段仕込み」という手法を取り入れています。

三段仕込みとは「初添」「仲添」「留添」の三段階に分けて仕込みを行う段仕込みのことです。
一度に仕込むのでなく、仕込みを段階に分けることで、雑菌の繁殖を抑えつつ酵母の増殖を促し、もろみの温度を管理しやすくなります。
段仕込みは、日本酒造りの長い歴史の中から現代に受け継がれた、先人たちの知恵の賜物です。

Moromi brewing is also called "shikomi" (brewing), and at Sankan Shuzo we use a method called "sodan shikomi" (3-step mash preparation) in which the brewing process is divided into three steps.

3-step mash preparation is a method of brewing in three steps: hatsuzoe, nakazoe, and tomezoe.
By dividing the brewing process into steps instead of brewing all at once, it is easier to control the temperature of the mash while suppressing the growth of bacteria and encouraging the growth of yeast.
Preparing the fermentation Mash in steps is the result of the wisdom of our ancestors, handed down from the long history of sake brewing to the present day.

第二段階の仕込みです。
仕込みタンクに初添の2倍の量の糀、仕込水、掛米を加えて、しっかり撹拌させます。

This is the second step of brewing.
Add twice as much malt, brewing water, and rice to the tank, and stir thoroughly.

第三段階の仕込みで、三段仕込みの最終段階になります。
前日の仲添の更に2倍の量の糀、仕込水、掛米を加えて、しっかり撹拌させます。

This is the third step of brewing, and the final step of 3-step mash preparation.
We add twice as much malt, water, and rice as the previous day's Nakazoe, and stir the mixture thoroughly.

その後、およそ20日から30日間かけて発酵させることで、熟成もろみが造られます。

After that, the fermentation process takes about 20 to 30 days to produce the aged malt.

発酵が終了した熟成もろみを圧搾して、酒（液体）と酒粕（固体）に分離します。

After fermentation is complete, the aged mash is pressed and separated into sake (liquid) and sake lees (solid).