Sake Brands
in Fukuoka

"Mansaku" is a traditional brand of Yamanokotobuki Shuzo, bearing the name "Mansaku" aiming for a bountiful harvest. The brand name, deeply connected to the local agricultural culture, expresses gratitude and respect for rice farming. Inherited even after reconstruction from devastating damage by a typhoon, it continues to evolve to meet modern needs while protecting traditional sake quality. New sensibilities by the young team are added, pursuing a taste where tradition and innovation harmonize. Characterized by a mellow flavor that cherishes the umami of rice, it is loved as a food sake accompanying the local food culture. It is a brand where you can feel the sincere attitude of the brewery that overcame difficulties.

"Sanju no Ibuki" is a brand produced by Yamanokotobuki Shuzo, meaning "Breath of brilliantly shining celebration." Positioned as a symbol of new challenges by the young team, it expresses the innovative attitude of Yamanokotobuki Shuzo. While based on traditional sake brewing techniques, it features sake quality that reflects new sensibilities and a challenging attitude. The natural environment of Kitano Town surrounded by mountains and the history of the brewery overcoming difficulties are contained in the name of this brand.

"Eiden" is a brand bearing the place name of Eiden, Tachiarai Town, where the brewery is located. As the name "Prosperous Rice Field" suggests, it expresses gratitude and respect for the rich rice farming in the region. As a symbol of sake brewing rooted in the community, it uses locally grown rice and water, pursuing sake quality that reflects the climate of Eiden. Brewed with a method that fuses Miinokotobuki's scientific approach and traditional techniques, it is a bottle that conveys the charm of the region.

"Kusugiku" (Kyushu Kiku) is the flagship brand of Hayashi Ryuhei Shuzojo, named with the aim of being a sake that is pure and elegant like chrysanthemum flowers blooming in the land of Kyushu. Using sake rice grown in Saigawa, Miyako-machi and the clear underground water of Mt. Hikosan, it is carefully brewed using traditional handmade methods. Based on a dry and light profile, it has a well-balanced finish where you can firmly feel the umami of rice despite the clean taste. Characterized by a neat and elegant aroma like a chrysanthemum flower and a sharp finish, it functions as an excellent supporting actor that enhances meals. It has the versatility to be enjoyed both cold and warm, making it ideal as a dining sake to accompany daily meals. It goes well with fresh seafood from the Keichiku region and the bounty of the Buzen Sea, pursuing a sake quality that harmonizes with the local food culture.

"Kansansui" uses the name of the legendary poet monk "Hanshan" (Kansan) of the Tang Dynasty, expressing a clear sake quality like cold and pure mountain water. They develop Junmai Ginjo and Ginjo sake brewed by blending Yamada Nishiki and Fukuoka's "Gin no Sato" and fermenting at low temperatures. It features a light mouthfeel and a sharp dry taste, making it ideal as a food sake that enhances the taste of dishes such as yakitori and grilled fish.

Wakatakeya is the flagship brand bearing the name of the brewery, a representative sake embodying tradition and history spanning 326 years since its founding in the 12th year of Genroku (1699). It contains the brewing techniques passed down from the first Wakatakeya Denbee to the 14th generation and the pride of being the oldest brewery in the Chikugo region. Abundant groundwater from the Minou Mountain Range in Tanushimaru-machi, especially high-quality water selected as one of the 100 Best Waters of Japan, is pumped from a well that has been used for over 300 years since its founding. This water pumped from a depth of 80m underground is underflow water filtered over a long period of 80 years, has excellent mineral balance, and forms the basis of Wakatakeya's sake quality as the ideal water quality for sake brewing. Wakatakeya brands, including the Honjozo "Kaze" (Wind), are characterized by a refreshing and sharp taste like the wind, as the name suggests. Sake brewed using rice from the Chikugo region and traditional methods is finished with a soft mouthfeel, an elegant aroma, and a well-balanced sake quality that enhances meals. It has a depth that is delicious whether chilled or warmed, and its high versatility that can handle a wide range from daily dining tables to special occasions is attractive. Wakatakeya, brewed in the Genroku Kura, embodies the harmony of tradition and innovation, fusing the atmosphere of the brewery with a history of over 300 years and modern quality control technology. Based on the philosophy of the brewery's family motto "Wakatakeya is not a business inherited from ancestors, but something entrusted from descendants", it is a brand that practices sustainable sake brewing and continues to protect the quality that should be passed on to the next generation. Wakatakeya, woven by the rich nature of the middle basin of the Chikugo River, the water of the 100 Best Waters of Japan, and 326 years of traditional techniques, is widely drunk mainly locally as a brand representing the local sake culture of Tanushimaru.

The name "Maboroshi" (Phantom) is used as a sake brand in various places, expressing rarity and special value. As a local sake produced within Fukuoka Prefecture, it features a quality that emphasizes harmony with the regional food culture. It is a brand embodying the philosophy of community-rooted brewing, utilizing Fukuoka's rice and water.

"Susukori" is a brand name potentially derived from local history or place names. As a brand expressing Fukuoka's tradition and regionality, it aims for brewing that harmonizes with the local culture.

"Muhomatsu" features a mellow, rich, and deep flavor that allows you to enjoy the umami of rice, using famous water from the Fukuchi Mountain Range. The Tokubetsu Junmai Sake has a Sake Meter Value of +1 and a polishing ratio of 60%, realizing a mellow, rich, and deep flavor. The Ginjo Sake uses carefully selected rice polished to 60% or less and is slowly fermented at low temperatures for a long time with famous water from the Fukuchi Mountain Range, creating a fruity Ginjo aroma, a refreshing taste, a gentle mouthfeel, and a smooth throat finish. It is a brand that harmonizes with the food culture of Kitakyushu and has been loved in the region for a long time.

