Other than sake in the initial stage in which sake was brewed as kuchikami-no-sake (sake by mouth-chewing) and kabi-no-sake (literally, sake from mold), sake brewing using koji was established by the beginning of the Nara period.
口嚼ノ酒（くちかみのさけ）とカビの酒で醸されていた原初期の日本酒をのぞいて、奈良時代の初めにはすでに麹を用いた製法が確立していたと考えられる。