Takijiman

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Takijiman (720 ml) 'Hayase' Junmai, Mie Prefecture

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Founded in 1868, Takijiman Shuzo is located in the Iga Basin of Mie Prefecture, a mountainous region in central Japan celebrated for its pristine water, quality rice, and long tradition of sake brewing. The area is also the historic home of the Iga-ryu ninja tradition and sits amid the forested mountains and valleys of the surrounding national parkland.

Central to the identity of Takijiman is the nearby Akame 48 Waterfalls, a series of waterfalls flowing through a dramatic valley near the brewery. The area is renowned for the quality of its water, with the soft riverbed and groundwater associated with Akame recognized among Japan’s notable natural water sources. This exceptionally soft water, together with locally grown rice, provides the foundation for Takijiman’s elegant style of sake.

Akame itself is a place steeped in legend. The name, meaning “red eye,” is associated with En no Gyoja, the seventh-century ascetic and mystic traditionally regarded as the founder of Shugendo. According to legend, while practicing in the mountains he encountered Fudo Myo-o, the Buddhist guardian deity, riding a red-eyed ox near the falls The 48 refers to the number of bodhisattvas in the Buddhist pantheon.

Takijiman translates roughly to “proud waterfall,” an appropriate name for a brewery so closely connected to the water and landscape surrounding it.