The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Hyakujuro
No.95 · Brewery Profile
Hyakujuro百十郎 · Hayashi Honten 林本店
Hayashi Honten has brewed in Kakamigahara, Gifu since 1920, but only launched its limited-distribution Hyakujuro label in 2012, aimed squarely at specialty sake shops. The name honors kabuki actor Ichikawa Hyakujuro, who once donated the cherry trees still lining the nearby river. The kura is now led by fifth-generation head and toji Hayashi Satoei, one of a still-small number of women running a sake brewery in Japan.
Who makes Hyakujuro?
Hayashi Honten has brewed in Kakamigahara, Gifu since 1920, but only launched its limited-distribution Hyakujuro label in 2012, aimed squarely at specialty sake shops. The kura is now led by fifth-generation head and toji Hayashi Satoei, one of a still-small number of women running a sake brewery in Japan.
What does Hyakujuro taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Aromatic & Fruity, all three bottles fall into kunshu (fragrant) or junshu (rich) SSI territory. The Junmai Ginjo Minami no Kaze anchors the core range; the Junmai Ginjo Byakuen is a fuller-bodied expression at 17% ABV; the Shirasawa is described as the top-tier daiginjo in the lineup.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Junmai Ginjo Minami no Kaze, part of the core Junmai Ginjo range, before moving on to the fuller Byakuen or the top-tier Shirasawa.
How does Hyakujuro compare to other Gifu breweries?
Hyakujuro’s tags, Elegant & Refined and Aromatic & Fruity, match prefecture-mate Tenryo exactly; Michisakari sits apart at the drier end of Gifu’s range, tagged simply Dry & Crisp.
Frequently asked questions
When did Hayashi Honten launch the Hyakujuro label?
In 2012, as a limited-distribution label aimed at specialty sake shops, distinct from the brewery’s main line dating to 1920.
What does the name Hyakujuro honor?
Kabuki actor Ichikawa Hyakujuro, who donated the cherry trees still lining the nearby river.
Who leads Hayashi Honten today?
Fifth-generation head and toji Hayashi Satoei, one of a still-small number of women running a sake brewery in Japan.
The bottles
Junmai Ginjo Minami no Kaze純米吟醸 南の風
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Part of the core Junmai Ginjo range.”
Junmai Ginjo Byakuen純米吟醸 百炎
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Fuller-bodied expression.”
Shirasawa白澤
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Top-tier daiginjo in the 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: eiichi.co.jp · imadeya.co.jp