Itakura Shuzo is located in Shimane Prefecture’s Izumo City, a spiritual heartland celebrated throughout Japanese mythology, but more importantly, one of the birthplaces of sake. Legend has it that every October, Japan’s gods gather at Izumo’s Saka Shrine to brew sake which is followed by a massive party. The brewery goes to great lengths to impart some of this mythology into their brewing formula. They use Saka Nishiki rice, which takes its name from the shrine and is grown exclusively in Shimane Prefecture and source their water from the nearby Kitayama mountain range, another spiritual power spot. As you would expect of a brewery with an inextricable connection to the gods, their sake exudes divinity and clarity with depth of flavor in every sip.

A New Toji at the Helm

Current toji (Master Brewer) Kojima Tatsuya’s story is a pretty unprecedented one. While his first season as toji was in the year 2000 at the tender age of just 30, he had worked at the brewery before under the prolific toji, Nagasaki Yoshiji, a major driving force behind the development of the region’s ginjo production. Kojima left to continue honing his ginjo technique, but thanks to a recommendation from one of the senior brewing staff, was recruited back when his predecessor retired.

New Toji Saita Yasuyuki

Gozenshu is the embodiment of Kojima’s pursuit not of flavour or aroma, but purity; of sake’s true essence. It is the answer he found when he researched the origins of people’s love for the beverage. While it is said that people originally brewed Gozenshu to show their gratitude to the gods for blessing them with nature, it was not just for that purpose. It was also thought that when you drunk Gozenshu you consumed natural energy which purified your body and gave you the power to find peace within yourself. The brand Tenon is named after the Buddhist sutra Mukyu Tenon which teaches that peace in heaven is peace on earth. Both these brands are a reflection of sake’s true essence and the profound spirit at the heart of Kojima’s innovative brewing philosophy.

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