1. The Interplay of Illness and Desire
When you catch a cold, your sense of taste dulls, and suddenly, sake becomes unpalatable. Ideally, you should take medicine and recover quickly. However, I refrain from taking medicine. The reason is simple: taking medicine would close off the possibility of enjoying a drink that night.
I cannot bear to cut off the chance of “maybe being able to drink” myself. Even if it is called the baseness of desire, I want to bet on that moment.
2. Vessels and Sake Are Alike
Sake changes slightly every day. From the moment it is opened, it breathes and its flavor shifts. Vessels are the same. The way light hits them or the warmth of your hand subtly alters their appearance.
They are not fixed entities but art that continues to fluctuate with time. That is why you must always face them sincerely.
3. The Foundation of Desire and Beauty
I believe that being captivated by art and having your palate captured by sake are ultimately the same. Art immerses us in desire through the eyes and brain, while sake does so through the tongue and brain.
No matter how beautifully we dress it up with words, we cannot escape the void of desire. Yet, it is in the moment we surrender to that void that beauty most strongly emerges.
4. In Conclusion
Pouring sake into a vessel and placing desire on the tongue—every act is the same “once-in-a-lifetime encounter” as appreciating art.
And I think, sinking into the void is also a part of beauty.
