Master brewers, or toji, at a 2014 summit (Japanese Women’s Sake Industry Group) In Japan, brewing sake has long been a male-dominated industry. But recently, the ancient art—which was actually traditionally the purview of women in ancient times—has experienced a rise in female master brewers. For example, one pioneering woman, Emi Machida who serves as the Toji, or master sake brewer at the Machida Brewery in Gunma, is the first woman in her family to become the Toji, even though the brewery has been owned by her family for more than 130 years.