Junmaidaiginjo Kyonohana
Sake brewing dedicated to the "phantom" rice, "Kyounohana"
Tatsuizumi Sake Brewery has long been dedicated to a sake brewing philosophy centered on rice.
"Kyounohana," a sake rice born during the Taisho era in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, was once also cultivated in the Aizu region. Despite its contribution to elevating the quality of sake brewed in Aizu, it gradually vanished. The reasons were its low yield and its tall stalks, which made cultivation arduous.
The man who devoted himself to reviving this rice was the predecessor, Shinji Shinjo. "It seems it was his desire to brew sake that fully expressed the virtues of Aizu-grown rice," recounts the fourth-generation head, Soichi Shinjo. "Kyounohana," the sake brewed from this rice—which could be called a "phantom" rice—remains one of the brewery's signature brands to this day.
Today, all the raw rice used—including sake rice varieties like Gohyakumangoku, Yumenokaori, and Miyamanishiki—is sourced locally from Aizu, fueling their brewing passion even more intensely. "Since the earthquake disaster, the desire to help revitalize the local economy has grown strong. We want to send our sake, made from local rice, out across the nation," he states with conviction. Gazing toward the future, he adds, "We will continue to focus purely on seishu (sake) and pursue its every possibility."
Tatsuizumi Sake Brewery