Kozaemon Okome no Chikara Hidahomare Nama

Kozaemon Okome no Chikara Hidahomare Nama (小左衛門 お米の力 ひだほまれ 生酒) is made of ungraded Hidahomare rice milled to 70%. This posed a high hurdle to the tōji but resulted in a pleasing aroma you wouldn't expect from non-premium rice. Being non-premium, this sake is classified as futsushu (regular sake). The umami gradually comes later, presenting a clean, crisp, and dry sake. In addition to drinking it chilled, we recommend it slightly warmed or on the rocks. Okome no Chikara ("The Power of Rice") was first made experimentally in 2023 and represents good value for money.

Nakajima Shuzō was founded in 1702, when Nakajima Kozaemon Yonobu (中島小左衛門用信) established a small brewery in the area that is now part of Mizunami, Gifu. The Nakajima family kept the craft going across the Edo and Meiji periods, adjusting to changing tastes and new brewing standards while holding on to the house style that defined their sake. By 1953, the twelfth-generation head, also named Nakajima Kozaemon, took the step of incorporating the business, signalling a shift from a long family tradition into a more modern company structure.

The brewery's direction changed noticeably in the late 1990s, when it began experimenting with aged sake and looking for ways to place its products in a different cultural setting. This led to the introduction of labels featuring artwork by the painter Paul Klee, whose gentle lines and colours gave the bottles a distinct identity. Under the Shiroku (始禄) label, Nakajima released three sakes with their own moods and stories: Hansen (帆船), Ayumi (歩み) and Wasureppoi tenshi (忘れっぽい天使). Each marked a slight departure from convention while still staying true to the family's brewing roots. The launch of the Kozaemon brand in 2000 continued that process, giving the brewery a clear, recognisable name for its core line.

A more practical change came in 2018, when Nakajima completed a new brewery building. The updated facilities enabled them to move away from the old winter-only brewing cycle and adopt year-round seasonal production. With that shift, they began offering a wider range of limited- and seasonal-sake offerings, reflecting the character of each brewing period while maintaining the steady, careful approach that has carried the family brewery through more than three centuries.