TOSASHIRAGIKU
Sento Sake Brewery / KOCHI Pref.
Farmers and Agriculture
Akitsuho from Kochi Pref.
Brewing / Brewer
Sento Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
Design and Art
Kayo Tsukiyama
CONCEPT
We wish to express the “natural world of wine” through Japanese sake
TOSA SHIRAGIKU aims for a sake quality that can be described as, “While refreshing,
has an elegant, transparent aroma that differs from the traditionally dry Tosa sake wines
as well as a delicate, mellow flavour.” This becomes apparent as soon as you take a sip
of this sake. Using a wine comparison, this sake’s image is truly that of a “natural wine”
- a wine that is created so as to keep as close as possible to nature and fully draw out
nature’s strengths, that you never tire of drinking, that is always placed on the dinner
table, that is an integral part of daily life. This is the image evoked by this sake wine.
Following the release of TOSA SHIRAGIKU NATURE, I asked Master Brewer Ryuta about
the brand’s naming. He explained that, “When I visited France many years ago, I drank
many vin naturel (natural wines), and I am extremely fond of this wine genre. I am really
happy with the naming of this brand.” This was the birth of TOSA SHIRAGIKU NATURE.
Sake rice producer / Akitsuho from Kochi Pref.The land is unstable for rice cultivation, so the focus was on rice rice “Akitsuho”.
Kochi Prefecture is known throughout Japan as the land of sake, as evidenced by the image of Tosa dry sake, but the rice used to make it is highly dependent on rice from outside the prefecture, and almost all of the rice used for sake brewing was dependent on rice from outside the prefecture. Today, an increasing number of breweries, led by Gin-no-Yume, use the prefecture's original rice for sake brewing, but production is still unstable every year. This is why we focused our attention on Akitsuho, a rice grown in Kochi Prefecture. In the past, Hiroshima Prefecture was the main production center, but now Kochi and Nara Prefectures are the main production centers. Although its use as rice has declined, in recent years it has gained recognition as a variety suited for brewing, and an increasing number of breweries have begun to use it. Tosa Shiragiku Natur is made from Akitsuho rice grown in Kochi Prefecture.
Brewery / Sento Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
Aiming for a clear and elegant aroma, delicate and rounded taste.
Sento Sake Brewery, which makes Tosa Shiragiku Naturale, was founded in 1903. The brand name “Shiragiku” at the time of its founding was named after Kikutaro Sento, the founder of the brewery, and his desire to brew sake as pure and clean as a white chrysanthemum. The brewer's daughter, Miki Sento, who is currently in charge of sales and administration, launched the brand name “Tosa Shiragiku,” focusing on specified name sake, in her second year back at the brewery. In 2005, Mr. Ryuta Sento, who had worked in sake breweries throughout Japan, came to the brewery as the new toji (master brewer). Currently, Miki and Ryuta are working together to create sake with a clear, elegant aroma and a delicate, rounded taste.
Design / Kayo Tsukiyama
