The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Bijofu
No.86 · Brewery Profile
Bijofu美丈夫 · Hamakawa Shoten 濵川商店
Hamakawa Shoten has brewed in the small coastal town of Tano, Kochi since 1904, using exceptionally soft water drawn from beneath the Nahari River. Its Bijofu label takes its name from Tosa hero Sakamoto Ryoma, and follows Kochi’s crisp, dry regional style — though the brewery is best known internationally for a novelty release brewed with yeast that traveled first to space, then to the bottom of the sea.
Who makes Bijofu?
Hamakawa Shoten has brewed in the small coastal town of Tano, Kochi since 1904, using exceptionally soft water drawn from beneath the Nahari River. Its Bijofu label takes its name from Tosa hero Sakamoto Ryoma.
What does Bijofu taste like?
Tagged Dry & Crisp and Aromatic & Fruity, Bijofu’s flagship Junmai Daiginjo Hamakawa rates 3/5 aromatic, the novelty Uchushinkaishu Junmai Ginjo (SMV -2, acidity 1.8) sits at 2/5 across richness and aroma, and the premium Mai matches the flagship at 3/5 aromatic.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Junmai Daiginjo Hamakawa, the brewery’s flagship top-tier bottling, named for the family.
How does Bijofu compare to other Kochi breweries?
Bijofu is the only Kochi brewery in this index tagged both Dry & Crisp and Aromatic & Fruity; prefecture-mates Tsukasabotan and Tosatsuru are tagged Dry & Crisp alone, while Suigei adds Rich & Umami instead of fruitiness.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Bijofu name come from?
The Bijofu label takes its name from Tosa hero Sakamoto Ryoma.
What is Bijofu’s water source?
Exceptionally soft water drawn from beneath the Nahari River in Tano, Kochi.
What is Bijofu’s best-known novelty release?
The Uchushinkaishu Junmai Ginjo, brewed with yeast that traveled first to space, then to the bottom of the sea.
The bottles
Junmai Daiginjo Hamakawa純米大吟醸 濵川
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“The brewery’s flagship top-tier bottling, named for the family.”
Uchushinkaishu Junmai Ginjo宇宙深海酒 純米吟醸
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Novelty release brewed with space- and deep-sea-exposed yeast.”
Mai舞
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Part of the brewery’s premium retail lineup.”
Reading the bars: an editorial flavor reading (0–5) of each bottle — Dry→Rich, Light→Full, Subtle→Aromatic, Low→High acidity — not laboratory values. The colored badge is the SSI four-type classification (薫酒 Kunshu · 爽酒 Soshu · 醇酒 Junshu · 熟酒 Jukushu). SMV and acidity appear only where the brewery publishes them.
Sources: bijofu.jp · sakenomy.jp