The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Tatenokawa
No.52 · Brewery Profile
Tatenokawa楯野川 · Tatenokawa Shuzo 楯の川酒造
Founded in 1832 in the port town of Sakata, Yamagata, Tatenokawa became the first brewery in the prefecture to make only junmai daiginjo (2010). In 2016 it released Komyo, the industry’s first sake milled to a 1% polishing ratio.
Who makes Tatenokawa?
Tatenokawa Shuzo, founded in 1832 in the port town of Sakata, Yamagata. In 2010 it became the first brewery in the prefecture to make only junmai daiginjo, and in 2016 it released Komyo, the industry’s first sake milled to a 1% polishing ratio.
What does Tatenokawa taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Aromatic & Fruity, the Seiryu Junmai Daiginjo is the approachable entry-level bottle, milled to 50% with a 4/5 aromatic rating, while Komyo — milled to an extreme 1% — reaches a 5/5 aromatic rating as the more intense expression.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Seiryu Junmai Daiginjo, explicitly the approachable entry-level junmai daiginjo, before the industry-first, ultra-polished Komyo.
How does Tatenokawa compare to other Yamagata breweries?
Tatenokawa’s Elegant & Refined, Aromatic & Fruity combination is closest to prefecture-mate Eikou Fuji, tagged the same two styles, while Juyondai sits purely in Aromatic & Fruity and Yamagata Masamune leans Dry & Crisp instead.
Frequently asked questions
What milestone did Tatenokawa reach in 2010?
It became the first brewery in Yamagata to make only junmai daiginjo.
What is special about the Komyo bottle?
Released in 2016, it was the sake industry’s first bottle milled to a 1% polishing ratio.
How many bottles does Tatenokawa make?
Two on this page: the entry-level Seiryu Junmai Daiginjo and the ultra-polished Komyo Junmai Daiginjo.
The bottles
Seiryu Junmai Daiginjo楯野川 清流 純米大吟醸
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“The approachable entry-level junmai daiginjo.”
Komyo Junmai Daiginjo楯野川 光明 純米大吟醸
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“The industry-first 1% polishing-ratio sake.”
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: tatenokawa.com · imanaka-sakeshop.com