Kaiun ─ Fortune of Shizuoka | Tōtōmi Province

Audio Guide

Kaiun — One Minute of Stillness

Shizuoka's most-decorated daiginjo

0:00−:−−

Cool to 12°C. The Shizuoka yeast aromatic profile rewards a wider glass.

Soul of the Kura

Until the 1980s, Shizuoka was not famous for sake.
Then a single brewery — and a single yeast — changed that.

Kaiun's daiginjo, fermented with the new "Shizuoka yeast,"
swept the All-Japan New Sake Awards.
Within five years, every brewery in the prefecture switched to it.
Today, "Shizuoka style" — clean, lifted, faintly floral —
is a recognised category, and Kaiun started the conversation.

Characteristics

Founded 1872 by the Doi family in Kakegawa, Shizuoka.
Brewed with soft Mt. Fuji-area underground water.
Pioneer of the Shizuoka yeast revolution in the 1980s —
which transformed Shizuoka from sake backwater to award-winning region.
Soft, polished, gracefully fragrant —
repeated All-Japan New Sake gold medal winner.

Reasons to Visit

壱
Drink the Shizuoka yeast originator
Kaiun's daiginjo helped define the modern Shizuoka style.
弐
See Kakegawa Castle nearby
A reconstructed Edo castle keep — fifteen minutes from the brewery.
参
Drive to Mt. Fuji's southern face
The same water table feeds Kaiun and shapes Fuji's glaciers.
四
Pair with Kotonomama Hachimangu
Tōtōmi's first-rank shrine, twenty minutes from the brewery — the kami who grants requests.
五
Eat Kakegawa green-tea cuisine
The local matcha-and-rice dishes pair gently with Kaiun's lifted style.

Tasting Etiquette

Cool to 12°C in a wine glass.
Shizuoka yeast's aromatics need a wider bowl.
Pair with delicate fish.
Suruga Bay shirasu and sakura-ebi shrimp are local choices.
Drink within days of opening.
Lifted aromas fade fastest.
Compare with another Shizuoka kura.
Garyubai, Iso-jiman, Hatsukame — all use the same yeast family.
Save the prestige label for the New Year.
Kaiun means "fortune-opening" — a symbolic bottle for celebrations.

Visit & Tasting

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Address

2531 Komatsu, Kakegawa-shi, Shizuoka 437-1422

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Access

Tokaido Shinkansen → Kakegawa Station → 30 min taxi

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Hours

9:00–17:00

📅

Closed

Sundays · year-end

🥢

Tasting

Paid tasting

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Reservation

Tour by reservation

🇬🇧

English

Limited

— Facilities —

🅿️ParkingYes

🚻RestroomYes

🏷️ShopYes

📅TourReserve

🗺 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 Kaiun — stay nearby, get there, taste with a guide, or take a bottle home.

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Kaiun Junmai Daiginjo 純米大吟醸

Junmai Daiginjo · Shizuoka yeast · 50% polish

The flagship. Soft, lifted, gracefully fragrant — the bottle that defined Shizuoka style.

Kaiun Tokusen Junmai 特撰純米

Tokubetsu Junmai · everyday Shizuoka

A cleaner, food-friendlier sister bottle. Soft and balanced — the Kakegawa family table.

Kaiun Iwai Bottle 祝酒開運

Junmai Daiginjo · ceremonial release

A celebration bottle — "Kaiun" means "fortune-opening." A New Year's tradition gift in Tōtōmi.

Recommended Pairings

◆Suruga Bay shirasu (whitebait) over rice
◆Sakura-ebi (cherry shrimp) tempura — Shizuoka spring
◆Kakegawa green-tea soba
◆Wasabi-leaf shoyu pickle

Pair With Pilgrimage

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Ichinomiya of Tōtōmi Province

Kotonomama Hachimangu

事任八幡宮

The first-rank shrine of ancient Tōtōmi, in Kakegawa.
Enshrines the kami "who grants requests as you ask them" —
the deity of fortune, prayer, and wish-fulfilment.
Twenty minutes from the brewery; pair morning prayer with afternoon Kaiun.
The brewery's name itself means "fortune-opening."

Visit the Shrine →

Kaiun

🏨Stay Near the Kura

🚄Getting There

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

Kotonomama Hachimangu