Kunimare Kaisen

Kunimare Kaisen (国稀酒造 国稀 佳撰) is one of the standard products of Kunimare Shuzō, the northernmost sake brewery in Japan, located in Mashike (増毛) on the western coast of Hokkaidō. Designed as an approachable everyday sake, it is known for its soft umami, smooth texture, and clean finish.

The sake has a mellow and rounded profile that keeps excessive sharpness in check while maintaining a refreshing character. Although classified as slightly sweet (やや甘口 yaya amakuchi), it remains well balanced, with gentle richness and a light, easy-drinking finish. According to tasting impressions, the palate is clean and smooth at first, then gradually develops sweetness, acidity, and a mild dryness. A faint alcoholic note may linger in the aftertaste, though without becoming overpowering.

Kunimare Kaisen is brewed from domestically produced rice polished to 65%, using rice kōji and added brewing alcohol. Sugars are also added during production, a traditional method sometimes used to adjust balance and texture in everyday table sake. In this case, however, the added sugars reportedly integrate naturally into the overall flavour and do not stand out prominently.

With an alcohol content of 15.5%, an SMV of +1, and an acidity level of 1.2, the sake is intended to pair comfortably with richer foods. The brewery especially recommends dishes with full-bodied flavours, such as miso-based cuisine, grilled chicken with sauce, eel kabayaki (蒲焼), beef stew, and creamy dishes. Its broad drinking range also allows it to be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature, or gently warmed.

Sold in a 900 ml bottle, Kunimare Kaisen remains one of the brewery's representative everyday sakes, combining the easy drinkability associated with Hokkaidō sake with the fuller style of a traditional umakuchi (旨口) table sake.

Kunimare Sake Brewery, officially known as Kunimare Shuzō (國稀酒造), was founded in 1882 in the coastal town of Mashike (増毛) in northwestern Hokkaidō. The brewery was established by Taizō Honma (本間泰蔵, 1849–1908), a merchant originally from Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture who moved to Mashike during the early development of Hokkaidō.

At the time, Mashike was prospering through the herring fishing industry, which attracted large numbers of seasonal workers and traders to the region. Honma first operated a kimono and general goods business under the name Maruichi Honma (丸一本間). As the town expanded, he entered several new industries, including shipping, fisheries, and eventually sake brewing. According to surviving records, he carefully compared the cost of purchasing sake with brewing it himself before deciding to establish a brewery.

Sake production initially began to supply workers involved in the herring industry, where sake played an important role during celebrations and communal gatherings. The growing demand soon led to commercial production, and in 1902, a stone-built brewery was constructed in Mashike. The brewery's warehouses and buildings, many of which still survive today, became closely associated with the town's prosperity during the late Meiji period .

The brewery's original sake brand was called Kuninohomare (國之譽). In 1920, the name was changed to Kunimare (國稀) in honour of General Nogi Maresuke. Honma reportedly admired the general deeply and received permission to use one character from Nogi's given name, "Mare" (稀), in the brand name. The new name meant "a sake rare throughout the country."

During the twentieth century, Kunimare grew alongside Mashike's fishing industry and became known as Japan's northernmost sake brewery. The brewery relied on exceptionally soft underground water from the Shokanbetsu mountain range (暑寒別岳), a feature that continues to shape the brewery's crisp, slightly dry sake style.

After the Second World War, however, the herring industry declined rapidly, and Mashike's economy entered a difficult period. Although many local breweries disappeared, Kunimare survived by adapting its production and maintaining strong ties to the local community. Over time, it developed a reputation for clean, dry sake styles closely associated with Hokkaidō cuisine and climate.

Today, Kunimare remains the only surviving brewery in Mashike and one of Hokkaidō's best-known sake producers. The brewery preserves many of its historic stone warehouses and old brewing equipment, several of which are open to visitors as part of a museum and tasting facility. Alongside its flagship dry sake "Hokkai Onikoroshi" (北海鬼ころし), Kunimare continues to produce sake rooted in Mashike's maritime history and northern brewing traditions.