Photo/Illutration Masafumi Kokura, a former liquid crystal engineer, now works at a sake brewery in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. (Junichi Kamiyama)

YOKKAICHI, Mie Prefecture--Masafumi Kokura is using his extensive knowledge in manufacturing liquid crystal display panels for his second career of creating a much older and tastier product.

The former senior executive at electronics manufacturer Sharp Corp. is continuing his apprenticeship to become “toji,” or master sake brewer, at Ishikawa Shuzo Co., which was founded 190 years ago in Yokkaichi.

Temperature control is a key to both LCD production and sake brewing.

Kokura, 51, joined Sharp in 1994 after studying material science at a graduate school.

Production at Sharp’s Kameyama plant in Kameyama, also in Mie Prefecture, became sluggish after the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers sparked a global financial crisis.

Kokura was then put in charge of switching LCD production from televisions to smartphones and tablet devices at the plant. 

A turning point in Kokura’s career came in 2014, when he became the vice chief of a department overseeing three LCD plants. He was given the difficult task of asking employees to join the company’s early retirement program after Sharp fell into financial trouble.

Thinking that he couldn’t stay at the company after seeing his older colleagues leave, Kokura resigned from Sharp the following year.

After a brief stint at a consulting firm, Kokura landed a job at Ishikawa Shuzo in May 2019.

Last winter, he started learning the art of producing “koji” (malted rice), a basic ingredient of sake, under the tutelage of Takashi Ishikawa, the sixth-generation proprietor and president of the company. He even spent nights at the brewery to check the fermentation process.

LCD panels are made from aluminum, silicone membrane and other materials. Failure to maintain the proper temperature for each component during the production process could result in defective units.

The same goes for sake brewing. The temperature during the fermentation stage makes a difference in the taste.

“Actually, there are many things in common,” Kokura said.

The former engineer says sake brewers today do not seem to make full use of data showing the finished condition of the malted rice.

“I want to proceed with an analysis-based sake brewing method, using my experience in liquid crystal technology," Kokura added.

Related News