The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Kariho
No.88 · Brewery Profile
Kariho刈穂 · Akita Seishu 秋田清酒（刈穂蔵）
Kariho took over a sake house founded in 1850 and has brewed in Jingūji, Akita since 1913, taking its name from a waka poem that opens the Hyakunin Isshu. Unusually for generally soft Akita water, the brewery draws on mineral-rich, medium-hard well water, and still presses with traditional wooden fune. The result is dry, umami-driven yamahai sake, including expressions pushed to an assertively high SMV.
Who makes Kariho?
Akita Seishu has brewed in Jingūji, Akita since 1913, having taken over a sake house founded in 1850. The brand takes its name from a waka poem that opens the Hyakunin Isshu. Unusually for generally soft Akita water, the brewery draws on mineral-rich, medium-hard well water and still presses with traditional wooden fune.
What does Kariho taste like?
Tagged Dry & Crisp and Acidity-driven, Kariho is built around dry, umami-driven yamahai sake. The Yamahai Junmai Chokarakuchi pushes to an ultra-dry SMV +12 with the range’s highest acidity rating (4/5); the Junmai Ginjo Rokushu is refined at SMV +5, and the Yamahai-jikomi Junmai Ginjo offers a fuller, traditional yamahai-method middle ground.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Yamahai Junmai Chokarakuchi, the ultra-dry SMV +12 expression that represents the assertively high-acid house style the brewery is known for.
How does Kariho compare to other Akita breweries?
Kariho shares Akita’s Acidity-driven streak with prefecture-mate Aramasa, and its Dry & Crisp edge lines up with Yamamoto; Amanoto instead sits at the softer, Elegant & Refined end of the prefecture’s range.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Kariho name come from?
A waka poem that opens the classical Hyakunin Isshu anthology.
What kind of water does Kariho brew with?
Mineral-rich, medium-hard well water, unusual for Akita, where water is typically soft.
How is Kariho’s sake pressed?
With traditional wooden fune presses, rather than modern mechanical equipment.
The bottles
Yamahai Junmai Chokarakuchi山廃純米 超辛口
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Ultra-dry yamahai junmai.”
Junmai Ginjo Rokushu純米吟醸 六舟
爽酒 Soshu · Light & Smooth“Named for the brewery’s six wooden presses; dry and refined.”
Yamahai-jikomi Junmai Ginjo山廃仕込み 純米吟醸
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Traditional yamahai-method junmai ginjo.”
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: igeta.jp · akitanosake.net