Hamakawa Shoten, based in the remote village of Tano in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, has gained international recognition for its brand Bijofu, known for its clear, clean, and well-defined sake. Despite being located in one of the least populated areas of the country, the brewery has won several gold medals at Japan’s largest sake tasting competition.

The region of Kochi is dominated by mountains and has few areas of land suitable for human habitation. The village of Tano is located on a narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the soaring mountains of southern Kochi. The soft water used to brew the sake comes from the subterranean Nahari River.

Bijofu Tokubetsu Junmai is a fresh, medium-light-bodied sake with a snappy, dry finish. It has the aroma of an underripe banana, with notes of passion fruit and a finish of lime zest and freshly cut mint leaves. Made from Matsuyama Mii rice from Ehime milled to 60%, the sake has a definitively dry finish, but the initial flavor is soft and mellow.

The dry and lean character of sake from Kochi makes it an ideal complement to the rich flavors of fatty, deep-water fish like katsuo(bonito), which is locally caught in Tano’s deep Pacific waters. With its zip, spice, and drinkability, this is a defined and precise sake that pairs perfectly with seafood.