"Sarakura" is a brand named after Mt. Sarakura, expressing the local nature and climate. Using clear spring water from the Sarakura mountain range, it is an iconic brand of brewing rooted in the land of Yahata. Brewed with water and rice blessed by Mt. Sarakura, the pride of the region, it features a flavor that harmonizes with the food culture of Kitakyushu.

"Hananoseki" is a brand name derived from a haiku line "Iroka tsunagu hana no seki" (The flower barrier connecting color and scent), expressing brewing that values the harmony of aroma and flavor. Brewed with traditional techniques using the clear water of Dazaifu. It features a fruity aroma and elegant taste, pursuing a sake quality that nestles close to Fukuoka's food culture.

"Kanze" is a brand derived from the relocation to the Kanzeonji district. It is a brand with the history and culture of Dazaifu as its background, embodying the philosophy of brewing in harmony with local traditions.

"Kono Mi" is the brand from the time of founding, a historic brand representing the origin of Hananoseki Shuzo. It is a name related to the founder's surname, transmitting the brewery's tradition to the present. Inheriting the founding spirit brewed in the red brick warehouse, it continues to be produced today as a brand that makes you feel the history of sake brewing in Fukuoka.

"Okiya Gishichi" is a Daiginjo sake paying respect to the founder, Gishichi Konomi. It is a special brand carefully brewed with highly polished selected sake rice and the clear water of Dazaifu. It is a masterpiece where the skills of brewers who have mastered traditional techniques shine, loved for special occasions and as gifts. By crowning the founder's name, it expresses the history and pride of Hananoseki Shuzo.

"Nishinokura" is the flagship brand of Hikari Shuzo. Using water from Kasuya District and sake rice from Fukuoka Prefecture, it expresses brewing rooted in the community. "Nishi" (West) expresses the geographical location of Kyushu/Fukuoka, and "Kura" (Brewery/Storehouse) expresses traditional brewing; the brand name embodies the pride and tradition as a local sake of Kyushu.

The brand name "Inada Shigezo" is a play on words meaning "Shige"hito (the president's name) is "Zo" (making/building) "Ina" (rice plants) and "Da" (rice fields). This brand is made with insistence on everything: water, rice, and the manufacturing process, featuring thorough quality control done together with local farmers from rice planting to harvesting. Brewed as a Junmai Daiginjo sake, it has a quality that maximizes the characteristics of the rice involved in in-house cultivation. Using carefully selected rice from Fukuoka Prefecture and local water, it is brewed by traditional methods with careful manual work.

Junmai aromapots "Taikan" has received high evaluations, such as the Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau Appraisal Superior Award and prizes at the National New Sake Appraisal. Achieving a balanced flavor through traditional techniques and carefully selected ingredients, it is a sake rich in regionality, utilizing rice from Fukuoka Prefecture and local water.

"Sui Tennyo" (Drunken Celestial Maiden) is one of the brands produced by Okina Shuzo, with a name that evokes an elegant and gorgeous sake quality. Using rice from Fukuoka Prefecture and local water, brewed with traditional techniques, it is a sake that combines feminine softness and gorgeousness.

"Toyosakari" is the flagship brand of Toyomura Shuzo, a historic sake that has been brewed in Tsuyazaki for 150 years. Starting with Daiginjo sake, it is available in various sizes of 720ml and 1800ml. Inheriting the climate and tradition of Tsuyazaki, the sake quality considers compatibility with local food culture, especially seafood from the Genkai Sea. Brewed in a historic storehouse designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, it is one of the famous sakes boasting of Fukuoka Prefecture.

"Munakata Bijin" is a brand bearing the name of Munakata, expressing the beautiful nature and rich water of the Munakata region. The name "Bijin" (Beauty) implies beautiful water, beautiful rice, and beautiful sake, expressing the charm of sake nurtured by the climate of Munakata. It is a brand embodying the pride of the region that boasts the World Heritage Site, Munakata Taisha.

The passionate name "Hono no Itteki" (One Drop of Flame) expresses the Toji's (master brewer's) passion for sake brewing and the skills and thoughts put into each and every drop. It is a sake filled with the passionate thoughts of the brewers, featuring a powerful flavor that utilizes the climate of Munakata.

"Ine no Kotobuki" is a brand imbued with gratitude for the blessings of rice ears and the meaning of celebrating a rich harvest. It expresses the brewery's attitude of cherishing traditional Japanese culture from rice growing to sake brewing. It is a brand filled with respect for the rich nature of Munakata and the local people engaged in agriculture.

"Yojokun" is a brand named after Ekiken Kaibara, a Confucian scholar and herbalist of the Fukuoka Domain. Ekiken Kaibara lived to 84 in an era when the average life expectancy was about 40, and he compiled the secrets of health and longevity in his book "Yojokun" (Precepts for Health). Aiming for a healthy sake that one never tires of drinking, this brand features a balanced flavor and gentle mouthfeel. It is a brand that resonates with the teachings of Yojokun about enjoying moderate drinking, named with respect for the sage of Fukuoka.

"Nara no Tsuyu" (Dew of the Oak) is a brand derived from the "Oak Tree" (Nara no Ki), which is the sacred tree of Munakata Taisha. Near the oak tree at Munakata Taisha, a stone monument pledging perpetual sake dedication still remains, telling this history. It is a traditional and prestigious brand expressing a deep connection with Munakata Taisha.