... to be a "spiritual highBy the Asuka period, true sake—made from rice, water, and mold Aspergillus oryzae)—was the dominant ... religious ceremony and people seldom drank it. Sake production was a government monopoly for a long time, but in the 10th century, temples ... practices by this timen the 16th century, technique of distillation was introduced into the Kyushu district from Ryukyu, and started ...