GOHEI MUROKA IMO

無濾過御幣

An unfiltered sweet-potato shochu shaped in the mountain town of Hinokage. Rather than mechanically filtering away its character, Himeizumi removes only excess surface oils by hand and lets the texture of the spirit remain.

Unfiltered honkaku imo shochu

StyleUnfiltered imo shochu

Sweet potatoKoganesengan

KojiWhite koji

DistillationAtmospheric

Alcohol20%

The defining choice

To leave character in the spirit

“Muroka” is not a decorative word here. After distillation, Himeizumi avoids mechanical filtration and hand-skims only the excess oxidised oils that rise to the surface. The intent is precise: to keep the aromatic and textural components that give sweet-potato shochu its depth, without allowing unwanted notes to take over.

The cellar

A living environment, not a neutral backdrop

The brewery’s working cellar is more than 130 years old. Its darkened beams, pillars and earthen walls have been shaped by generations of fermentation, and the house describes the resident yeasts and koji moulds as part of the place itself. That accumulated environment sits behind the small-scale, hand-led character of the range.

This expression

A softer 20% interpretation

This standard expression pairs Koganesengan sweet potato with white koji and atmospheric distillation. At 20%, it was refined for an approachable, unhurried rhythm: the unfiltered savoury dimension remains, while the alcohol impression is gentler and the finish stays composed.

Food affinities

Where a gentle savouriness meets the table

The pairings below are not the producer’s own recommendations, but a reading of the recorded flavour characteristics. An unfiltered savoury dimension that stays present, with a gentler mouthfeel and finish that does not become heavy through the meal, guides four directions.

Leaning into the sweet aroma of sweet potato, with root vegetablesRoasted root vegetables such as parsnip, simmered pumpkin, and kaeng buat fak thong (pumpkin in sweet coconut milk). The sweetness that root vegetables develop under heat sits alongside the Koganesengan sweet potato’s own sweetness.

Matching gentle savouriness with light poultry and fishPoached white fish, salt-grilled chicken, and tom kha gai. The gentled mouthfeel does not crowd the delicacy of lighter dishes.

Matching a mouthfeel that stays light with fried foodVegetable fritters, vegetable tempura, and tod mun pla (Thai fish cakes). The structure that stays light through the meal carries the oil of fried food without adding weight.

Matching a mellow finish with cinnamon and nut-scented dessertsA cinnamon-scented pumpkin pie, khao niew mamuang (mango sticky rice), and sweet potato dessert (Japanese sweet-potato confection). The floral aroma that heated sweet potato develops sits alongside the warmth of cinnamon and nuts.

This pairing rationale draws on the following reference book: Logical Pairing places matching the “weight” of food and drink at the starting point of pairing. Muroka Gohei, with its gentled mouthfeel and finish, matches easily with the weight of light poultry, fish and the sweetness of root vegetables, while carrying the oil of fried food without tipping out of balance.

Pairing guide — Shochu & Selected Spirits

The producer

Hinokage, Miyazaki — making since 1831

Himeizumi Shuzo was founded in 1831 in Hinokage, a mountain town near Takachiho in Miyazaki. The house made sake until around 1968, then turned its attention to shochu. Today, it works on a small scale, drawing on mountain spring water and a long tradition of careful fermentation management.

For restaurants and retailers

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