Kikuhime

Kikuhime's roots lie in "Kaga Kiku-zake," brewed as the sacred sake of Shirayama-hime Shrine. It is said to have been founded in the Tensho era (1573–1592) under the house name "Koyanagi-ya," and has woven the history of brewing at the foot of Hakusan for over four hundred years since.

It became known nationwide as today's "Kikuhime Goshi Kaisha," having put its structure in order through the Meiji and Showa eras — precisely because it never abandoned its quality-first stance. Even amid the postwar trend toward mass production and a light-and-dry taste, it upheld the family precept "if you're going to outsource your milling, then quit brewing," thoroughly committing to fully in-house milling and handcrafting.

For its raw rice, it adopts Yamada Nishiki, called the king of sake rice. Among that, it mainly uses rice from contract fields in the Special-A district of Yokawa-cho, Miki City, Hyogo, milling it slowly on the milling machines lined up at its Yawata factory. The Kikuhime way is to adopt yamahai yeast starter in many staple sakes and set an aging period of one to two years, drawing out rice-derived umami and a flavor with depth.

From junmai and table sake to daiginjo, treasured reserves and seasonal nigori sake, every bottle is designed to be a "sake where the umami of the rice is firmly felt." Rich, full-bodied sake whose appeal reveals itself the more you savor it, rather than chasing only drinkability or trends — that is the style of Kaga Kiku-zake Honpo "Kikuhime."

A sake region of over a thousand years, known for "Kaga Kiku-zake"

Brewed as the sacred sake of Shirayama-hime Shrine, Kikuhime has a history of being called "Kaga Kiku-zake" in the Muromachi period. Loved as a protected sake of the Kaga domain in the Edo period, it still carries on the tradition in Tsurugi — a sake region nurtured by the blessings of Hakusan.

A family precept: "If you're going to outsource your milling, then quit brewing"

Kikuhime, which keeps a milling plant at its Yawata factory and upholds fully in-house milling. Keeping its family precept "if you're going to outsource your milling, then quit brewing," it manages everything in-house from milling to storage, aiming for sake quality that draws on the character of the rice.

"Rich and full-bodied," born from Special-A district Yamada Nishiki and yamahai brewing

For its raw material, it mainly adopts Yamada Nishiki from the Special-A district of Yokawa-cho, Miki City, Hyogo. In many of its staple sakes it combines yamahai yeast starter with long-term aging, pursuing a sturdy, deep "rich and full-bodied" flavor.

A wide lineup, from junmai to daiginjo and nigori sake

It offers labels that shine from the everyday evening drink to special occasions — daiginjo, junmai ginjo, yamahai junmai, the table sakes "Kiku" and "Hime," and the "nigori sake" that is the first new sake of winter. Including seasonal sake and treasured reserves, it is a lineup to savor at leisure.