The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Eikou Fuji
No.117 · Brewery Profile
Eikou Fuji栄光冨士 · Fuji Shuzo 冨士酒造
Fuji Shuzo has brewed in Tsuruoka, Yamagata since 1778, its lineage said to trace back to descendants of the feudal lord Kato Kiyomasa. Rather than brew only in winter, the kura invested heavily in whole-building cooling systems to ferment year-round, and now works with more than thirty different Yamagata rice varieties across its range — an unusually wide palette for a single brewery.
Who makes Eikou Fuji?
Fuji Shuzo, founded in 1778 in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, its lineage said to trace back to descendants of feudal lord Kato Kiyomasa. Rather than brewing only in winter, the kura invested heavily in whole-building cooling systems to ferment year-round, and now works with more than thirty different Yamagata rice varieties.
What does Eikou Fuji taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Aromatic & Fruity. Both the Junmai Daiginjo Sakenomirai 50 (unfiltered nama genshu) and the Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama, made with premium Hyogo-grown Aiyama rice, reach the range’s aromatic peak at 4/5; the Kisui Junmai, made with Yamagata’s own Tsuyahime rice, is fuller-bodied and less aromatic instead (full 3/5, aromatic 1/5).
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Kisui Junmai — made with the Yamagata rice Tsuyahime, it’s the range’s lightest-milled bottle (70%) and the most accessible entry point before the two daiginjo-grade bottlings.
How does Eikou Fuji compare to other Yamagata breweries?
Eikou Fuji shares its Elegant & Refined, Aromatic & Fruity profile with prefecture-mate Tatenokawa, in a Yamagata field that also includes purely Aromatic & Fruity names like Juyondai, and the drier, Dry & Crisp Yamagata Masamune.
Frequently asked questions
How many Yamagata rice varieties does Fuji Shuzo use?
More than thirty different varieties across its range, an unusually wide palette for a single brewery.
Does Fuji Shuzo brew only in winter?
No — it invested heavily in whole-building cooling systems specifically so it could ferment year-round.
What rice is used in the Kisui Junmai?
Tsuyahime, a Yamagata-grown rice variety.
The bottles
Junmai Daiginjo Sakenomirai 50純米大吟醸 無濾過生原酒 酒未来50
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Unfiltered nama genshu made with Sakenomirai rice.”
Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama純米大吟醸 愛山
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Made with premium Hyogo-grown Aiyama rice.”
Kisui Junmai㐂粋 純米
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Made with the Yamagata rice Tsuyahime.”
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: e-sakenom.com · imadeya.co.jp