Okuhida Shuzo　|　Hida Jizake Gura

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Okuhida Shuzo

Okuhida Shuzo(Gero)

History

Long-standing traditions and techniques for brewing flavors, and a semi-underground storehouse

Among the many breweries in Hida, Okuhida Sake Brewery is a long-established brewery with a history spanning more than 280 years. The brewery is located in Kanayama-cho, Gero City, at the southern tip of Hida, where a checkpoint was established as the gateway to Hida during the Edo period, marking the border between Hida and Mino provinces. Since our founding in 1720, we have been making sake in line with the times, utilizing our traditions and techniques to develop products in this environment surrounded by mountains, forests, and clear streams. Furthermore, the semi-underground brewery, which can be likened to a natural refrigerator, keeps the entire brewery in a constant state at all times, and uses a manufacturing method that allows the sake to be stored and aged slowly, producing light, dry sake that you never tire of drinking, and selling it both locally in Hida and across the country.

Reissue of famous sake

Sake from a mountain village surrounded by greenery and water

The famous sake “Hatsumidori,” which Oku-Hida Sake Brewery revived in 2008, was originally named “Hatsumidori” (first green) when it was presented to the lord of Owari during the Tenpo era in the late Edo period, with the meaning that it is “a sake from a mountain village surrounded by greenery and water.” Based on the idea of staying ahead of the times while valuing the past, it has been revived as a special sake that can only be sold at authorized dealers. Although the manufacturing methods and techniques are different from those used back then, the taste has been reborn using modern technology. The Hatsumidori series is suitable for brewing Daiginjo and Ginjo sake, and the rich and distinctive lineup of sakes from Junmai to Daiginjo, with their flavor and crispness born from the use of Association 1801 yeast, which produces malic acid, will delight your taste buds.

Sake Master

Sake brewing involves interacting with local ingredients and honing one’s skills.

Yasutaka Morikawa, the chief brewer at Okuhida Sake Brewery, was born and raised in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, the home of the Nanbu Toji brewers. He has had an interest in sake, sake brewing and fermentation since he was a child, studied food chemistry (applied microbiology, etc.) at a local agricultural high school, and began his career in sake brewing at the age of 23. Then, at the age of 27, he became the youngest person to pass the Nanbu Toji qualification selection exam in the shortest time possible. After that, he honed his skills under various master brewers at breweries across the country, regardless of style, before joining Okuhida Sake Brewery in 2010 and serving as master brewer since 2011. In Hida-Kanayama, a village of greenery and clear streams, we make use of local rice and water to brew local sake that is loved by locals, develop Japanese sake as the “national drink,” and cherish the inheritance of techniques from our predecessors, striving to hone our skills every day.

quality

A gorgeous aroma and the sweetness and umami of rice, a full-bodied taste

“HatsuMidori” Standard Junmai Ginjo and Tokubetsu Junmai sakes are shipped unfiltered, unpasteurized, and not heated or diluted. This is sake that is just pressed, and because it is untouched, you can enjoy the sweetness and umami of the rice, the gorgeous aroma and crispness brought out by the yeast, in the original form of the sake. However, unfiltered raw sake is an extremely delicate drink that requires thorough quality control. That’s why it’s only available at trusted authorized stores.

Awards

2008 and 2009 National New Sake Tasting Competition
National New Sake Tasting Competition 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006
/ Gold Award
2010 Gifu Prefecture Sake Brewers Association New Sake Tasting Competition
/ Gifu Prefectural Governor’s Award
Gifu Prefecture Sake Brewers Association New Sake Tasting Competition 2006 and 2007
/ Gifu Prefectural Assembly Chairman’s Award