Assemblage Club, a Japanese sake project made possible through the cooperation of three sake breweries in Kyoto, and My Sake World, a place where individuals, restaurants, and businesses can create their own original blended Japanese sake. We interviewed the breweries and people who are cooperating and supporting this unprecedented project called "Sake Blending," about why they decided to participate and the impact it has had since then.

I spoke to this person

Kitagawa Honke Co., Ltd. President and CEO Yukihiro Kitagawa

Profile

Born in Kyoto in 1964. After graduating from university, he spent five years working for a sake-related company in Tokyo before joining Kitagawa Honke in 5. He has been the company's president and CEO since 1991. In November 2007, he was appointed chairman of the Fushimi Sake Brewing Association.

1. Kitagawa Honke's sake brewing process is focused on rice

Kitagawa-san's recommended product: Tomiou Junmai Ginjo Tanshu Yamadanishiki

Kitagawa Honke, known for its representative brand "Tomo", was founded in 3 in Fushimi, Kyoto during the early Edo period. With a history of over 1657 years, Kitagawa Yukihiro is the 360th generation of the company. The company has won the gold medal at the National New Sake Tasting Competition a total of 14 times. Toji (master brewer) Tajima Yoshifumi has been recognized as a "Contemporary Master Craftsman" by Kyoto Prefecture.

-What is the one thing that Kitagawa Honke pays special attention to when brewing sake?

Kitagawa-san: "Back when the grading system was still in place, we mainly made what we call ordinary sake. However, we realized that we couldn't continue like that forever, so we changed our mindset and shifted from quantity to quality, in order to deliver good sake that emphasizes quality to customers who truly understand it. We are particularly particular about the rice we use as our raw material, and for our Tono Junmai Ginjo Tanshu Yamada Nishiki we use Yamada Nishiki grown with the minimum use of pesticides at Kahoku Farm in Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture. The brewers and I go to this farm to help with rice planting and other things, and we are reminded of the importance of rice to sake brewing."

2. I was intrigued by the idea of ​​the Assemblage Club.

Assemblage Club is a Japanese sake brand created by Masuda Tokubei Shoten, Kitagawa Honke, and Matsui Sake Brewery, transcending the boundaries of the sake breweries.

-Kitagawa Honke is a member of the Assemblage Club. What did you think when you first heard about the method of blending sake from multiple breweries?

Kitagawa-san: "We have been using the blending technique ourselves to stabilize the quality of our sake, but I was intrigued by the idea of ​​blending with other breweries. Of course, there were pros and cons within the company, but I thought we might be able to create a flavor that we hadn't been able to achieve on our own until now, so I thought we wouldn't know for sure until we tried it.

This can be said about the blending and aging of sake, but even if the differences in the ingredients are only within the margin of error when analyzed numerically, they often have a clear difference in taste when drunk by a person. When we tasted various samples together with Masuda (Tsuki no Katsura) during the development of the first issue of [Assemblage Club Taro], there were many things that were improved by blending and others that ended up being mediocre, and it was only after actually experiencing it that we realized many things.

—What did you think of the finished product, Assemblage Club Taro?

Kitagawa-san: "It was quite interesting, and I don't think we could have created it on our own. I thought it was one way to broaden the possibilities of sake. I've always felt that the range of flavors and price range of sake as a product is too narrow compared to wine, and I was thinking about how to broaden that range. Traditionally, the only way to increase the value of sake was to compete on the polishing rate of rice. For example, the only thing that was said was that the quality of the rice and the place of origin were touted, and that it was great because it was Yamada Nishiki rice from a special A region that was polished to a certain percentage. I understand that the ingredients are expensive, but that has nothing to do with the deliciousness of the sake. Even if you use expensive ingredients, if you don't have the skills, it will only be an ordinary sake. In that respect, Assemblage Club differentiates and adds value from a completely different perspective, that of blending. I thought that this was an idea that would never come from the sake brewers' side."

—Did participating in [Assemblage Club] have any impact on you, Kitagawa Honke?

Kitagawa-san: "Yes, it's great that people who didn't know about our sake before have started asking us questions and becoming interested in it."

3. "My Sake World" - a place we want many people to experience

—The other day, you had the opportunity to try out "My Sake World Oike Bettei," a facility where you can blend your own sake and create your own original sake. What were your impressions?

Kitagawa-san: "It was very interesting. I think it would be enjoyed and accepted not only by Japanese people, but by people overseas as well, so I'd like to have a lot of people try it. I was able to sample the 12 types of alcohol prepared for the blend, and predict what would happen if I blended this with that, better than the average person, so it turned out pretty much how I wanted it, but there were still some fine adjustments that were necessary, so it was a fun experience. I'd like to try this again and again, not just once.

Also, for the general public, it's quite hard to get the chance to first receive a basic lecture about sake, and then have the experience of tasting so many different types of sake lined up and comparing them. Through the tasting, people can learn that sake has so many different flavors. I hope that even people who don't really like sake will be able to realize that they can drink this type, or that they like it.

"Premier Amour" was one of the 12 brands in the My Sake World Oike Bettei lineup. *The lineup has changed as of May 2025.

-I heard that out of the 12 types of blend, Kitagawa Honke's Premier Amoure was particularly popular.

Kitagawa-san: "Yes, people have tried it, said it was delicious, and bought some to take home. It seems that orders are also increasing through our online shop."

*As of May 2025, "Premier Amour" is subject to change depending on stock availability.

My Sake World Oike Bettei
Book in Japanese

4. I want people to know more about Kyoto's Fushimi region, known as the "sake capital"

-So, please tell us about your aspirations as the new chairman of the Fushimi Sake Breweries Association, which you assumed last fall, and if there are any plans at Kitagawa Honke.

Kitagawa-san: "Having been brewing sake here in Fushimi for so long, I want the town of Fushimi to become even more active. I want more people to know that Fushimi in Kyoto is a major sake-producing region. It is still known to some extent in the Kansai region, but it seems that in other regions, Kyoto doesn't have the image of being a sake-producing region. Even though Kyoto is famous overseas, it seems that people don't associate it with sake brewing there.

As for exporting sake overseas, it will be difficult to export to the US until the tariff issue is resolved, but in our case, the name of our flagship brand, "Fuou," is very auspicious in Chinese. It originally came from a Chinese poem, but now it means "very rich." And the brand "Zhu" also means "wishing people happiness," so we are planning to sell these two bottles as a set, not only in mainland China, but also in Chinese-speaking countries such as Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong."

Kitagawa-san repeatedly said in the interview, "You won't know what aging and blending is until you try it." I felt that this was a statement made by someone who is actually working on it. Regarding Sake World's work on sake x NFT and sake blending, Kitagawa-san said, "When it comes to aging and blending, I'm grateful that they chose to use sake, which would have been the most likely outcome for whiskey or wine."
Seeing how he is always thinking about sake and the local area as the representative of Kitagawa Honke and as the chairman of the Fushimi Sake Brewers Association, I feel happy to be able to work together on new sake-related initiatives.

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Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
Expand your world to a sake specialty store in Osaka and encounter a variety of sake and sake breweries. Favorite sakes are Akishika, Ohgi, and others.
Other than drinking, my hobbies include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.