Celebrating Ishikawa’s Sake Community (March 2026)

This month's sake selection for Sake Gumi: Tengumai 50 Junmai Daiginjo and Tama the Cat Junmai Ginjo

This month I am continuing on the Ishikawa Prefecture theme, spotlighting Shata Shuzo in Hakusan City. The brewery is located about 90 minutes south of Kanazawa, along the sea of Japan. I have been a fan of their sake for over 10 years, and you will always see Tengumai Yamahai Junmai on our shelves. For Gumi, I special ordered the Tengumai 50 Junmai Daiginjo, which we’ve never had at the shop before. 

I reached out to Takayuki Kakinuma of Shata Shuzo who kindly enlightened me on the lore of the tengu and the history and concept behind their brewery. Tengumai means “dancing tengu” and this refers to the idea that tengu living in the dense Mt. Haku forests danced when they drank this sake. You will see a tengu on the label of your bottle. Kakinuma adds that “a tengu facing left is looking to the past, while a tengu facing right is looking to the future.” This sake was first made in 2023, to commemorate their 200th anniversary, so the tengu looks to the left to acknowledge their past.

The brewery is still owned by the same family, and in its seventh generation. They have always been committed to making koji by hand, which results in sake that has deeper umami and complex, savory flavors. I found this heavy umami profile to be prevalent in Ishikawa made sakes, especially in last month’s sakes. I wanted to choose a sake this month that was still savory, but a bit lighter for contrast. 

My original plan was to fill the second bottle spot with another sake made by a brewery in Ishikawa, but the realities of the 2024 Noto Earthquake are still present and many breweries are struggling to produce at the capacity that they did before the disaster. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Ishikawa on Jan 1, 2024 and devastated the region, especially those on the Noto peninsula where a handful of breweries exist. The hope is that supporting breweries around the region will help revitalize the ones still rebuilding.

While Shata Shuzo was spared any damage, others were not. “Shata Shuzo rescued mash from the affected breweries (including Sakurada Sake Brewery in Suzu City) and bottled it, and also brewed using rescued sake rice on their behalf,” says Kakinuma. “We also co-brewed and released a collaborative sake at our brewery with Sakurada, which we will do again this year.”

I am incredibly honored to support breweries like Tengumai and Fukumitsuya (from last month) that lift up their fellow community members when disaster strikes. They continue to inspire our efforts here in the Oakland community!

Kanpai,

Yoko (Co-Founder + Sake Director, Umami Mart)

SILVER + GOLD

Tengumai 50 Junmai Daiginjo
Shata Shuzo (Ishikawa, Japan)
Seimaibuai: Yamada Nishiki 50%, SMV: +3, Acidity, 1.4

While Tengumai is known for their aged yamahais, I wanted to bring in something special for Gumi. This junmai daiginjo is lighter, and softer than their typical brews expressing notes of green pears and apple. Keeping in the tradition of Tengumai, the koji for this sake is hand made like all of their other sakes, creating a layered umami that makes a solid food-pairing sake. This sake is pure heaven with clam or mushroom pasta, or halibut baked with herbs and lemon. With food, the sake’s crisp finish or kire shines. Enjoy in a thin rimmed glass chilled or at room temperature.

Kenji Okada who took over as toji of Shata Shuzo in 2024

Tama the Cat Junmai Ginjo 
Tamanohikari Sake Brewing (Kyoto, Japan)
Seimaibuai: Omachi 60%, SMV: -25, Acidity, 2.8

When Yuji Fukai (export manager of Tamanohikari) came to our shop with some of his newest brews over the winter, I was the most intrigued by this bottle. Packaged in a dark wine bottle, it is made with wine yeast to create a tart and sweet profile This is a fruity sake that’s perfect as an aperitif as the weather warms up. The best pairings for this sake were mild but earthy flavors like roasted peanuts, stewed parsnips, and nori-wrapped rice crackers. I also like the lower 12.5% ABV, which gives it a lighter feel. The aroma of red apples is enhanced when chilled thoroughly. And why is there a cat on the label? “Our brewery shares its name with Tama the Cat,” says Mr. Fukai, “who is friendly and playful by morning and mysterious and aloof by night.” While there is no specific Tama, Fukai explained that there are many cats roaming the brewery grounds and this is an homage to them.