Sake from Hiroshima

How do water and climate shape Hiroshima sake?

Hiroshima faces the Seto Inland Sea in the south and the Chugoku mountains in the north, so its climate runs from mild coast to snowy uplands. The brewers' association notes that Hiroshima sake ranges from sweet to dry and from light to rich. Brewing water is mostly soft, seeping out between granite rocks in the mountains.

Which rice and yeast does Hiroshima use?

Six sake-rice varieties in three lines are grown in the prefecture: the Omachi line (Kairyo Omachi, Koi Omachi), the Hattan line (Hattan, Hattanishiki) and the Yamada Nishiki line (Yamada Nishiki, Senbon Nishiki). Rice is grown in hill areas at 200 to 400 metres, in Higashihiroshima, Miyoshi, Akitakata and Shobara. The prefectural food technology centre also develops Hiroshima yeasts, including the "Momiji" yeast.

What does Hiroshima sake taste like?

Slow, careful fermentation with soft water tends to give a gentle mouthfeel and a savoury depth. There is a wide range, though. The association describes Hattanishiki as fragrant and light, and Hiroshima Omachi as fuller and richer.

A short history of Hiroshima sake

Mitsu in Akitsu was a port that shipped tax rice to Osaka. Senzaburo Miura entered brewing there and struggled with spoiled batches. He learned that Nada's hard water was one reason for its success, and looked for a method that suited Akitsu's soft water instead. In 1897 he settled on growing the koji well, brewing at low temperature and controlling temperature and hygiene closely, and he published his notes the next year. At the first national sake competition in 1907, Hiroshima sake won top-ranking prizes, which encouraged soft-water regions across Japan. Brewmasters trained in this method became known as the Hiroshima toji.

Where are the breweries?

Saijo in Higashihiroshima has seven breweries within walking distance of JR Saijo Station, along streets of white-walled storehouses and red-brick chimneys. Akitsu, where the soft-water method was born, is another place tied to the origin of Hiroshima sake. The association says the prefecture has more than 40 breweries.

Visiting and what to eat with it

On Saijo's brewery street you can taste sake and buy limited bottles at brewery shops. A sake festival is held in Saijo every October; check the official site for dates. Local food that suits a soft, gentle sake includes Seto Inland Sea seafood, oysters, and "bishu-nabe", a hot pot made with Saijo sake.