Hiraizumi Hompo, founded in 1487 in Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, is the oldest sake brewery in Akita and among the three oldest in all of Japan. The brewery's Hiraizumi brand is built almost entirely around the yamadai brewing method, which develops the sake starter naturally using wild lactic acid bacteria rather than commercial additives, producing sake that is dry, bold, and distinctly at odds with Akita's more commonly soft, feminine regional style. Mineral-rich hard water drawn from the brewery's own wells supports this traditional approach, which has been sustained continuously for over five centuries.
