Hangiri・hangiri oke

【English】

Hangiri, hangiri tub

【Japanese】

半切・半切桶

A handy tub used at various stages of the sake-making process, coming in sizes varying from 140-360l. The traditional wooden kind look as if they were made by cutting a barrel in half, hence the name hangiri (literally, “half-cut”). Nowadays, they are almost always made of aluminium or stainless steel.

Depending on what they are used for, they may be given one of the following names.

1. Moto hangiri (酛半切). Used at the moto tate stage.
2. Mizu hangiri (水半切). Used to hold water for mashing.
3. Tere hangiri (テレ半切). Used in traditional pressing. It is placed underneath the funnel used to pour the moromi into saka-bukuro in order to catch spills.
4. Arai hangiri (洗半切). Used when washing smaller brewing tools.
5. Zatsu hangiri (雑半切). Used for washing cloths and other miscellaneous bits and pieces.