Yamamoto Honke of Fushimi sponsors Kanze school Noh troupe's European tour

Fushimi, in the south of Kyoto, has long been blessed with high-quality groundwater and is known as one of Japan’s leading sake-brewing districts. Yamamoto Honke Co., Ltd. (president Genbei Yamamoto, the eleventh head of the family), which has brewed sake here since 1677, announced that it would sponsor the Kanze school Noh troupe’s performances in Germany and Belgium in September 2026. The sake it provided is Shinsei Junmai Daiginjo Yamadanishiki Hiongakoi, the brewery’s flagship. The company said it would offer this sake to the cultural figures and audiences in Europe who come to see the Noh performances.

A 600-year-old performing art and a 350-year-old brewery

Noh is a classical Japanese stage art of masks, chanting and dance, perfected in the 14th and 15th centuries by the father and son Kan’ami and Zeami. The Kanze school is its largest school, and for this tour the 26th head of the school, Kiyokazu Kanze, travelled to Europe together with his eldest son, Saburota Kanze, and others. The schedule was as follows: 21 September at the Berlin Philharmonie (Berliner Festspiele), 24 September at the Prinzregententheater in Munich (Musica Viva), 26 September at BOZAR in Brussels (a special performance marking 160 years of Japan–Belgium friendship), and 28 September at the Kölner Philharmonie in Cologne. Yamamoto Honke gave as its reason for sponsoring the tour its sympathy with the spirit of Noh, handed down since the Muromachi period, and said it hopes to deepen international understanding of Japanese culture.

What is “Hiongakoi”?

“Junmai daiginjo” is a top category of sake, made only from rice, rice koji and water, with the rice heavily polished from the outside before brewing. This sake uses only Yamadanishiki, the best-known sake rice variety, with a rice polishing ratio of 50%, meaning that the outer half of each grain has been milled away. The name “Hiongakoi” refers to storage at a very low temperature. The freshly pressed sake is left to rest as it is and matured patiently until its flavour gains depth. According to the brewery, it has a gentle sweetness and a fruity aroma, with a smooth, rich palate. It has won a Double Gold Medal in the junmai daiginjo category at Milano Sake Challenge 2024 and a Gold Medal in the Yamadanishiki category at France’s Kura Master 2020, earning recognition from European judges as well.

How to enjoy it in Europe

The tour came to an end with the Cologne performance on 28 September. Even if you could not attend, you can recognise the bottle by the brand name “Shinsei” (神聖) and the spelling “Hiongakoi”. This sake is said to be enjoyable across a wide range of temperatures, from well chilled to hot. You can explore how the taste changes with temperature, for example by tasting the fruitiness when chilled and the fullness of the rice when slightly warmed. Fushimi sake is generally said to have a soft mouthfeel, and this is a bottle that pairs easily with delicately flavoured dishes such as white fish, chicken and mushroom dishes.