HIZIRIZM Hitomebore 35 & 50 "SAVAGE" Kimoto

HIZIRIZM Hitomebore 35 & 50 "SAVAGE" Kimoto (HIZIRIZM ひとめぼれ 35＆50 SAVAGE 生酛) is a Junmai Daiginjō from Hijiri Shuzō in Gunma Prefecture. It is part of the brewery's limited HIZIRIZM range and is made entirely from Hitomebore rice grown locally in Gunma. Although Hitomebore is better known as a table rice, the brewery uses it here for a highly polished sake, with the kōji rice milled to 35% and the remaining rice to 50%.

The sake is brewed using the traditional kimoto method and Kyōkai No. 7 yeast. The current pasteurised version is bottled directly and has an alcohol content of 15%. Despite being pasteurised, it is intended to retain a particularly fresh character and should be stored refrigerated. Hijiri Shuzō describes this release as relatively restrained in sweetness, with flavours reminiscent of pear and melon and a clear, refreshing character. Others mention citrus-like acidity, gentle rice sweetness and a slight natural fizziness. The kimoto brewing method gives the sake additional depth while keeping the overall character fresh and easy to drink.

Hijiri Shuzō (聖酒造) is one of Gunma Prefecture's older sake breweries. It was founded in March 1841, towards the end of the Edo period, by Denbei Imai (今井傳兵衛). Denbei had separated from the family of Zenbei Imai, who held an important administrative position representing 26 villages in the Maebashi domain. He initially established himself through the raw-silk and pawnbroking trades before moving into sake brewing.

The brewery stands on the southwestern foothills of Mount Akagi (赤城山), an area rich in natural water resources. Water from this environment has been central to its brewing since its foundation. The brewery describes its surroundings as a green rural landscape where fireflies can still be seen, and today presents its sake as the continuation of more than 180 years and eight generations of brewing.

The Imai family also preserves a much older local tradition concerning its ancestry. About one kilometre north of the brewery is Kiso Sansha Shrine (木曾三社神社), around which survives a legend concerning retainers of the twelfth-century warrior Kiso Yoshinaka (木曾義仲). According to family tradition, the Imai line descends from Imai Shirō Kanehira (今井四郎兼平), one of Yoshinaka's most celebrated retainers. This is a traditional genealogy rather than a securely documented line of descent, but it became intertwined with the brewery's identity.

Water from a clear spring in the shrine grounds was formerly used for brewing. Reflecting this connection, the brewery's sake was sold under the name Kisogawa (木曽川) until before the Second World War. The brewery subsequently became particularly associated with Kantō no Hana (かんとうのはな), which remains one of its principal labels. Other names produced over the years have included Jōshū Karakkaze (上州からっ風), Sakaya Denbei (酒屋傳兵衛), Akagi Hime (赤城姫), Jōmō Sanzan (上毛三山) and Hijiri (聖).

The name Hijiri (聖) has a specific significance for the brewery. Its website refers to a poem by the Man'yōshū poet Ōtomo no Tabito (大伴旅人), in which Hijiri is associated with fine, clear sake. The brewery has adopted this older literary association as part of the identity of its modern Hijiri range.

Hijiri Shuzō has also had considerable success in sake competitions. The Gunma Sake Brewers Association has received repeated recognition at the Annual Japan Sake Awards, including a gold medal in 2009, its tenth gold award, following a run of seven consecutive awards.

Today, the brewery produces sake, shōchū and liqueurs. Alongside the long-established Kantō no Hana, the Hijiri range represents its more contemporary premium sake, while HIZIRIZM is used for more experimental and limited releases. HIZIRIZM Hitomebore 35 & 50 "SAVAGE" Kimoto fits into this latter part of the brewery's production: it combines kimoto brewing with unusually highly polished Gunma-grown Hitomebore rather than relying solely on conventional sake-rice varieties. The brewery remains at its historic base in Shibukawa and continues to be closely identified with the Mount Akagi area.