The underground water of Asahigawa river, drawn from 100m beneath, is used for brewing sake. The location is exceptionally blessed for brewing and chosen as one of the 100 best waters of Japan.

The name of the representative sake, Hijiri, comes from ancient Japanese poem by Otomo no Tabito, poet of Manyo, who recited poem “in ancient times, code word for sake was said to be saint (hijiri). How wonderful are the words of great saint that named sake as such.”

 In Okayama, where sweet sake is the mainstream, Hijiri has been brewed since 1974 as sake that appeals for its dry taste. Taking daiginjo as meaning the highest quality, it was capped with letter of “kiwami” (means “to attain the ultimate goal”) and was named “Kiwami Hijiri”. The number of times it won gold prize in Annual Japan Sake Awards is highest in Okayama Prefecture. 

Currently, the representative sake has been changed over to Kiwami Hijiri. Manyo is the collection of oldest Japanese poems put together from late 7th century to end of 8th century. Daiginjo is top-quality sake brewed from rice grains milled to 50% or less of their weight.