The Pride of Handcrafted Junmai Daiginjo – Ichinokura Sake Brewery in Miyagi

Text & Photography / Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network

When traveling in Japan, aside from the beautiful scenery and delicious cuisine, sake with its delicate aroma and flavors ranging from sweet to spicy is a specialty many seek to taste. Its unique taste is so memorable that some even bring it back to Taiwan as a gift. Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan is known as the “Kingdom of Ingredients,” not only for its thriving fishing and livestock industries but also thanks to its abundant water resources and favorable climate. The prefecture’s annual rice production accounts for 5% of the national total, which has also contributed to its sake brewing industry.According to Shoji Kumagai, head of production at the renowned Ichinokura Sake Brewery in Miyagi, out of approximately 100 sake breweries nationwide, 21 are located in Miyagi.

Established in 1973, Ichinokura was formed through the merger of four different sake breweries, the oldest of which, Sakurai Shuzo, was founded in 1709. Although Ichinokura has a history of just over 40 years, its brewing tradition and techniques have been passed down for centuries. It’s no wonder that from rice polishing to sake production, key processes such as fermentation are still carried out using traditional handcrafting methods to maximize the quality of the local spring water and rice. Moreover, because sake breweries have extremely high standards for cleanliness and temperature control, most are not open to the public. Ichinokura is one of the very few in Japan where visitors can witness the entire sake brewing process.BreweryThey have extremely high standards for details such as environmental cleanliness and temperature control, which is why most sake breweries are not open to the public. Ichinokura is one of the very few in Japan where visitors can get a full glimpse into the entire sake brewing process.

With an annual sake production of about 3.6 million liters, Ichinokura operates its own farmland, but due to its massive rice consumption, it also sources rice from other farms in the prefecture. It is estimated that Ichinokura washes 6–7 tons of rice daily, employing 40 skilled brewers who manually prepare the yeast mash and koji across different workstations, with some staff working 24-hour shifts to ensure the highest-quality sake. According to Shoji Kumagai, breweries using fully mechanized production would only need 4–5 people to complete the same tasks—highlighting Ichinokura’s commitment and pride in traditional craftsmanship.

For visitors who aren’t deeply familiar with sake, you may have heard of the term “Daiginjo,” but may not fully grasp its significance in the world of sake. From the informational boards at Ichinokura, we can see that sake is generally divided into nine grades, based onthe riceand other brewing ingredients used, as well as their proportions. The most crucial factor is the “seimaibuai,” or the degree to which the rice is polished. For example, a seimaibuai of 60% means that 40% of the outer layer of the rice grain has been milled away—in other words, the lower the seimaibuai percentage, the more of the outer layer has been removed. Since the outer layers of rice contain proteins and fats that can create off-flavors and affect fermentation, the higher the grade of sake,the ricewill have a lower seimaibuai percentage. At Ichinokura, the highest-grade “Junmai Daiginjo” has a seimaibuai of 35–40%, which speaks volumes about its refined quality.