SHICHIKEN Onakaya Junmai-Daiginjo
Yamada Nishiki polished to 37%, brewed with Hakushu subsoil water — Yamanashi Meijo’s junmai daiginjo, fruit aroma and a full texture held in precise order.
A junmai daiginjo bearing the brewery’s own trade name
This junmai daiginjo carries the name “Onakaya,” the historical trade name of Yamanashi Meijo. Following the brewery’s current information, it is brewed with Yamada Nishiki rice polished to 37%, using subsoil water from Mount Kaikomagatake. ABV is 16%, in a 720ml bottle.
Some overseas materials list different specifications — Yumeyamasui rice, 27% polish, 15% ABV — but this page does not mix those figures in here. Its character is built around the smoothness that Hakushu’s water creates and the fullness of Yamada Nishiki rice.
White blossom and citrus, in a rich texture
The aroma recalls white blossom, jasmine, lychee and tangerine. The texture spreads rich and smooth, and a gentle sweetness and umami are tightened by acidity and a faint bitterness. Its floral character carries through, while the finish stays refined.
Its jasmine and tangerine lift stays vivid from the first aroma to the refined close.
The water of Hakushu, and the Shichiken name carried forward
Yamanashi Meijo was founded in 1750 in Daigahara, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture. The brewery draws its brewing water from the subsoil flow of Mount Kaikomagatake in the Southern Alps, and gentle fermentation shapes a soft, clear character in its sake.
The name “Shichiken” comes from a transom carving of the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove,” presented in 1835 by the lord of Takato Castle. In 1880, the brewery’s main house served as a lodging for Emperor Meiji during his travels. Carrying forward this historic building and its water, the brewery has since broadened its range to include junmai sake, bottle-fermented sparkling sake, and spirits distilled from its own sake lees.
Verified international recognition
Listed only where the official Kura Master record and the designated consolidated report match this exact product name. Other labels and variants are excluded, and IWC’s Commended distinction is not treated as a medal.
In the same direction as the water of Hakushu
The brewery does not publish an official food pairing for this sake. What follows are four directions read from the aromas and taste structure that can be confirmed: an aroma recalling white blossom, jasmine, lychee and tangerine; a rich, smooth texture; and a structure where a gentle sweetness and umami are tightened by acidity and a faint bitterness. The ultra-soft Hakushu water used to brew it is said to carry almost no iron, which keeps raw fish and shellfish from turning fishy — a further clue for choosing dishes.
Food-pairing literature records that aromas close to white blossom and jasmine tend to run in the same direction as refreshing herbs such as lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf. At 16% ABV, this sake meets strongly spiced dishes head-on, so mild-to-medium heat is the guide.
Related products
Compare a closely related expression, a contrasting bottle and a reference from the same range.
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