The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Dewazakura
No.17 · Brewery Profile
Dewazakura出羽桜 · Dewazakura Sake Brewery 出羽桜酒造
Founded in 1892 in Tendo, Yamagata, Dewazakura changed sake history in 1980 with Oka Ginjo — an affordable, fragrant ginjo released when the category was still a competition-only curiosity. It is widely credited with helping spark Japan’s ginjo boom.
Who makes Dewazakura?
Dewazakura Sake Brewery, founded around 1892 in Tendo, Yamagata. The brewery changed sake history in 1980 with Oka Ginjo, an affordable, fragrant ginjo released when the category was still a competition-only curiosity — a bottle widely credited with helping spark Japan’s ginjo boom.
What does Dewazakura taste like?
Tagged Aromatic & Fruity, all three bottles score high on the aromatic axis. Oka Ginjo, the boom-starting original, reaches 5/5; Dewasansan Junmai Ginjo, made entirely from Yamagata rice and yeast, is fragrant and clean; and Ichiro Junmai Daiginjo, an IWC Champion Sake, is both elegant and highly aromatic at 5/5.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with Oka Ginjo — the bottle that launched in 1980 and helped popularize ginjo sake nationwide, making it the historical and stylistic entry point to the brand.
How does Dewazakura compare to other Yamagata breweries?
Dewazakura shares its Aromatic & Fruity tag with prefecture-mates Juyondai and Kudoki Jozu. Yamagata Masamune instead pairs Dry & Crisp with Elegant & Refined, a drier contrast to Dewazakura’s fragrant, ginjo-forward style.
Frequently asked questions
What year did Dewazakura release Oka Ginjo?
In 1980.
What is Oka Ginjo credited with?
Helping spark Japan’s ginjo boom by making an affordable, fragrant ginjo when the category was still a competition-only curiosity.
Which Dewazakura bottle won an International Wine Challenge Champion Sake title?
The Ichiro Junmai Daiginjo.
The bottles
Oka Ginjo桜花吟醸酒
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Launched in 1980; helped popularize ginjo sake.”
Dewasansan Junmai Ginjo出羽燦々 純米吟醸
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“All-Yamagata rice and yeast; fragrant, clean.”
Ichiro Junmai Daiginjo一路 純米大吟醸
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“IWC Champion Sake; elegant, refined.”
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: dewazakura.co.jp · sake-times.com