Tentaka

On a trip to Kyoto, liquor wholesaler Motoichi Ozaki had a dream in which he saw a hawk soaring toward the heavens. The hawk is a powerful image for the Japanese, for its piercing eyes and ability to fly high. When, in 1914, he bought a sake brewery in Yuzukami that was near bankruptcy, the dream remained in his mind. He decided to sell his sake under the name Tentaka, or "Hawk in the Heavens." Tentaka brewery is nestled in the east end of Nasu Nogahara, in a town called Yuzukami. Surrounded by rice fields and mountains, the air and water are clean and fresh. The area is surrounded by three flowing rivers and has managed to avoid tourism.

"If it isn't dry, it isn't sake." These words of founder Motoichi Ozaki set the course for the style of sake Tentaka would achieve, and it remains so even today. We try to brew sake that is refreshing to drink, sake that can be enjoyed each day. Our current president, Munenori Ozaki, adds, "Personally, I want to create sake with a bit of an umami (deliciousness) and a bit of koku (settled earthiness) to it."

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