Brands

"Hana no I" is the representative brand of Nishioka Honten. The brand name expresses the purity of the well water on the premises and the gorgeous and beautiful sake quality like a flower. Using clear water filtered through granite created by the climate of Makabe-cho, Sakuragawa City, it is brewed carefully by the hands of craftsmen. It features a rich and mellow taste that firmly brings out the umami of rice. It has received high praise in competitions both in Japan and overseas, and has a history of winning awards such as the sake competition in France, "Kura Master." It is a bottle filled with the tradition of a historic brewery and commitment to quality.

"Kaiseki" is a brand with a magnificent scale brewed by Nishioka Honten. The name contains the wish for depth and spread like the sea that spreads beyond the century. Using underground water from Mt. Tsukuba and carefully selected rice, it is carefully charged with traditional methods. It features a solid taste and sharpness, and enhances the taste of dishes as a sake during meals. As a hidden masterpiece that has walked with the history of the brewery, it is known among sake connoisseurs. While adapting to tastes that change with the times, it continues to protect the unchanging essence.

"Seiki" is the only brand brewed by Karube Shuzoten. The brand name includes the meanings of "correct feeling" and "keeping sane," expressing their attitude of facing sake brewing sincerely and earnestly. Using clear water springing from the rich earth of Makabe, executed with old-fashioned handmade brewing, this sake features a simple yet core taste. As a sake indispensable for festivals and celebrations in local Makabe, it has been loved and familiar to the people of the region for a long time.

"Maguma" is a super dry Junmai sake brand symbolizing the challenging attitude of Raifuku Shuzo. As the name suggests, it features an impactful taste filled with hot passion and energy like magma. While being extremely dry with a sake meter value of around +18, it realizes an exquisite balance where you can firmly feel the umami of rice. By using flower yeast, a gorgeous scent drifts even within the dryness, emitting a unique personality not found elsewhere. Combined with unique naming and label design, it is a brand that has become a hot topic among sake fans. It proposes a new taste that goes beyond the framework of conventional sake.

"Kiri no Hana" is a sake brand recommended by the University of Tsukuba, named after the university's emblem "Gosan no Kiri" (Paulownia). It was born from a collaboration between Raifuku Shuzo and the University of Tsukuba. Planned and developed together with students and faculty of the University of Tsukuba, it is widely used for on-campus events and as souvenirs. It features a gorgeous scent using flower yeast and an elegant and sophisticated taste. As a brand born from the cooperation between the region and the university, it is familiar to many people as a high-quality sake along with its academic background.

"Shuroku" is a brand revived and inherited by Raifuku Shuzo from the brand of Otsuka Shuzo, which used to be in Bando City. In cooperation with Bando City, they revived the famous sake that disappeared while being regretted by locals to the present day. Its quality is highly evaluated internationally, such as winning the Grand Prix at the U.S. National Sake Appraisal. It features a gorgeous scent using flower yeast and a rich taste utilizing the umami of rice. It is a significant brand that protects regional heritage and connects it to the next generation, and is loved again by people in the region centered on Bando City.

"Raifuku" is the representative brand of Raifuku Shuzo, which has been in business for over 300 years. The brand name has the auspicious meaning of "good fortune comes," and contains the wish to deliver happiness to those who drink it. The biggest feature is the use of natural flower yeasts isolated and cultured in-house. By combining flower yeasts such as rambling rose, begonia, and Dianthus superbus with carefully selected suitable rice, they realize gorgeous scents and unique, deep tastes not found in conventional sake. It is highly popular for celebratory occasions and as gifts, and has won many awards in domestic and international liquor competitions due to its high quality. It is an evolving sake that always continues to challenge new possibilities.

"Makko Shobu" is a special limited distribution brand crowned with the management philosophy of Raifuku Shuzo itself. It contains the brewery's strong will to compete head-on only with quality, allowing no compromise on sake brewing. Using carefully selected sake rice and flower yeast, it is a high-quality sake that is particular about the rice polishing ratio and brewing process. It features a gorgeous ginjo aroma and a balanced taste where the umami, sweetness, and acidity of rice harmonize. As a masterpiece that is particularly particular about quality among the many lineups, it boasts a degree of perfection that impresses sake connoisseurs.

"Chikusei" is a brand born from local love for Chikusei City, where Raifuku Shuzo is located. Expressing the rich nature and climate of Chikusei City, it is brewed aiming for sake loved by locals. Actively using locally produced rice and water, it finishes in a taste that makes you feel the terroir of Chikusei. With a refreshing mouthfeel that is easy to match with meals, it is also ideal for daily evening drinks. Often sold only in the region, it is also useful as a souvenir when visiting Chikusei City and as a gift for locals. It is a local sake deeply connected to the local food culture.

"Botan Masamune" is a brand named with the aim of being a sake with elegance and gorgeousness like the peony flower, the king of all flowers, as the name suggests. Using high-quality underground water from the Tone River system and carefully selected rice, it is brewed carefully by hand. It features a rich scent that spreads when you put it in your mouth and a plump and mellow taste, finishing in a sake quality that you will never tire of drinking. In local Ryugasaki, it is also useful for celebratory occasions and gifts, and continues to be loved for a long time as a sake that adds color to the lives of the people in the region.

