
Tenon Junmai Daiginjo Kairyo Omachi
Itakura Sake Brewery | Shimane Prefecture
Itakura Sake Brewery
Itakura Sake Brewery is located on the banks of the Kando River, which originates from Mount Kotobiki. In this area, close to Izumo Taisha Shrine, they have been brewing sake for over 150 years, striving to create a pure sake like sacred sake.
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Located in the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture, Izumo is a peaceful town surrounded by mountains, lakes, and the sea, including the Izumo Plain, Lake Shinji, and the Sea of Japan. As can be seen from the descriptions of Izumo myths and other writings, Izumo has had a deep connection with sake since ancient times, thanks to its natural environment that produces delicious water and rice.
This place, also known as the "birthplace of Japanese sake," has been lined with sake breweries since ancient times. Itakura Sake Brewery is one of them, and has been making sake for over 150 years. It delivers local sake from Izumo, using local water, rice, and inheriting the traditions of Izumo Toji brewers.
Their representative brand "Tenon" was named after the phrase "Mugu Tenon" (Mukkyo Tenon) of Sakamoto Gozen, the head priest of Yohoji Temple, the head temple of the Nichiren sect, in 1916. This local sake, which is made with a focus on Izumo water and rice and is like a sacred sake that gives thanks to the gods, ancestors, and nature of Izumo, is loved not only in the region but all over the country.
Since its founding, Itakura Sake Brewery has aimed to make sake that soothes the spirit of the drinker, focusing on pure, gentle flavors and aromas that gently embrace the drinker.
Izumo Toji Brewer Tatsuya Kojima
Izumo Toji, whose village is home to Saka Shrine, known as the first shrine to make sake from rice, has inherited the techniques and will of the "Sanin Ginjo Brewing" tradition from Izumo Toji, and has continued to work hard to make sake by hand, without relying on machines.
San'in Ginjo Brewing differs from regular sake brewing in that it requires time and skill, such as limited water intake, pounding the sake into the mash, and long-term low-temperature fermentation. This skill and time result in a clean, easy-to-drink sake.
"Tenon" means "If the sky is calm, there will be no hardships (problems), and we hope for a peaceful world and its future." By combining "Sanin Ginjo sake" with the traditional "Yamahai sake" technique, which uses the lactic acid bacteria and yeast of the brewery to make additive-free sake, the result is a unique taste that combines purity and strength.
In addition to carrying on the traditions of Izumo Toji, he is also proactive in taking on new challenges. He develops and manufactures liqueurs and other products produced under his brewing license under the collective name "Itonami Brewery." He is expanding the knowledge and achievements he has gained from sake into a wide range of fields, working in collaboration with Shimane Medical University and nearby restaurants.
For Itakura Sake Brewery, "Tenon" is not just a local sake, but a sacred sake offered to all things, including gods, ancestors, history, nature, ingredients, and people. Wishing for eternal peace, they will continue to deliver their sake from Izumo to the whole of Japan and the world.