The Okuechizen area became a prominent producer of the sake rice Gohyakumangoku in the 1980s.Young members of the Okuechizen regional agricultural cooperative, local sake rice farmers and sake breweries committed to developing a new strain of sake brewing rice for use by future generations.

The rice had to have large grains, with plenty of white starch cores, and be low in protein to minimize off-flavors. It also had to be resistant to disease and cold, and suitable for making high-quality sake. After 20 years their research resulted in the creation of Koshinoshizuku, which was launched with great expectations in 2003.

However, Koshinoshizuku accounts for just 5% of the sake rice currently grown in Okuechizen. It has harder grains than the dominant Gohyakumangoku variety and requires careful handling, giving sake brewers the impression it is hard to work with.

So Koshinoshizuku remains a rare strain despite its great potential.

The story couldn't be more straightforward. Koshinoshizuku is perfect for Ippongi. The gentle and smooth texture of sake made from this rice made us forget the hardships of brewing, and we fell for its charms.

We have worked with Koshinoshizuku for 18 years, for everything from special competition batches brewed with the utmost care to table sake to enjoy casually with dinner every night, giving us more experience with this sake rice than any other brewery. And today, we are proud of our part in the development of its characteristics.

The main characteristic of Koshinoshizuku is that when we aim for dryness, it produces a remarkable juicy mouthfeel.

Echizen crab, salted sea urchin, Katsuyama mizuna leaves, Kamisho taro, chewy stir-fried chicken. Fukui is a treasure trove of agricultural produce, with a food culture that prizes their natural flavors. Ippongi has evolved alongside these natural ingredients and is renowned as a brand representative of Fukui’s dry sake.

Our dry profile has continuously evolved throughout our 120 year history. We seek to produce a unique dry sake that exists nowhere else, that could only be produced in Katsuyama, Okuechizen. The answer we eventually came to is a new mouthfeel sensation, dry but also juicy.

The appeal of this lush dryness is its ideal compatibility with salt. It pairs beautifully with a range of local Fukui foods that include an element of saltiness, including the famous Echizen crab - try it and see how good it can be!