Eikun Karakuchi

Saito Shuzo was established in 1895 in Fushimi, Kyoto, though the Saito family's commercial roots in the district trace to the late 17th century, when they operated a kimono trade before pivoting to sake. The brewery brews exclusively with Iwai rice, a Kyoto heirloom variety that can only be grown within the prefecture and whose cultivation rights are restricted to local breweries, making Eikun sake an expression tied by law to its terroir. The brewing water is Fusui, rated among Japan's top 100 water sources for its exceptional softness and clarity. Saito Shuzo has won the gold award at the Annual Japan Sake Awards 14 consecutive years, a record that stands as the most successful run in the competition's history; the Karakuchi Honjozo anchors the range as the dry, food-forward expression of that pedigree.