Shōchō

Shōchō (正長) was a Japanese era name (年号,, nengō,, lit. "year name") after Ōei and before Eikyō, from April 1428 until September 1429. Reigning emperors were Shōkō-tennō (称光天皇) and Go-Hanazono-tennō (後花園天皇).

Change of era

Events of the Shōchō era

Shōchū

Shōchū (焼酎) is a Japanese distilled beverage less than 45% alcohol by volume. It is typically distilled from rice (kome), barley (mugi), sweet potatoes (imo), buckwheat (soba), or brown sugar (kokutō), though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes or even carrots.

Typically shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume, which is weaker than whisky or standard-strength vodka but stronger than wine and sake. It is not uncommon for multiple-distilled shōchū, which is more likely to be used in mixed drinks, to contain up to 35% alcohol by volume.

Shōchū originated in Kyūshū but is produced in locations throughout Japan.

Etymology

Linguistically, the word shōchū is the Japanese rendition of the Chinese 燒酒 (pinyin: shāojiǔ), which means "burned liquor". However, today the word is written 焼酎 in Japanese.

Culture

Drinking

Shōchū should not be confused with sake, a brewed rice wine. Its taste is usually far less fruity and depends strongly on the nature of the starch used in the distilling process. Its flavor is often described as "nutty" or "earthy".

Shōchū (era)

Shōchū (正中) was a Japanese era name (年号,, nengō,, lit. "year name") after Genkō and before Karyaku. This period spanned the years from December 1324 to April 1326. The reigning Emperor was Go-Daigo-tennō (後醍醐天皇).

Change of era

Events of the Shōchū era