Kamoizumi ─ The Golden Junmai of Saijo

Soul of the Kura

Saijo. One short street. Eight working breweries.
Red brick chimneys, white plaster walls,
cedar balls hanging above every door.

In 1971, when the country drank lighter and lighter,
Kamoizumi made a quiet decision —
to brew only pure rice. No added alcohol.
No filtration to colourlessness.
Sake should be golden, the brewer said. Like rice.

Characteristics

Founded 1912 in Saijo (Higashi-Hiroshima) —
one of Japan's three great sake towns alongside Nada and Fushimi.
Among the very first kura in modern Japan to commit to junmai-only brewing.
Unfiltered to its natural amber colour.
Mellow, golden, faintly nutty — built for slow conversation and grilled food.

Reasons to Visit

壱
Walk Sakagura-dori — sake brewery street
Eight working kura along one short walk. Tasting flights at every door.
弐
Drink in colour, not in clarity
Kamoizumi is gently amber — the natural colour of rice that hasn't been bleached out.
参
Time it for the October Sake Festival
Saijo's annual festival pours sake from every kura in Hiroshima — over a thousand bottles.
四
Pair with Itsukushima Jinja
The floating torii — Aki's Ichinomiya — is one hour west by JR.
五
Eat Hiroshima oysters with the daiginjo
The Seto Inland Sea's oysters and Saijo sake were made for each other.

Tasting Etiquette

Look at the colour first.
A golden sake says something the brewer wants you to notice.
Try one cup cool, one cup warmed.
Junmai-only sake transforms entirely with temperature.
Walk between breweries — do not drive.
All eight Saijo kura are within ten minutes' walk of the station.
Buy at the brewery, not the airport.
The reserve labels never leave Hiroshima.
Pause for koku — depth — before swallowing.
Junmai's umami opens slowly.

Visit & Tasting

📍

Address

2-4 Saijo Kamoicho, Higashi-Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima 739-0011

🚄

Access

JR Sanyo Line → Saijo Station → 5 min walk

🕐

Hours

10:00–17:00

📅

Closed

Mondays

🥢

Tasting

Paid tasting · café

📞

Reservation

Walk-in OK

🇬🇧

English

Limited

— Facilities —

🅿️ParkingYes

🚻RestroomYes

🏷️ShopYes

☕Sake CaféYes

🗺 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

Kamoizumi Shusen 朱

Complete the Sake Journey

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

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泉

Junmai Ginjo · unfiltered to natural amber

The flagship. Mellow, faintly nutty, golden in the cup. The clearest expression of Saijo's junmai philosophy.

Kamoizumi Junmai Daiginjo Hiden 秘伝

Junmai Daiginjo · long-aged

A meditative bottle aged in steel for years. Honeyed, layered, almost sherry-like — for slow autumn evenings.

Kamoizumi Sake Café Special 純米吟醸

Junmai Ginjo · brewery-only

A small-lot release sold only at the brewery's adjoining café. Bring a bottle home as a memory of Saijo.

Pair With Pilgrimage

⛩

Ichinomiya of Aki Province

Itsukushima Jinja

厳島神社

The first-rank shrine of ancient Aki — and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The vermilion torii stands in the Seto Inland Sea,
half-submerged at high tide, walkable at low tide.
One hour west of Saijo by JR. Visit at dawn —
then climb the train back inland for sake at sunset.

Visit the Floating Torii →

Kamoizumi

🏨Stay Near the Kura

🚄Getting There

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

Itsukushima Jinja