A Soundless Contract in Satsuma: A Story of Shochu Distillates and Pigs in Oguchi, Kagoshima, 2007

A Soundless Contract in Satsuma: A Story of Shochu Distillates and Pigs in Oguchi, Kagoshima, 2007
In 2007, as the idea of a recycling-oriented society was being explored in many parts of Japan, an unexpected combination of shochu and pigs was playing a quiet concert in Oguchi, Kagoshima Prefecture. The Oguchi Shochu Brewers Cooperative Association supplies all shochu dregs, a byproduct of shochu production, to pig farmers. The shochu dregs are used as feed to improve the meat quality of the pigs and reduce the cost of feed. Moreover, the supply was not a one-way street; the amount of distillation was adjusted according to the availability of the tanks, as if the two parties were reading each other's breathing. Even though there was no written contract, this cooperation was supported by the trust between people rooted in the community. Pigs raised on shochu were raised to produce flavorful meat, which was highly valued in the market as a "product with a story". Behind this cycle, however, was the reality that the national system was not in place. The Food Recycling Law was
still in the process of being revised, and the wisdom of the local community was likely to fall through the cracks of the system. Nevertheless, the sound of shochu dregs and pigs' breaths silently coming and going quietly revealed the outlines of a sustainable society.