"Kimibandai" is a historic brand named after offering the well water of the brewery when Emperor Meiji visited. It contains the wish that "the monarch (monarch/nation) will continue for ten thousand years." Using high-quality underground water from the Tone River system and contract cultivation rice "Nihonbare" with local farmers, it is brewed with traditional handmade methods. It features the umami of rice and gorgeous flavor even within the refreshing dryness. It is also ideal as a sake during meals, and can be enjoyed in a wide range of temperature zones from cold sake to hot sake. It is a genuine taste that you will never tire of, nurtured by 370 years of history.

"Kinmon" is the representative brand of Kinmon Shuzo, derived from the name "Kinzaemon" inherited by successive brewery owners. It contains the wish to be a sake loved by everyone in the region. Using high-quality water from the Tone River system as brewing water, it is brewed carefully by hand. It features a fruity and mellow mouthfeel and a taste that harmonizes with the umami of rice. With a versatile sake quality that can be enjoyed in a wide range of temperature zones from cold sake to hot sake, it is familiar as a local sake essential for daily evening drinks and local gatherings.

"Yawara Sanmangoku" is a community-based Junmai sake born from a regional cooperation project with Tsukubamirai City (formerly Yawara Village). Using 100% sake rice "Gohyakumangoku" nurtured in the rich earth of Tsukubamirai City, Takemura Shuzoten brewed it with sincerity. It features a plump and rich taste where the umami of rice can be felt firmly. As a local specialty, it is loved by locals and is also popular as a return gift for hometown tax donation.

"Fujiryu" is the oldest traditional brand that has walked with the history of Takemura Shuzoten. The 7th head of the family named it by combining "Mt. Fuji," the symbol of Japan, and "Dragon," the symbol of strength. It has been familiar for many years as a daily evening drink centered on local Joso City. It features a refreshing taste that you will never tire of drinking, utilizing the original umami of rice. While staying close to changes in the times, it is a sake that can be said to be the origin of Takemura Shuzoten, continuing to protect the unchanging traditional taste.

"Kyo no Yume" is the flagship brand representing Takemura Shuzoten. It is an elegant brand with a literary origin, named from the essay "Kyo no Yume Osaka no Yume" after the 8th head of the family consulted with the great writer Junichiro Tanizaki. Expanding widely from Junmai sake to Daiginjo sake, it is brewed carefully using high-quality sake rice and water. It features an elegant mouthfeel where a rich scent and a deep taste harmonize even while being light and smooth. As a brand loved by sake fans widely as well as in local Ibaraki, it carries the signboard of Takemura Shuzoten.

"Ruri" is a premium brand newly established in 1991 (Heisei 3) that pursues particularly high quality among Takemura Shuzoten products. It was named after the gemstone Lapis Lazuli (Ruri). It is brewed without sparing time and effort, such as highly polishing carefully selected sake rice and fermenting slowly at low temperature. It features a gorgeous and elegant scent and a transparent and sophisticated taste. It is also popular as a gift, and is attracting attention as a sake that colors special days and as a brand symbolizing the new challenge of Takemura Shuzoten.

"Judai" is a brand that Aoki Shuzo brews for local Koga. While "Gokeiji" is a special sake suitable for celebratory occasions, it was named with the aim of being a sake that can be enjoyed more on a daily basis. It features a refreshing taste that you will never tire of drinking, close to the daily evening drinks of the locals. As a brewery rooted in the region, it is a simple and warm local sake that has walked with the food culture and life of Koga.

"Gokeiji" is the representative brand of Aoki Shuzo, meaning "the greatest joy" just as the name implies. It was named by the 3rd head of the family in commemoration of the wedding of Emperor Taisho. While inheriting the tradition since its establishment, they incorporate modern technology and pursue high-quality sake brewing. Junmai Ginjo using Ibaraki's sake brewing suitable rice "Hitachi Nishiki" has received high praise for its gorgeous scent and plump taste. It is familiar not only as a sake that colors the seat of celebration but also as a sake during meals that enhances the meal.

"Nisai no Kamoshi" is a project brand launched in 2014 by Chisa Aoki, Managing Director and Master Brewer of "Aoki Shuzo," with the desire to "convey the charm of sake to young people in their 20s." The brand name is derived from "Nisai (Two-year-old fish)," which is a success fish of the blue fish "Mullet," and contains the wish that young people will grow and succeed. Every year, young people in their 20s participate in sake brewing, creating a unique taste for that year. The fresh and juicy taste characterized by acidity is a sake quality that is easy to get close to for sake beginners and the younger generation.

"Toku Masamune" is a local sake that has been loved by people in the region since its establishment in Ansei 2 as the representative brand of Hagiwara Shuzo. It was named after "Sake Toku" in a Chinese historical event. Using the mellow water of the Tone River system as brewing water, it is brewed with rice from local Ibaraki and traditional skills. It features a rich scent and a rich taste where the umami of rice can be felt firmly. As a sake that accompanies various scenes of life from daily evening drinks to sunny days, it is rooted in the food culture of Sakai Town.