Uka

Items

Uka (300 ml) Black Label Organic Junmai Daiginjo	Login	—	In Stock
Uka (300 ml) Dry Organic Junmai Daiginjo	Login	—	In Stock
Uka (300 ml) Sparkling Organic Junmai Daiginjo	Login	—	In Stock
Uka (720 ml) Black Label Organic Junmai Daiginjo	Login	—	In Stock
Uka (720 ml) Dry Organic Junmai Daiginjo	Login	—	In Stock
Uka (720 ml) Sparkling Organic Junmai Daiginjo	Login	—	In Stock

The Family Legacy
Uka Sake represents the latest chapter in a storied Japanese American agricultural legacy. The story begins with Keisaburo Koda, a visionary entrepreneur and second son of a samurai and rice miller from Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Keisaburo immigrated to California in 1908 and launched a series of ventures—from tuna canneries to oil exploration—before ultimately focusing on rice farming.

In 1928, he established what would become Koda Farms in California’s San Joaquin Valley, creating a vertically integrated rice operation that managed everything from seed propagation to packaging. Keisaburo introduced groundbreaking techniques like aerial seeding and custom rice breeding—innovations that earned him the title “Rice King of California.”
Koda Farms thrived until World War II, when the Koda family was forcibly incarcerated at the Amache internment camp in Colorado. Upon their return in 1945, they found nearly everything lost: over 9,000 acres of land, equipment, airplanes, livestock, and homes. Undeterred, Keisaburo and his sons, Bill and Ed, rebuilt the farm from the ground up.

In the 1950s, the Kodas—working with rice breeder Hughes Williams—developed a proprietary variety: Kokuho Rose® (KR55). A refined evolution of Calrose, KR55 was bred to thrive in California’s conditions and deliver exceptional taste, texture, and milling quality. Its beautiful grain structure, floral aroma, and subtly sweet flavor quickly set a new standard for premium medium-grain rice in the state. Today, the certified organic KR55 variety forms the foundation of Uka Sake.

Ross Koda: A New Contribution
Ross Koda, Keisaburo’s grandson, grew up immersed in the rhythms of farm life—surrounded by rice fields, silos, and the hum of the family mill. After years of managing Koda Farms alongside his sister Robin, Ross felt called to create something uniquely his own—an expression that honored the family legacy while charting a new course.

Inspired by the Kodas’ ancestral roots in Fukushima, Ross began experimenting in 2019 with crafting sake from the family’s organic rice. He envisioned a sake that would fuse California’s agricultural excellence with Japan’s centuries-old brewing traditions. He named the project Uka, the Japanese word for “emergence.” The name symbolizes transformation, renewal, and continuity—a bridge across generations, cultures, and continents.

The sake label features a sumi-e style butterfly, symbolizing metamorphosis. Its lower wings are stylized maps of California and Fukushima, visually linking the Kodas’ present and past. Uka is imported through Ross’s company Omurasaki, named for Japan’s giant purple butterfly.

Brewed in Fukushima
Uka is brewed at Ninki Shuzō, a family-run brewery in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. Yujin Yusa, owner-brewer at Ninki, was moved by Ross’s story: “After hearing about Ross’s roots and Keisaburo’s life story, I felt I wanted to make Ross’s wishes come true.”

Initially unfamiliar with KR55, Yusa conducted a series of brewing trials. Compared to softer Japanese sake rice varieties like Chiyonishiki or Gohyakumangoku, KR55 is longer and firmer, requiring adjustments in water absorption and fermentation. By the third tank, Yusa had crafted a sake he felt could stand alongside his finest work.

Though Kokuho Rose was not bred as a sake rice, the KR55 strain yielded surprisingly compelling results. Uka’s production model is shaped by a strong environmental conscience. While some have questioned the sustainability of exporting rice to Japan and back, Ross has taken steps to reduce the brand’s carbon footprint. Beginning with the 2023 vintage, he partnered with a specialty rice miller in Sacramento to polish the rice to a 40% ratio prior to export—a change that reduced shipping weight and emissions by 60%.

A Changing Future
In 2024, the Koda family made the difficult decision to step back from active farming, licensing five of their historic trademarks—including Kokuho Rose®—to Western Foods. While Koda Farms as a growing operation is winding down, Ross ensured that Uka Sake would continue. The 2024 vintage uses KR55 grown on family-owned land; future vintages will rely on trusted organic growers in South Dos Palos and Northern California.

Ross is also experimenting with growing KR55 organically in Japan—an ambitious effort that could one day bring the rice full circle, cultivating it near the family’s ancestral home and brewing it nearby.

As the Kodas reflect on the transition, the theme of reinvention remains constant. “For what our parents and grandparents went through, we feel a huge sense of obligation,” said Robin. “But in another sense, I feel like it’s time to move on. My grandfather reinvented himself so many times after immigrating here—I think if he were in our boots, he’d say yes, it’s time."