Assemblage Club is a sake brewery created with the cooperation of three sake breweries in Kyoto, and My Sake World is a place where individuals, restaurants, and businesses can create their own original blended sake.
We interviewed President Haba of Tamanohikari Sake Brewery about the sake breweries and people who are cooperating and supporting the new "Sake Blending" project, their reasons for participating, and the impact it has had since then.

I spoke to this person

Yosuke Haba, President and CEO of Tamanohikari Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

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Born December 1979, 12. After graduating from graduate school, he worked as an accountant before moving into the food and beverage industry. He will be involved in his wife's family business, a sake brewery, as an advisor and will become president in September 12.

Tamanohikari: The man who worked to revive the legendary sake rice variety "Omachi"

In 1673 (the first year of the Enpo era), Nakaya Rokuzaemon obtained a sake brewing license and founded Tamanohikari in Yoriyamachi, Wakayama City, during the reign of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the second feudal lord of the Kishu domain. It is said that there were around 20 official breweries approved by the Tokugawa family, but Tamanohikari is the only brewery that still exists today.
The brand name "Tamanohikari" comes from Hayatama Shrine, where the founding family has been devoted for generations, and was named with the meaning that "the spirits of Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto shine."
After the war, the company was no longer able to brew sake in its original location, so it moved to Fushimi, Kyoto. In 1964 (Showa 39), it was one of the first in the industry to focus on reviving pure rice sake, and is now widely known as a "junmai ginjo brewery" that only brews pure rice ginjo or higher.

-Please tell us about Tamanohikari's main brands.

Haba-san: "Our Junmai Ginjo "Shukon" is a popular standard product, but our flagship product is Junmai Daiginjo made with 100% Bizen Omachi rice."
Omachi, the ancestor of Yamada Nishiki, was discovered in 1859 (Ansei 6) in what is now Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture. It was once on the verge of extinction due to the difficulties in cultivation, such as the tall height of the rice plant, but Tamanohikari worked hard to revive it together with farmers in Okayama Prefecture.
In 2022 (Reiwa 4), the company released a brand using organic Omachi rice called "Organic Junmai Ginjo GREEN Omachi/Yamada Nishiki," which became Japan's first organic alcoholic beverage certified by the JAS organic standard.

Blending makes it easier to clarify your preferences

-What have you felt since moving from being an accountant and working in the food and beverage industry to the sake industry?

Haba: "People tend to think of breweries as being conservative, but I don't think that's the case at all. There are breweries somewhere trying to tackle almost everything you can think of, like label design, price, and sake quality. Various initiatives are already underway, but I think it will be difficult to turn things around for the better."

-So what did you think of the new sake blending experience at My Sake World Oike Bettei?

Haba-san: "It was fun. The premise is to create a new sake by blending, so I'm going to try to capture the aroma and flavor more than usual. It was a really good experience. Tasting sake in pursuit of a set goal also helps clarify your own preferences."

-What kind of sake did you make during the experience?

Haba-san: "Maybe because I drink Tamanohikari on a regular basis, I personally prefer milder sakes such as aged sakes. For that reason, I blended this sake with an eye for creating a calm flavor, rather than a flashy type."

-We are using TAMA at "My Sake World Oike Bettei." What kind of response have you received?

Haba-san: "I'm grateful to hear that 'TAMA' is popular! When I look at Instagram and other sites, I often see 'TAMA' in the photos, so I know that people are choosing it."

-The antenna shop "Junmai Sake Kasu Tamanohikari" will also be offering blending experiences to coincide with its renewal at the end of March 2025.

Haba-san: "We've renovated the first floor space, which was previously a restaurant, into a bar where you can enjoy sake. As part of that, we're offering an experience where you can blend your own sake. As I mentioned before, because it's a blend, you want to really savour each individual drink. That's what I find appealing about it."

My Sake World Oike Bettei
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Utilizing intangible assets that cannot be replicated even with AI

--It's been almost two years since you became president. How do you feel about your experience in the role?

Haba: "The first year was a lot of trial and error, but I've now found the direction I should be heading in. Now I'm just working steadily towards achieving that goal.
The current Japanese sake market is shrinking. This is mainly due to the decline in "ordinary sake," mainly packaged sake, but the decline in "specified name sake," such as the junmai ginjo sake we make, has not been as dramatic.
Some people think that this should be addressed by stimulating demand, but I believe that it is important not to return demand to past levels, but to make use of Japan's valuable traditional culture. The sake industry has many intangible assets that cannot be replicated, no matter how much money we have now, or how smart we are, like AI. I think we should use this as a weapon to appeal to the public.

We are currently working on a project to revive a sake brewery that is over 100 years old, which we call the "East Brewery Revitalization Project." Taking advantage of the location in Fushimi, we want to provide a variety of experiences, such as enjoying food and sake in a historic "place."
To that end, we are promoting the "350x (Kakeru) Project," which connects with creators across the country, and the development of premium brands. Rather than aiming to sell at high prices, we aim to expand our contact points through places such as high-end restaurants and hotels, and to encourage people to visit the historic brewery itself.
The more content we can provide at that time, the better, such as blending experiences and events like the "kura-kai" (opening of the brewery) that Tamanohikari holds every year."

Tamanohikari's sake brewing is done by hand, without relying on machines for basic processes such as making koji. President Haba says, "We are proud to be the number one in Japan in terms of the amount of handmade production." The fact that traditional sake brewing is carried out at a brewery with high asset value will be a strong selling point.
Even as times change, the "real thing" continues to change with the times. Tamanohikari Sake Brewery's challenge and the background behind it are full of hints for how to pass on Japanese sake culture into the future.

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Writer: Yuki Arai
Born in Shiga Prefecture, living in Kyoto City / Sake Master, SAKE DIPLOMA, SAKE and Wine Certification Instructor, Wine Expert
Due to his love of alcohol, after graduating from university he got a job at a liquor store in Kyoto. After that he worked in sales for a food manufacturer before becoming a freelance writer. His specialties are traditional cuisine and alcohol. He will continue to work hard to spread the appeal of Japanese sake through his articles.