日本語で読む | This is the English version of a bilingual article.
Today’s Pairing
- Sake: Gohhou Tokubetsu Junmai Ichibi, Kitashizuku rice, rice-polishing ratio (seimai buai) 55% / Hakodate Jozo Ltd. (1-2-3 Onakayama, Nanae-cho, Kameda-gun, Hokkaido)
Official site: http://gohhou.jp/ - Kayoukyoku (classic Japanese popular song): “Hakodate no Onna” (“The Woman of Hakodate”), performed by Kitajima Saburo (1965)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_4w5xTNJQU
▶ If the player above doesn’t play, open it on YouTube
The Story of the Brewery
Hakodate Jozo was founded in December 2020 and began brewing in February 2021 — the first new sake brewery to appear in the Donan region (southern Hokkaido) in thirty-five years (and the first new brewery owner in eighty-four years). Local sake breweries had long since vanished from Donan, and it was Setsuko Tomihara, who had run a sake shop in Nanae-cho for nearly a century, who stepped in to fill that gap. Moved by the thought that “it’s a shame Donan has no brewery producing local sake,” she decided to open one, acquiring the management rights and license from a brewery in Okayama Prefecture to make it happen.
Brewing was entrusted to toji (master brewer) Hiroki Higashiya, a graduate of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine who spent over thirty years honing his craft at breweries including Kitanohomare Shuzo, Sapporo Shusei Kogyo, and Kunikoi Shuzo. A veteran with three gold medals from the National New Sake Awards to his name, he draws his brewing water from the springs of Mt. Yokotsu (elevation 1,166.9m) and uses locally grown Nanae-cho rice varieties — Ginpu, Suisei, and Kitashizuku. He named the brewery’s flagship label “Gohhou,” meaning “brewed with the treasure of one’s home region,” to capture that resolve.
The tokubetsu junmai we’re pairing today is brewed from Kitashizuku, a sake rice grown under contract in Hokkaido, polished down to a seimai buai of 55%. At 15% alcohol, it’s known for a crisp, clean finish and a soft aroma, and it was selected for Hokkaido’s “Hokkaido High-Grade Foods 2023” list.
The Story of the Land
Nanae-cho borders Hakodate City to the north and is home to Onuma Quasi-National Park — a Donan town shaped by abundant springs flowing from mountains like Mt. Yokotsu and an inland climate with sharp seasonal temperature swings, conditions that have long supported rice and sake production here. Just to the south lies Hakodate itself, a port town that once thrived as a stopover for the kitamae-bune trading ships that carried people and goods along Japan’s coast.
Yet at some point, the flame of local sake brewing went out across the entire Donan region, Hakodate included. Thirty-five years is roughly the span of an entire generation. The birth of Hakodate Jozo marks the return of a “local sake” culture that had long been absent from this land.
The Story of the Song
“Hakodate no Onna” was released on November 10, 1965, as a single by Kitajima Saburo, with lyrics by Tetsuro Hoshino and music by Nobuo Shimazu. It stands as one of Kitajima Saburo’s signature songs and the song that launched the “Hakodate” series that would follow.
The song tells of a man who cannot forget the woman he stubbornly walked away from, and who, unable to stay away any longer, returns to Hakodate. Against a backdrop of harbor fog and lights, it weaves together lingering attachment and the hope of reunion. A song monument still stands at the foot of Mt. Hakodate today, drawing visitors as one of the city’s landmarks.
Why This Pairing
The protagonist of “Hakodate no Onna” once left this port town, only to return, unable to forget what he left behind. Hakodate Jozo’s own story is likewise one of homecoming — a local sake tradition, absent for thirty-five years, finding its way back to this land once more. The devotion held in the brand name “Gohhou,” meaning “the treasure of one’s home,” echoes the single-minded determination of the song’s protagonist returning to the woman he loves.
The clean, crisp character of a sake brewed with the waters of Mt. Yokotsu recalls Kitajima Saburo’s low, unadorned voice and the quiet, damp atmosphere unique to a harbor town. It’s a pairing of two things that, after a long absence, have found their way straight back home.
Where to Find This Bottle
The Rakuten Ichiba link below is an affiliate link.
- Brewery’s official site: http://gohhou.jp/
- Search on Rakuten Ichiba: Gohhou Tokubetsu Junmai Ichibi, polished to 55%
Note: both Rakuten and Amazon links above lead to Japan-based retailers. They’re most convenient for readers in Japan, or for those elsewhere who are able to arrange international shipping. Stock and availability change over time, so if you’re near a specialty sake shop, it’s well worth asking for this label by name.
A Pairing Dish Worth Trying
- Ika Sashi (sliced raw squid)
Hakodate is synonymous with squid. Its clear sweetness and springy texture pair beautifully with the gentle richness of a tokubetsu junmai.
Recipe (in Japanese): クラシル「イカの刺身の切り方」 - Matsumae-zuke
A Donan local dish of shredded squid, kelp, and herring roe marinated in a soy-based sauce. Its deep, chewy umami mirrors the straightforward rice flavor of a tokubetsu junmai.
Recipe (in Japanese): クラシル「めんつゆで簡単 松前漬け」
A note on the science: the glutamic acid and inosinic acid-rich umami compounds in squid and kelp overlap with the rice-derived amino acids in junmai sake, creating an “umami synergy” that lengthens and deepens the lingering finish on the palate.
Visiting the Brewery
Hakodate Jozo (Gohhou)
1-2-3 Onakayama, Nanae Town, Kameda District, Hokkaido. About a 7-min walk from Onakayama Station (JR Hakodate Main Line).
A brewery revived in southern Hokkaido in 2021 (its shop is open weekends and holidays only, 10:00-12:00 / 13:00-16:00).
Sights Nearby
- Goryokaku Park and Goryokaku Tower / Hakodate City | ~20 min, ~9 km by car from the brewery
The star-shaped fort built at the end of the Edo period. The park is free to enter, and the observation deck of the adjacent tower (paid) shows the whole star shape. - Onuma Quasi-National Park / Nanae Town | ~25 min, ~15 km by car from the brewery
A lake district where Onuma and Konuma mirror Mt. Komagatake, with sightseeing boats, rental rowboats and lakeside walking paths.
Hot Springs Nearby
- Yunokawa Onsen / Hakodate City | ~25 min, ~14 km by car from the brewery
A seaside hot-spring district in Hakodate. Many of its inns accept day-use bathers (around ¥800 for adults; check each one’s hours).
Opening hours, closing days and day-use bathing availability can change. Please check each facility’s official information before visiting.
A Quick Glossary of Sake Terms
- Tokubetsu Junmai (special pure rice sake): A junmai sake brewed with a special method or rice variety, both of which are disclosed on the label.
- Seimai buai (rice-polishing ratio): The percentage of the original brown rice grain remaining after polishing. The lower the number, the more the rice has been polished down.
Sources
- Hakodate Jozo “Gohhou” – Official Site
- Nanae Town Official Site: Hakodate Jozo “Gohhou”
- Hakodate no Onna – Wikipedia
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Read this article in Japanese: 三十五年ぶりに、酒は港へ帰ってきた