A Long Road of Hardships Leading to Today
The Hatsumomiji Sake Brewery has been run by the Harada family ever since its founding in the second year of the Bunsei Era (1819), with the current president making the 12th generation.
Looking deeper into the brewery’s history, the family encountered a period of struggles from around 1975, when sake consumption dropped precipitously amid a wider context of greater consumption of beer and Western alcoholic beverages.
The number of sake breweries in the Shunan area gradually fell, and the Harada family’s brewery also ceased sake production in 1985, and were left with no choice but to sell alcoholic beverages made by other breweries under the name Hatsumomiji.
The Stories of Harada Seiryu and Harada Gengetsu
Harada Gengetsu
“Gengetsu” is a word for crescent moon, describing the shape of the moon stretched like a bow in the night sky. The moon can be seen from the brewery from the early evening in the sky to the west.
Noble, perfectly clear and shining brightly with its soft light, it is a perfect metaphor for the flavor of Harada Gengetsu.
The label of Harada Gengetsu depicts the crescent moon shining down across the Setouchi Tokuyama Bay, just a 10-minute walk from the brewery.
Harada Seiryu
The springs of the Kano region have been selected as one of the top 100 water sources of Japan. Located in the north part of Shunan-shi, the region is also the source of Yamaguchi Prefecture’s famous Nishikigawa river.
Harada Seiryu is made with water from the Kano region, a vital ingredient in the sake’s production that enables the brewery’s goal of making sake with an alcohol content of 13%, as light as that of wine.
The umami, smoothness and lightness of this style of sake originate from its water source.
The Terroir of Shunan-shi
Shunan-shi, a town in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Facing the Seto Inland Sea, the city stretches as far back as the Chugoku mountains.
The climate is warm, but the Kano basin, located around the upper stream of the Nishikigawa river, is covered by snow in the winter.
Historically the urban areas were dedicated to naval shipbuilding. Even today, the streets of the Iijima district, where the brewery is located, are lined with restaurants and bars.
Known as a source of high-quality water, the region established a reputation as an ideal location for sake production.
Making sake at Hatsumomiji
For Harada Gengetsu, only Yamada Nishiki and Saito-no-Shizuku, a sakerice grown locally in Yamaguchi Precture, are used. All sake produced at the brewery belongs to the Junmai category, with the stated goal of drawing out the rice’s inherent umami characteristics.
Production volumes are low, ranging from about 84,000 litres to 95,000 litres per year. All stages of production including yeast cultivation and joso pressing are carried out in air-conditioned facilities. These consistent conditions make year-round production a possibility, and have earnted Hatsumomiji a reputation for its freshly brewed sake.
In contrast to the typical pasteurization process, where the sake is pasteurized just after pressing and just before bottling, Hatsumomiji’s sake is pasteurized after bottling only, a more labor-intensive process which is considered to better preserve the sake’s delicate aromas.
Yamaguchi Prefecture’s Original Sake Rice, Saito-no-Shizuku
Saito-no-Shizuku is a unique rice variety developed in Yamaguchi Prefecture, a carefully selected cross of the legendary Kokuryo Miyako and Saikai #222 (developed in turn from Yamada Nishiki).
Noted for its sturdiness (many sake rice plants are prone to lodging) and ease of cultivation, it was initially known as Yamaguchi Sake #1, and test plantings and brews were carried out from 2003.
It brings roundness and softness to the blend and has become one of the prefecture’s precious resources as a popular sake rice.
Notable Prizes and Awards
National Research Institute of Brewing – New Sake Awards
2008 Yamaguchi Prefecture New Sake Ginjo and Junmai Categories – Excellence Prize (Gold Medal)
All-Japan Sake Tasting Competition – Individual Category
2006: Yasuhiro Harada, Runner Up
Yamaguchi Prefecutre Sake Tasting Competition – Individual Category
2016: Jun Adachi (Hatsumomiji Brewery), Second Place
2013: Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), First Place
Kazuyoshi Tada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), Third Place
2012 (Spring): Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), Second Place
2011 (Autumn): Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), First Place
2011 (Spring): Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), First Place
2010 (Autumn): Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), First Place
2010 (Spring): Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), Second Place
2009 (Autumn): Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), Second Place
2009 (Spring): Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), First Place
2008: Yasuhiro Harada (Hatsumomiji Brewery), First Place
2003~2006 (Autumn) Yasuhiro Harada, First Place
Chugoku 5 Prefectures Sake Tasting Competition – Individual Category
2016: Yasuhiro Harada – First Place
2009: Yasuhiro Harada –Second Place
2007: Yasuhiro Harada – First Place
Prizes and awards for Harada Gengetsu
Prizes and awards
IWC
2020 Junmai Ginjo Category Harad Gengetsu Muroka Junmai Ginjo SILVER
2021 Junmai Daiginjo Category Harada Gengetsu Muroka Junmai Daiginjo SILVER
2021 Junmai Ginjo Category Harad Gengetsu Muroka Junmai Ginjo SILVER
U.S. National Sake Appraisal
2021 Daiginjo A Polishing Ratio under 40％ arada Gengetsu Muroka Junmai Daiginjo SILVER
2021 Ginjo Harada Gengetsu Muroka Junmai Ginjo GOLD
Kura Master
2020 Junmai Category Harada Gengetsu Muroka Junmai Ginjo PLATINUM
