OKU
Yamazaki Limited Partnership / AICHI Pref.
Farmers and Agriculture
Aichi Yumeginga Producers
Brewing / Brewer
Yamazaki Limited Partnership
Design and Art
Hajime Tsushima
CONCEPT /
This is the " Oku", pursuing the deep world view.
Savour sake that changes by maturing.
Yamazaki Goshi Company was founded in 1903 in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture. The true essence of “Oku” sake brewed by the brewery lies in the “maturation” of sake. We wondered if we could express what the previous president, Mr. Yamazaki, had said about this. The original THE MOON series was created by expressing the maturation of sake with the waxing and waning of the moon.
Now, in its fifth year, the series has finally been renewed! Until now, we had been releasing “Full Moon = Orikarami Nama”, “Half Moon = Nama Sake”, and “Crescent Moon = Hi-iri” in this order, but of these three items, “Full Moon” was by far the most popular among customers, and the one that kept getting repeated orders. We decided that it would be a good idea to make all of our products in the “Mangetsu = orikarumi nama,” and release them with different rice ingredients and flavor designs according to the season.
Sake rice producer / Aichi Yumeginga ProducersWhat are the possibilities of Yume-Ginga, the future of sake brewing?
The rice used for Oku THE MOON is “Yumeginga” rice grown in Anjo, Shinshiro, and Nishio cities in Aichi Prefecture, where the brewery is located. We visited Mr. Kiyoshi Shibata, a producer in Nishio City, where the brewery is located. Mr. Shibata's rice field is located at the foot of Toba Shinmeisha, where the Toba Fire Festival, a nationally important intangible folk cultural asset that has continued for about 1,200 years, is held. He produces Yume-Ginko, Wakamizu, Koshihikari, and interesting Toroko, 13 kinds of ancient rice, and the ancient rice is used for Yamazaki Goushi's Amazake.
Yume-Ginko is a new sake brewing rice developed by Aichi Prefecture for use on the plains. It is a rice that has been devised to incorporate the characteristics of Yamadanishiki into Wakamizu, and is the future of sake brewing. On this occasion, we had just had a discussion with Mr. Kimata, the toji (master brewer), asking him if he could adjust the amount and timing of fertilizer so that the protein content would be a little lower next year,
Brewery Yamazaki Limited Partnership
The sea, the mountains, and the islands. Sake breweries have been dedicated to brewing sake in the rich natural environment of the area.
The brewery that produces Oku the Moon is Yamazaki Limited Partnership in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture. The Hazu area of Nishio City, where the brewery is located, is designated as a Mikawa Bay National Park, and is dotted with small islands such as Maejima and Okinoshima, which spread out before your eyes. It is also called the “Seto Inland Sea of the East Sea. Since its establishment in 1903, this sake brewery has been dedicated to brewing sake in this region.
The products born from the harmony of water nurtured by the rich nature of Hazu, clean air, and unique sake brewing know-how are highly acclaimed, including the mainstay brands “Sonnou" and "Sonnou".
Design / Hajime Tsushima
The mysterious phenomenon of sake maturation is compared to the universe, and the maturation process is compared to the phases of the moon.
We believe that the most important characteristic of Oku sake is that it changes into a deep flavor as it matures, just like its name. We thought of this by comparing it to the phases of the moon. The new orikarami-activated sake is called “full moon,” the slightly matured and flavor-enhanced nama-shu is called “half-moon,” and the slowly matured hi-ire sake is called “crescent moon. If you look closely, you can see the shape of the full moon, half moon, and crescent moon, which is “OKU”. The silver sticker overlaid with white printing creates a mystical design.
[Profile]
Born in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1970.
Graduated from Okayama Polytechnic College, Department of Product Design.
After working for an environmental facility manufacturer, became independent in 1995.
Art Director/Graphic Designer
Currently Associate Professor at Osaka University of Arts Junior College
