Junmaishu Kizuna
Iwaki's local sake, made with 100% prefectural rice under the motto of "local production for local consumption."
Near Iwaki Yumoto Onsen stands Taiheizakurashuzo, founded in 1725, during the era of the Yunagaya Domain, which had branched off from the Taira Domain.
Its flagship brand, "Taiheizakura," is said to have earned its name when an ancestor, gazing upon an ancient cherry tree in the garden as the new sake was ready, composed a verse: "Savoring sake, admiring the sakura of great peace." "We strive to brew sake that brings comfort, sake that is truly loved by the local people," states the ninth-generation head, Masashi Ohira.
Under the motto of "local production for local consumption," the brewery uses 100% prefectural rice, including the sakamai (sake rice) "Gohyakumangoku" and "Yumenokaori," developed in Fukushima Prefecture. All sake is meticulously pressed using a traditional fune (vat press), brewing the sake with deliberate care over time. The sake of Taiheizakura is one "brewed slowly, in small batches, sparing no effort."
Its flavor is full-bodied and rich in umami. It is a taste that never tires the palate, one destined to accompany any cuisine.
Ninety percent of this unadorned, everyday sake is consumed locally in Iwaki City. "Fundamentally, sake is something rooted in its region. That is why we insist on prefectural rice, and why we desire our sake to be one cherished by the local people."
Taiheizakurashuzo