Shinkogura Daiginjo Genshu Koshitanrei 10YO (72 cl) (with furoshiki)

To celebrate its 470th anniversary in 2018, Yoshinogawa has released two exceptional sakes: one made with Yamada nishiki rice, matured for 7 years and representing innovation, and this sake made with Koshitanrei rice, matured for 10 years and representing the 470 years of tradition of the house.

The choice of Koshitanrei rice is interesting: this variety was introduced to the market in 2006, and the following year Yoshinogawa completed the construction of its new brewery, hence the name ‘Shinkogura’. This brand new rice was brewed in the brand new brewery and then matured for 10 years at -5°C to give it that smooth, full taste and clean finish.

The bottle and furoshiki wrapping cloth were designed by Chiso, a renowned name in the world of Kyoto Yuzen dyeing. There is also a simple version without the furoshiki.

Good to know: recognised by the government since 1976 as a traditional craft and as such protected, Yuzen dyeing is a technique dating back to the 17th century where the designs are painted directly onto the fabric by hand. A rice powder paste is applied to the outline of the pattern to prevent the different colours from mixing, allowing for great precision in the design.

The patterns on this silk furoshiki have meaning:

– the gourds are both a motif of the Yoshinogawa house and an auspicious motif implying happiness, success, longevity and good health, due to their role as medicine containers. There are 6 gourds here because of the homonymy in Japanese between ‘6 gourds’ and ‘good health’ (mubyô).

– The design then combines the words ‘chrysanthemum’ (菊) and ‘running water’ (流水) to form the classic auspicious motif kikusui (菊水) which is supposed to prolong life. Running water is represented by a string of gourds.

– Finally comes the motif of boats: top right and bottom left, in the gourds. The boat at the top right is the ‘river boat’, i.e. a rice husk emblematic of Niigata’s history. The boat on the bottom left is the ‘boat of the sea’, carrying the takarabune motif, the famous boat of the 7 deities traditionally associated with the celebration of the new year, here a symbol of hopes and expectations for the future.

This 26-colour furoshiki expresses the intention of the two Yoshinogawa sakes: the celebration of its 470 years of tradition and the ambition for innovation in the years to come.

About the Yoshinogawa Brewery

Founded in 1548, Yoshinogawa House is the oldest sake house in Niigata, and the 5th oldest in all of Japan. Based in the Settaya district of the famous brewing town of Nagaoka, Yoshinogawa has been making sake in keeping with the times for more than 470 years, incorporating state-of-the-art technology while maintaining the age-old techniques of sake brewing, and it is no exaggeration to say that this balance has been a key factor in Yoshinogawa’s uninterrupted success over the years.