The Design Philosophy Behind Clear Inc. and SAKE HUNDRED
“Which brewery crafts SAKE HUNDRED?”
There isn’t a single brewery name that answers that question. The brand is operated by Clear Inc., a company that does not own a brewery of its own. Instead, it develops each product in collaboration with brewing partners across Japan, selecting the right brewery for each concept.
In the world of sake, a brand is often synonymous with the brewery behind it. The local water, rice, climate, and the brewery’s history all shape a sake’s identity, making that association a natural one. Rather than rejecting this tradition, SAKE HUNDRED takes a different approach: it brings together the distinct expertise of multiple breweries under a single brand philosophy. As described in its official brand story, each product begins with a carefully designed concept, which is then developed in partnership with breweries throughout Japan.
A Company That Began Outside the Brewery
Clear Inc. was founded in 2013. Its founder and CEO, Ryushi Ikoma, entered the sake industry not as a brewer, but as someone dedicated to communicating its stories and culture.
In 2014, the company launched SAKETIMES, a media platform devoted to Japanese sake, reporting on breweries and brewers across the country. Although the business was transferred in February 2026, the knowledge accumulated through years of reporting became the foundation for the brand development that followed.
Even when a brewery possesses exceptional craftsmanship and generations of tradition, those strengths do not always reach people outside its walls. Technical details such as flavor profiles or rice polishing ratios rarely convey why a sake was created or what its brewers sought to challenge or reinvent.
Looking at Clear’s history and product portfolio, it becomes evident that the company has transformed the insights gained through journalism into expertise in product concept development and brand expression. Rather than owning brewing technology itself, Clear’s role is to organize and communicate the technical achievements and cultural heritage of breweries in ways that resonate with modern consumers.
The company’s organization reflects this philosophy. Mineaki Saito, former Executive Vice President of Hermès International, serves as an outside director, while Yosuke Kawase, who previously worked in brewing at Gekkeikan and Gekkeikan USA, leads product development. Within the company itself, expertise in branding and brewing is intentionally brought together.
From “A Bottle Worthy of 100 Years” to “A Life Made Whole”
In July 2018, the company launched SAKE100 with the vision of creating “a bottle to be proud of for the next 100 years.” Its flagship release was Byakko, developed in partnership with Tatenokawa Brewery in Yamagata Prefecture. Featuring an ambitious brewing design centered on an 18% rice polishing ratio, the sake challenged conventional ideas about how premium value in sake should be defined.
In August 2020, the brand was renamed SAKE HUNDRED. According to the founder’s letter, “HUNDRED” does not signify producing one hundred different labels. Instead, it represents completeness—the idea of “100” as a state of fulfillment, aligned with the brand purpose of enriching lives and bringing fulfillment through sake.
The name change represented far more than a rebranding exercise. It marked a shift from treating quality as the ultimate goal to viewing quality as the prerequisite for a larger purpose: exploring what sake can contribute to culture, emotion, and human experience. Rather than defining sake solely by technical specifications, SAKE HUNDRED seeks to express its value through the people, places, and passage of time behind every bottle. That is where the identity of Clear Inc. truly emerges.
One Philosophy, Many Brewing Partners
Looking across SAKE HUNDRED’s lineup reveals how Clear collaborates with its brewing partners.
Byakko and Byakko Bespoke build upon the advanced rice-polishing expertise cultivated by Tatenokawa Brewery.
Tensai was created with Miyoshino Jozo in Nara Prefecture, combining “Ruijo Shikomi”—a brewing method that uses sake instead of water in the next fermentation—with naturally occurring yeast indigenous to the brewery.
Hakuso is brewed by Kawazu Brewery in Kumamoto Prefecture, using Yamadanishiki rice polished to 18%, followed by secondary fermentation in the bottle and disgorgement to remove the lees.
Shinsei, developed with Yamanashi Meijo in Yamanashi Prefecture, combines the traditional re-brewing method with bottle fermentation and disgorgement.
Shirin, created with Oshu Jiman Brewery in Yamagata, explores aging in Japanese mizunara oak barrels.
Raihi partners with Nagai Sake Inc. in Gunma Prefecture to showcase the brewery’s long-standing research into subzero-temperature aging.
Gengai centers on long-aged sake preserved by Sawanotsuru in Hyogo Prefecture. The history of the base sake traces back to the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, making the passage of time itself, resilient through disaster, the heart of the product concept.
On its official website, SAKE HUNDRED describes these breweries as brewing partners. Clear develops the overall concept, while each brewery brings its technical expertise to realize it. Existing facilities, craftsmanship, research, and regional heritage are not constraints but the very starting point of each project.
The Freedom and Responsibility of Owning No Brewery
Not owning a brewery offers more than flexibility.
Every brewery has its own brewing schedule, equipment, ingredients, and brewing philosophy. When collaborating across multiple production sites, no product can be developed through the brand’s vision alone.
At the same time, the brand is not limited by the strengths of a single brewery. Bottle fermentation, barrel aging, subzero maturation, long-term aging, and Ruijo Shikomi each require different expertise. By selecting the brewery best suited to each concept, Clear preserves the uniqueness of local brewing traditions while presenting them as a coherent collection under one brand.
The success of this model depends less on originality of ideas than on the ability to truly understand a partner’s expertise. If the brand’s narrative takes precedence, the brewery’s history becomes mere decoration. Conversely, technical explanations alone rarely communicate why that expertise matters today. Clear’s role is to bridge the gap between brewery craftsmanship and contemporary audiences.
Working Upstream in Fermentation
Its collaborative approach extends beyond presenting finished sake.
SAKE HUNDRED partnered with a long-established koji starter manufacturer to develop two proprietary koji starter strains, SH-NB-01 and SH-HG-01. These have been used in the production of Byakko beginning with the 2024 brewing season.
Koji starter forms the foundation upon which koji mold propagates through steamed rice, making it one of the essential building blocks of sake fermentation. This initiative demonstrates that the brand is involved not only in packaging and storytelling, but also in advancing the technical design of fermentation itself.
Revealing the Value of Sake from a Different Perspective
SAKE HUNDRED’s defining characteristic is not that it departs from Japanese sake tradition. Rather, it uncovers the craftsmanship and accumulated wisdom preserved within breweries across Japan, viewing them from new perspectives and expressing them in language that speaks to contemporary audiences.
A brewery rooted in its land and traditions, and a brand that assembles ideas across multiple breweries, are not opposing models. One refines technique and deepens culture. The other connects different areas of expertise and poses questions that have yet to take shape. Together, they expand the possibilities of how sake can be expressed.
When looking at a bottle of SAKE HUNDRED, it is natural to ask, “Which brewery made this?” But an equally revealing question is, “Why was this particular brewery chosen for this concept?” Within that question lies the essence of Clear Inc.’s work.
This article is provided solely for educational and cultural reference about sake production and brand history. It is not intended to promote the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is not intended for persons under 20 years of age.
บทความนี้จัดทำขึ้นเพื่อการศึกษาและอ้างอิงทางวัฒนธรรมเกี่ยวกับการผลิตสาเกและประวัติของแบรนด์เท่านั้น มิได้มีเจตนาส่งเสริมการจำหน่ายหรือการบริโภคเครื่องดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ และไม่เหมาะสำหรับผู้ที่มีอายุต่ำกว่า 20 ปี
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Related Product(s)
BYAKKO BESPOKE / SAKE HUNDRED SHINSEI / SAKE HUNDRED SHIRIN / SAKE HUNDRED GENGAI / SAKE HUNDRED RAIHI
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