Tamanohikari ─ The Pioneer of the Junmai Revival

Audio Guide

Tamanohikari — One Minute of Stillness

A 1960s decision that changed Japanese sake

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Soft Fushimi water makes for a soft sake. Drink at 12°C.

Soul of the Kura

In post-war Japan, sake nearly lost its soul.
To stretch limited rice supplies,
brewers added water and brewing alcohol —
by the 1960s, almost every bottle was diluted.

Tamanohikari said no.
In 1964, they returned to pure rice — junmai —
and committed to it permanently.

Most modern junmai bottles trace their lineage
to that single decision.

Characteristics

Founded 1673 in Fushimi, Kyoto's great sake district —
where the city's soft underground water gives sake its gentle character.
In 1964 the brewery made a then-radical decision:
brew only junmai, with no added alcohol or water.
The decision was decades ahead of the industry.
Today's junmai movement quietly traces back to this kura.

Reasons to Visit

壱
Drink the brewery that revived junmai
Without Tamanohikari's 1964 decision, modern junmai might not exist as a category.
弐
Walk Fushimi sake quarter
Kyoto's traditional brewing town — Tamanohikari sits a few blocks from Gekkeikan and Kizakura.
参
Visit Fushimi Inari first
10,000 vermilion torii up the mountain — Kyoto's most photographed shrine, 5 min north.
四
Pair with Kamo Jinja
Kamigamo and Shimogamo — Yamashiro's first-rank shrines, north of central Kyoto.
五
Eat Kyoto kaiseki
Soft Fushimi sake was made for Kyoto's gentle cuisine — they belong on the same table.

Tasting Etiquette

Cool to 12°C — not colder.
Soft Fushimi sake closes below 10°C.
Pair with delicate food.
Yudofu, white-fleshed sashimi, oboro tofu — gentle for gentle.
Try Bizen Omachi single-rice bottling.
The brewery's most expressive — junmai daiginjo from rare Bizen rice.
Visit Fushimi Inari before tasting.
10,000 torii on an empty stomach — sake afterwards earns its place.
Buy a brewery-only label as souvenir.
Bottles available only at the kura shop, not in Kyoto Station.

Visit & Tasting

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Address

545-2 Higashisakai, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi 612-8066

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Access

Keihan Line → Chushojima Station → 8 min walk

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Hours

10:00–17:00

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Closed

Sundays · year-end

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Tasting

Paid tasting

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Reservation

Tour by reservation

🇬🇧

English

Yes

— Facilities —

🅿️ParkingLimited

🚻RestroomYes

🏷️ShopYes

🍱RestaurantAdjacent

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

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Tamanohikari Junmai Ginjo Iwai 純米吟醸祝

Junmai Ginjo · Iwai (Kyoto-only rice)

Brewed entirely from Iwai rice — Kyoto's near-extinct heritage variety, revived by this brewery.

Tamanohikari Junsui Junmai Daiginjo 純粋純米大吟醸

Junmai Daiginjo · 35% polish

A reserve bottle. Polished beyond convention. Served at Imperial Palace state dinners.

Recommended Pairings

◆Yudofu (warm tofu in Fushimi spring water)
◆Kyo-yasai obanzai (heritage Kyoto vegetables)
◆Hamo otoshi (pike eel in summer)
◆Fushimi inarizushi — sweet tofu pouches

Pair With Pilgrimage

⛩

Ichinomiya of Yamashiro Province

Kamo Jinja (Kamigamo & Shimogamo)

賀茂神社

The two first-rank shrines of ancient Yamashiro,
among the oldest sanctuaries in Japan — both UNESCO World Heritage.
The Kamo deities watched over Kyoto from before Kyoto existed.
Visit them in the morning; an afternoon at Tamanohikari closes the loop.

Visit the Shrine →

Tamanohikari

🏨Stay Near the Kura

🚄Getting There

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

Kamo Jinja (Kamigamo & Shimogamo)