The pure water of Mount Kushigata

　Mount Kushigata is located in the southwest of the Kofu Basin which gentle ridges resemble the shape of a Japanese comb. It is 2,052 meters high and forms a rich natural environment as a vanguard peak of the Southern Alps. The Yokouchi Shuzoten is located at the foot of the mountain and sells sake brewed with pure & high-quality subsoil water.

　Mr. Hajime Yokouchi, the fifth-generation brewer explains the appeal of the water with a gentle smile, “We use this water in our daily lives, so we don’t usually notice its quality, but when we visit other places and drink the water, we taste the difference and we rerealize then that our water is divine.” The brewery was founded in 1872 by Jinuemon Yokouchi. Their sake is called “Sakaki Masamune”. It must have been a great honor at the time to brew a sake used to perform Shinto rituals in a place named after the Sakaki tree, which is said to be the border tree between the world of the gods and ours.

Light and refreshing taste

　While retaining the flavor of the rice, the sake has a light and refreshing taste that has been enjoyed by many people as a local sake for 150 years. “Sakaki Masamune” offers nine types of sake, including Daiginjo, Junmai Ginjo, Junmai-shu, Honjozo, Tokubetsu Honjozo, and Shiboritate Namagenshu. It has won awards at the National New Sake Competition and the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau’s Sake Competition.

　The “Sakaki Masamune Junmai Ginjo” is a popular product with a good value for money. It is made from Yamadanishiki rice polished to 50% and brewed slowly over time. It has a mellow aroma and a richness that takes advantage of the flavor of the rice. “Sakaki Masamune Daiginjo” is made by further polishing Yamadanishiki rice to its maximum level. It has a crisp throat feel and a gorgeous ginjo aroma…everything is a first-rate finish. It tastes great on its own and is easy to pair with a variety of dishes.

　The “Shiboritate Namagenshu,” which changes its flavor as it matures with each season, is a raw sake just pressed from the mash of Honjozo. This unique flavour that could only be found at a sake brewery is bottled as it is, and the fresh taste of young leaves which can be enjoyed in the spring becomes more flavoury in the fall. There is a direct sales shop on the premises, where sake tasting session are organised and the on-ground experience provided makes it fun to choose your favorite bottle.

Only specific class name sake is produced and sold

　The President Yokouchi says, “We are looking for a natural flavor and full-bodied, mellow taste.” The brewery don’t make ordinary quality sake or low-cost sake. Most of the rice used is produced in Yamanashi Prefecture, with Yamadanishiki from Yamanashi Prefecture accounting for more than 60% of the total.

　The Yokouchi Shuzoten has a long history of 150 years. Feeling the weight of this history, the brewery is very ambitious: “We are a small brewery, but we want to do our best to meet the needs of our customers as long as we can.”

Yokouchi Shuzoten Co., Ltd.
Address: 57 Kamimiyaji, Minami-Alps City, Yamanashi Prefecture
TEL: +81-55-282-0038 FAX: +81-55-282-7444
URL：r.goope.jp/sr-19-192081s0307