SAKE
JUYONDAI
Yamagata, Takagi Brewery
Throughout Japan’s 2000 year history of sake brewing, no other brewery has held a more revered status than that of the legendary Takagi Sake Brewery.
Established in 1615, Takagi Sake Brewery is located in the fertile highlands of Murayama, Yamagata, in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. The brewery is run by the Takagi family, who settled in this idyllic rural area over five hundred years ago.
According to local legend, the founder of the family, Tatsugoro Takagi, was prompted to start sake brewing by the encouraging words of village folks, ‘We have no sake to dedicate to the gods in this village, won’t the Takagi family please brew it for us?”
The first products he crafted, Asahitaka (sake) and Onikabuto (shōchū distilled liquor), are still being produced by his descendants four hundred years later.
Since 1615, the family have handed down brewing techniques over generations, respectfully preserving their history and traditions while relentlessly pursuing new innovations and challenges.
Takagi Sake Brewery has always adapted and progressed with historical change. After World War II, the fourteenth generation of the family pursued innovative brewing methods in order to respond to the changing times. Advancements in rice polishing technology and precise, low temperature fermentation, resulted in the creation of Kuronawa, a premium grade daiginjō, and Juyondai (meaning ‘Fourteenth Generation’)―originally trademarked for koshu (aged sake), but is now the representative brand and embodiment of Takagi Sake Brewery’s principles.
In the spirit of its pioneering ancestors, the brewery strove to create new varieties of rice that would be more suitable for brewing sake in Yamagata. After 18 years of research and crossbreeding, the brewery developed three rice strains for the benefit of the region’s breweries: Sake Mirai (‘Future Sake’), Tatsu no Otoshiko (‘Child of the Dragon’―named in honour of the first born child of the fifteenth generation son and future leader, Tatsugoro Takagi) and Ushu Homare (‘Honour of Ushu’― the ancient name for the province that surrounded Yamagata).
Throughout the generations, the Takagi family has instilled in its brewery staff the teachings of their ancestors, as well as the importance of respecting traditions and perfecting technique without forgetting creativity and gratitude. Their guidance has ensured that future generations of Takagi Sake Brewery will continue to proudly produce sake from the natural spring water that flows from their wells, the highest quality sake rice, and the unique environment of their family kura (brewery).
Takagi Sake Brewery has always adapted and progressed with historical change. After World War II, the fourteenth generation of the family pursued innovative brewing methods in order to respond to the changing times. Advancements in rice polishing technology and precise, low temperature fermentation, resulted in the creation of Kuronawa, a premium grade daiginjō, and Juyondai (meaning ‘Fourteenth Generation’)―originally trademarked for koshu (aged sake), but is now the representative brand and embodiment of Takagi Sake Brewery’s principles.
In the spirit of its pioneering ancestors, the brewery strove to create new varieties of rice that would be more suitable for brewing sake in Yamagata. After 18 years of research and crossbreeding, the brewery developed three rice strains for the benefit of the region’s breweries: Sake Mirai (‘Future Sake’), Tatsu no Otoshiko (‘Child of the Dragon’―named in honour of the first born child of the fifteenth generation son and future leader, Tatsugoro Takagi) and Ushu Homare (‘Honour of Ushu’― the ancient name for the province that surrounded Yamagata).
Throughout the generations, the Takagi family has instilled in its brewery staff the teachings of their ancestors, as well as the importance of respecting traditions and perfecting technique without forgetting creativity and gratitude. Their guidance has ensured that future generations of Takagi Sake Brewery will continue to proudly produce sake from the natural spring water that flows from their wells, the highest quality sake rice, and the unique environment of their family kura (brewery).
