The Story

 

The unmistakable flavours of sake, miso and soya sauce are the foundation of Japanese cuisine - winning it international renown and earning it UNESCO cultural heritage status. The secret of these unique tastes lies in their preparation and fermentation in the oke - towering three-metre high wooden barrels that require precision crafting by at least three men.

Yet the post-war development of mass-produced stainless steel barrels has all but obliterated the Japanese oke industry. And the loss of oke would mean the loss of the distinctive quality of sake, miso, soy sauce and other traditionally barrel-brewed food.

This documentary gives an intimate insight into Japan's last sake okeshi (barrel maker) - showing how he survived the modernisation that killed off the art of barrel-making, and sharing his poignant last bow as he prepares to make his final barrel.

But that is not the end of the story. The film finds a growing group of specialist sake producers rediscovering the richness of the traditional barrel flavour and its importance to Japanese food. And we follow their struggle to recruit a new generation of barrel-makers to ensure this historic practice and authentic taste are not lost forever.

Watch the Teaser

The Production

The Last Cooper tells the untold story of the rise and fall of Japan's huge wooden barrels - oke - which have played a key role in creating the unique flavours of Japanese cuisine. Oke have been used for hundreds of years in making Japan's famous staples - sake, miso, and soy sauce.

The documentary film, currently in production, uncovers the secrets of the last cooper of Japan - the only man still making the giant oke. We meet sake makers, soy sauce and miso brewers, and interview forestry experts, chefs and writers to get the full picture of Japan's disappearing coopering craft - and learn how its loss could change the traditional taste of Japanese cuisine forever.  Filming has begun and is taking place all over the country, from the northern prefecture of Akita to Shodoshima, a small island on the south east coast of Japan.

We are currently raising money for the production of the film and have so far received donations from the Great British Sasakawa Foundation and the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. If you are interested in helping to make this film, please click here.

 

 

“This documentary gives an intimate insight into Japan’s last sake okeshi (barrel maker)... sharing his last bow as he prepares to make his final barrel”

The Director

My name is Megumi Inman.  I am a filmmaker and I have been working on this project for the last 2 and a half years.  I fell in love with barrels and coopering after reading the book "The Coopers Challenge" when I was 18 years old.  With a Japanese mother and English father, I grew up eating delicious homemade Japanese food.  As a child I loved helping my mum in the kitchen and learning our family recipes and Japan’s distinctive flavours. It is a tragedy to see Japan’s traditional tastes that have been around for centuries change and potentially be lost forever if coopering is not nurtured and respected. This is why I am making this film. We are at a critical point in the history of Japanese food as well as its barrels. The challenges and pressures that come with modernisation and mass-production can be seen in every country in the world. This film will dig deep to find out how Japan is facing the dilemma of the oke and the changing taste of Japan.