Tatsuriki ─ Single-Village Yamada-Nishiki Master

Audio Guide

Tatsuriki — One Minute of Stillness

Sake brewed inside the Yamada-Nishiki holy land

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Compare two bottles from two different villages — terroir is the lesson.

Soul of the Kura

All sake drinkers know Yamada-Nishiki —
the king of sake rice, prized above any other.
What few drinkers know is where it comes from:
a small group of villages in inland Hyogo,
graded "Special A" by the local rice cooperative.

Tatsuriki sits inside that grading territory,
and bottles single-village Yamada-Nishiki the way Burgundy bottles a single vineyard.

Characteristics

Founded 1921 by the Honda family in Himeji, Hyogo —
twenty minutes from the Yamada-Nishiki holy land of Akitsu Special-A district.
The first sake brewery to bottle single-village Yamada-Nishiki
in the manner of single-vineyard Burgundy.
Terroir-conscious, structural, refined —
a brewery that taught the rest of Japan to think about rice the way wine thinks about grapes.

Reasons to Visit

壱
Drink single-village Yamada-Nishiki
A pioneer of terroir thinking in sake — taste the village in the bottle.
弐
See Himeji Castle nearby
Japan's white-walled fortress — UNESCO World Heritage, fifteen minutes from the brewery.
参
Drive into the Yamada-Nishiki rice country
An hour north into Akitsu — the small villages that produce the rice everyone wants.
四
Pair with Iwa Jinja
The first-rank shrine of Harima — quiet, mountainous, set deep in inland Hyogo.
五
Eat Banshu hand-pulled udon
Harima's signature noodle — perfect with Tatsuriki Junmai warm.

Tasting Etiquette

Compare two single-village bottles.
The brewery sells side-by-side bottlings from different villages.
Use a wine glass for the daiginjo.
Tatsuriki was made for the wider bowl.
Serve at 12–14°C.
Above 15°C the structural detail flattens.
Pair with Setouchi seafood, never bold flavours.
Akashi octopus, Banshu sea bream — local fish for local sake.
Note the village on the bottle. Remember it.
Yamada-Nishiki villages have personalities. Find your favourite.

Visit & Tasting

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Address

671-1 Higashifuji, Himeji-shi, Hyogo 671-1264

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Access

Sanyo Shinkansen → Himeji → bus to Aboshi

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Hours

9:00–17:00

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Closed

Sundays

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

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Tatsuriki Junmai Daiginjo Itoshima 純米大吟醸糸島

Junmai Daiginjo · single-village Itoshima

A different village, different soil. Compare side-by-side with Akitsu — the terroir lesson.

Tatsuriki Tokubetsu Junmai 特別純米

Tokubetsu Junmai · everyday

A more affordable everyday bottle. Soft, structural, warming — the local family standard.

Recommended Pairings

◆Akashi tako (octopus) sashimi
◆Banshu hand-pulled udon
◆Tai-meshi (sea bream over rice) — Setouchi classic
◆Goma-dofu (sesame tofu) for the daiginjo

Pair With Pilgrimage

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Ichinomiya of Harima Province

Iwa Jinja

伊和神社

The first-rank shrine of ancient Harima, deep in the inland mountains.
Enshrines Iwa-no-Okami — local kami of mountains, harvest, and stone.
Less travelled than Himeji Castle, deeply quiet,
set among ancient cedars an hour north of the brewery.

Visit the Shrine →

Tatsuriki

🏨Stay Near the Kura

🚄Getting There

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

Iwa Jinja