Tatenokawa Brewing Company

Tatenokawa Sake Brewery is a sake brewery located in Sakata City, the only city in Japan that has the word “sake” in its name. The first and only pure rice daiginjo brewery in the Ginjo Kingdom of Yamagata. Sakata City is near the northern tip of Yamagata Prefecture, at the foot of the famous Mt. Chokai, and at the mouth of the Mogami River. In addition to being one of the major ports of call for Kitamae-bune ships on the westbound route, it also had access to water transportation on the Mogami River, and flourished from the Edo period onwards, earning it the same name as Sakai in the west and Sakata in the east.
The climate is maritime, and the winters are not as cold and snowy as you might imagine in a northern country. They only brew Junmai Daiginjo sake, focusing on Dewasan and Miyama Nishiki rice grown in Yamagata Prefecture. We hope to contribute to local agriculture by brewing sake that makes generous use of rice, the main ingredient, and promoting the expansion of rice consumption. It is a rising star in the Yamagata sake brewing industry, which has more than tripled its production over the past 10 years.
In recent years, it has become a hot topic with the release of Japan’s first junmai daiginjo sake, “Komei,” with a rice polishing rate of 1%. The sake rice is grown locally under contract from Dewa Sansan. The rice is polished by repeating the normal rice polishing process many times. When asked if it’s necessary to go that far, the brewer says, “There’s a world of brewing that only those who try it can see.” There are 11 contracted farmers in Yamagata Prefecture, covering 23 towns. They grow Miyama Nishiki under contract with Dewa San. They use the substandard rice that always occurs during contract farming as koji rice, and also brew shochu using sake lees and rice flour as the main ingredients. Other popular items include Yamagata fruits, yogurt liqueur, and plum wine.