The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Hitakami
No.60 · Brewery Profile
Hitakami日高見 · Hirako Shuzo 平孝酒造
Hirako Shuzo has brewed in the fishing port of Ishinomaki since 1861, and its Hitakami label carries a slogan the whole town understands: if you’re having fish, make it Hitakami. Almost the entire range is brewed ginjo-style specifically to sit beside sushi and seafood, from a dry, rich Junmai Ginjo to an extra-dry junmai built to cut through oilier fish.
Who makes Hitakami?
Hirako Shuzo, brewing in the fishing port of Ishinomaki, Miyagi, since 1861. Its Hitakami label carries a local slogan — “if you’re having fish, make it Hitakami” — and almost the entire range is brewed ginjo-style specifically to accompany sushi and seafood.
What does Hitakami taste like?
Tagged Dry & Crisp and Rich & Umami, the Junmai Ginjo Yasuke is rich yet dry, designed to be poured alongside sushi. The Chokarakuchi Junmai pushes further into extra-dry territory at SMV +11, made from Hitomebore rice, with a sharp finish suited to oilier fish.
Which bottle should you try first?
Junmai Ginjo Yasuke is designed to be poured alongside sushi, the more balanced expression of Hitakami’s rich-yet-dry, seafood-focused house style, before the sharper, extra-dry Chokarakuchi Junmai.
How does Hitakami compare to other Miyagi breweries?
Hitakami’s Dry & Crisp, Rich & Umami combination sits between prefecture-mates Urakasumi and Hakurakusei, both tagged Dry & Crisp and Elegant & Refined, and Hagino Tsuru, tagged Elegant & Refined and Rich & Umami — Hitakami is the drier, richer outlier built specifically around fish pairing.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hitakami’s local slogan?
“If you’re having fish, make it Hitakami,” reflecting the brewery’s focus on seafood pairing.
What rice is used in the Chokarakuchi Junmai?
Hitomebore, milled to 60%, producing an extra-dry SMV +11 sake.
How many bottles does Hitakami make?
Two on this page: the Junmai Ginjo Yasuke and the Chokarakuchi Junmai.
The bottles
Junmai Ginjo Yasuke芳醇辛口純米吟醸 弥助
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Rich yet dry; designed to be poured alongside sushi.”
Chokarakuchi Junmai超辛口純米
爽酒 Soshu · Light & Smooth“Extra-dry with a sharp finish suited to oily fish.”
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 (薨酒 Kunshu · 爽酒 Soshu · 醇酒 Junshu · 熟酒 Jukushu). SMV and acidity appear only where the brewery publishes them.
Sources: urbansake.com · miyagisake.jp