第109話: 東と水

109

Yamaoka and Kurita encounter Inspector Nakamatsu on the street, but their conversation is disturbed by two men struggling nearby and Nakamatsu demands that they explain themselves. They are Tooru Kiyama, a toji (brew master), and Hōji Kinno who runs a nihonshu brewery with his brother. Their product has a poor reputation, and they wanted to improve it so Kinno went to Niigata and hired Kiyama. However, shortly after they arrived in Tokyo, Kiyama became angry and left, leading to the confrontation. Kiyama is unwilling to talk, but after Kinno gives an account of their interaction both Yamaoka and Kurita understand the issue. They explain that because Kinno drank hot tea from a plastic container and smoked tobacco on the train ride, and then enjoyed glasses of tap water in Tokyo, Kiyama felt that he had no sense for water quality which is vital in sake brewing. Yamaoka invites Kinno's older brother who is in charge of the brewing to undertake a water taste test. After the older brother drinks a high quality sake and accurately determines which water was used in the brewing process, Kiyama changes his mind and agrees to work for the Kinnos' company. (Source: Wikipedia)