The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Toyo Bijin
No.70 · Brewery Profile
Toyo Bijin東洋美人 · Sumikawa Shuzojo 澄川酒造場
Sumikawa Shuzojo’s founder named his sake Toyo Bijin — ‘oriental beauty’ — in memory of his late wife when he opened the Hagi brewery in 1921. A century later, fourth-generation brewer Yoshifumi Sumikawa, who trained at the house behind Juyondai, pursues an ‘orthodox’ style built for both quality and pleasure: fruity, elegant sake that has found its way onto the table at diplomatic summit dinners.
Who makes Toyo Bijin?
Sumikawa Shuzojo’s founder named his sake Toyo Bijin — “oriental beauty” — in memory of his late wife when he opened the Hagi, Yamaguchi brewery in 1921. A century later, fourth-generation brewer Yoshifumi Sumikawa, who trained at the house behind Juyondai, now leads it.
What does Toyo Bijin taste like?
Tagged Aromatic & Fruity and Elegant & Refined, both of Toyo Bijin’s bottles rate 4/5 on the aromatic axis and just 2/5 on richness and body. The flagship Ichiban Matoi is built from Yamada Nishiki, while the Junmai Ginjo 50 forms the core of the range, both described as fruity and refined.
Which bottle should you try first?
Reach for the Ichiban Matoi first, the flagship premium bottling in the range, fruity and refined and built from Yamada Nishiki rice.
How does Toyo Bijin compare to other Yamaguchi breweries?
Toyo Bijin shares both its house-style tags with Yamaguchi prefecture-mate Dassai, while fellow Yamaguchi brewery Gokyo leans toward Dry & Crisp instead of Aromatic & Fruity, putting Toyo Bijin closer to Dassai’s end of the prefecture’s range.
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Toyo Bijin mean and why was it chosen?
It means “oriental beauty.” The founder chose it in memory of his late wife when he opened the brewery in 1921.
Who currently leads Sumikawa Shuzojo?
Fourth-generation brewer Yoshifumi Sumikawa, who trained at the house behind Juyondai before returning to lead his own family brewery.
How many bottles does Toyo Bijin make on this page?
Two: the flagship Ichiban Matoi, made with Yamada Nishiki, and the core-range Junmai Ginjo 50.
The bottles
Ichiban Matoi壱番纏
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Flagship premium bottling; fruity and refined.”
Junmai Ginjo 50純米吟醸50
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Core junmai ginjo of the range; elegant and fruity.”
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: imadeya.co.jp · nihonmono.jp