Before the production of refined sake began at Shoryaku-ji Temple, the alcohol of choice was nigori-zake, or unrefined sake. The ways the two are brewed are different, with the characteristics of refined sake being its sterilization with lactic-acid bacilli and the separation of yeast mash (large quantities of yeast which cause alcohol fermentation) and sake, a process which is carried out in stages several times. Furthermore, Shoryaku-ji Temple’s morohaku-zukuri involved using polished rice both for its koji malt and as the steamed rice used in brewing sake. This is how sterilized, safe sake was produced at Shoryaku-ji Temple. The power held by Shoryaku-ji Temple made it possible to produce sake in large yields, and preservation of the yeast mash ensured that the same product could be produced year after year. It was a revolution in the production of Japanese sake.
A seasonal specialty was also manufactured during summer (from around mid to late August) at Shoryaku-ji Temple, known as natsu-zake, literally meaning “summer sake.” Mold grows easily in the summer months, making the production of sake at other locations impossible. However, Shoryaku-ji Temple’s yeast mash Bodai-moto plays off the humidity and water quality, creating the potential for a miraculous summer sake. In a season when there were no other sakes on the market, natsu-zake became a sensation, favored by nobility for their moon-viewing parties and other occasions.

Although sake production at Shoryaku-ji Temple continued for roughly 200 years from the mid-fifteenth century Muromachi period (1336–1573), it eventually came to an end. Recent efforts to recreate Shoryaku-ji Temple’s refined sake began in 1996. The group responsible for these efforts is known as the Bodaimoto-focused Refined Sake Production Research Group of Nara Prefecture, and, with the help of the Nara Prefectural Institute of Industrial Development, they succeeded in harvesting the three kinds of bacteria required for sake production in the mountains of Shoryaku-ji Temple: lactic-acid bacilli, yeast fungus, and koji. After much investigative research, in 1998 the Bodai-moto method of sake production was reborn. Coinciding with this was the establishment of a number of basic criteria for Bodai-moto sake. These included stipulations that the yeast mash must be produced at Shoryaku-ji Temple, that Shoryaku-ji Temple yeast fungus must be used, and that rice and pure water from the temple’s grounds must also be used. In the same year, Shoryaku-ji Temple became the first temple in Japan to be granted a shubo license to produce the yeast mash used in sake, and production of the first run of Bodai-moto sake began in January 1999.
Nowadays there are eight companies producing Bodai-moto refined sake in Nara Prefecture, and they are even available for purchase at Shoryaku-ji’s Fukuju-in Temple. Sake from Nara is renowned for its flavor, and Bodai-moto refined sake’s characteristic full-bodied flavor is akin to white wine.

Each year in early January, Shoryaku-ji Temple holds the Bodai-moto Sake Festival where yeast mash is prepared on the temple’s grounds. Members of the public can witness the process, sample and purchase newly released varieties, and participate in a rice-pounding event.
In recent years, Shoryaku-ji Temple has come to be known as the birthplace of Japanese refined sake, and it attracts constant visitors, even beyond the festival. Autumn is busy with sightseers, and the colorful autumn leaves are so beautiful they have even become the inspiration for extravagant kimono designs such as nishiki brocade.