Junmai Ginjo Murasaki-No-Eikun (720 ml)

When the Saito family adopted the name Eikun in 1915 to mark Emperor Taisho's ascension, they were already two decades into building a house philosophy around a single conviction: that Fushimi's water, not winemaking intervention, should define the sake. That water — the 'Fusui' underground spring flowing beneath the Momoyama Hills, designated one of Japan's top 100 water sources — is exceptionally soft and low in iron, producing the gentle, mellow texture that defines the Fushimi onna-zake (feminine sake) archetype.

The rice is equally site-locked. Eikun sources approximately 40% of all Iwai rice grown in Kyoto Prefecture — a variety developed in 1933, revived in 1988, and unavailable to breweries outside the region. For this Junmai Ginjo, rice is polished to ≤60% seimaibuai, then fermented cold using Kyoto-sourced yeast by a Nanbu Toji guild brewmaster via the traditional sandan jikomi (three-addition) method. No distilled alcohol is added in any junmai-designated expression.

What separates Eikun from Nada-style producers is a deliberate rejection of dryness and assertiveness in favour of a food-harmonious softness calibrated to Kyoto kaiseki. The Murasaki-no-Eikun delivers ginjo-grade aromatics without sacrificing the round, low-mineral texture that makes it unusually versatile at the table.