The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Gozenshu
No.39 · Brewery Profile
Gozenshu御前酒 · Tsuji Honten 辻本店
Founded in 1804 in Katsuyama, Maniwa, Tsuji Honten is a pioneer of local Omachi rice and the ancient bodaimoto starter method. It is led by Maiko Tsuji, said to be Okayama’s first female master brewer.
Who makes Gozenshu?
Tsuji Honten, founded in 1804 in Katsuyama, Maniwa, Okayama. A pioneer of local Omachi rice and the ancient bodaimoto starter method, the brewery is led by Maiko Tsuji, said to be Okayama’s first female master brewer.
What does Gozenshu taste like?
Tagged Rich & Umami and Acidity-driven, both Gozenshu bottles use Omachi rice and share a 4/5 acidity rating: 9 (NINE) is savory and dry at a balanced 3/5 on richness and body, while the Bodaimoto Junmai is richer and more sour at 4/5 on both.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with 9 (NINE), described as “the modern bodaimoto signature” — the brewery’s defining expression of its revived starter method, savory and dry, before the richer, more sour Bodaimoto Junmai.
How does Gozenshu compare to other Okayama breweries?
Okayama’s other listed breweries, Chikurin (Elegant & Refined, Aromatic & Fruity) and Sake Hitosuji (Rich & Umami, Elegant & Refined), both lean more elegant than Gozenshu’s Rich & Umami, Acidity-driven pairing, which sits at the fuller, more acid-forward end of the prefecture’s range.
Frequently asked questions
When was Gozenshu founded?
In 1804, in Katsuyama, Maniwa, Okayama.
Who leads Tsuji Honten?
Maiko Tsuji, said to be Okayama’s first female master brewer.
What brewing method and rice define Gozenshu?
The ancient bodaimoto starter method and local Omachi rice.
The bottles
9 (NINE)御前酒 9(NINE)
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“The modern bodaimoto signature; savory and dry.”
Bodaimoto Junmai御前酒 菩提もと 純米
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Rich, slightly sour umami from the revived starter.”
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: gozenshu.co.jp · tengusake.com