Continuous rice steamer (Renzoku mushimaiki)

A continuous rice steamer (renzoku mushimaiki) is a piece of equipment used in sake brewing to steam rice efficiently. There are generally two types: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal type uses a belt conveyor that carries the rice through a steam chamber, steaming it as it moves continuously. In the vertical type, rice is fed in from the top of a cylinder and steam is blown in from the bottom to steam the rice. Because of their efficiency, both types make large-scale production possible and allow rice to be steamed while keeping the quality uniform.