Sake Pilgrimage · 酒蔵巡礼JA
Dewa Province · 出羽国
奉醸 出羽国天童 出羽桜 桜花 吟醸 創業 明治二十五年 — Founded 1892 — 吟醸を世界に伝えた酒 令和八年皐月吉日 桜 天童
出 羽 桜

Dewazakura

— The Sake That Introduced Ginjo to the World —
Audio Guide
Dewazakura — One Minute of Stillness
The bottle that taught the world what ginjō means
0:00−:−−
Cool to 10°C. Pour into a wide-mouthed glass — let the aroma rise.
Soul of the Kura
Ginjō. The fragrant style.
For most of sake's long history, it did not exist.
Until the 1980s, ginjō was made only for competitions —
not for drinking.

Then a small Yamagata kura did the unthinkable.
They put it in a bottle and sold it.

The world tasted melon, pear, white flower —
and changed its mind about sake forever.
Characteristics
Founded 1892 in Tendō, Yamagata — the small castle town
famous for hand-carved shogi pieces and cherry blossoms.
The first brewery to commercially release ginjō sake (1980),
long before the rest of Japan caught on.
Aromatic, melon-and-pear bright, gracefully clean —
Champion Sake of the IWC 2008.
The gateway sake for first-time drinkers worldwide.
Reasons to Visit
Tasting Etiquette
  1. Smell, then sip.
    Dewazakura was made for fragrance — give the nose first turn.
  2. Use a wine glass for the Oka Ginjo.
    A wide bowl unlocks melon and pear notes the ochoko mutes.
  3. Drink chilled, around 10°C.
    Warming destroys the brewery's signature lift.
  4. Pair with light food first.
    White-fleshed fish and tofu let the aromas shine.
  5. Visit during cherry season if you can.
    Drink the brewery's namesake under the brewery's namesake tree.
Visit & Tasting
📍
Address
1-4-6 Ichi-ban-cho, Tendō-shi, Yamagata 994-0044
🚄
Access
Yamagata Shinkansen → Tendō Station → 5 min walk
🕐
Hours
10:00–17:00
📅
Closed
Mondays · year-end
🥢
Tasting
Free tasting · museum admission ¥500
📞
Reservation
Walk-in OK
🇬🇧
English
Yes
— Facilities —
🅿️ParkingYes
🚻RestroomYes
🏛️Museum
🏷️ShopYes
🗺 Directions 🌐 Official Site 📍 Open in Maps 📜 All Breweries
※ Hours, fees and contact details may change seasonally — please confirm on the brewery's official site before your visit.
Signature Labels
Complete the Sake Journey

Arrange your visit to Dewazakura — stay nearby, get there, taste with a guide, or take a bottle home.

🏨Stay Near the Kura

Booking.comYamagata Tendo AgodaYamagata Tendo

🚄Getting There

KlookJR Pass KlookYamagata Tendo transfers

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

ViatorYamagata Tendo sake tours GetYourGuideSake tasting

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

AmazonDewazakura bottles AmazonTokkuri & ochoko

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e-name">Dewazakura Oka Ginjo 桜花吟醸酒
Ginjo · the historic 1980 release
The flagship — the first commercially released ginjō in Japan. Melon, pear, white flower. The bottle that started a revolution.
Dewazakura Dewasansan
Junmai Ginjo · Yamagata-only rice
Made entirely from Yamagata's homegrown sake rice. Soft, clean, deeply local — terroir before terroir was a word.
Dewazakura Ichiro
Junmai Daiginjo · 45% polish
A more refined sister bottle. IWC trophy winner. The brewery's most polished expression.
Recommended Pairings
Pair With Pilgrimage
⛩
Ichinomiya of Dewa Province

Toga Jinja

鳥 海 山 大 物 忌 神 社

The first-rank shrine of ancient Dewa,
enshrined on the slopes of holy Mt. Chōkai —
the great volcanic peak that watches over Yamagata and Akita alike.
The mountain's snowmelt feeds the rice fields the brewery depends on.
Visit one, and you have visited the source of the other.

Visit the Shrine →
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