Senchuuhassaku Tokubetsu Junmai

Tsukasa Botan Brewing, established in 1603 in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku island, is named for an expression given to it by Meiji-era statesman Count Tanaka Mitsuaki: 'The tree peony (botan) is the king of flowers, become the leader (tsukasa) of kings.' The brewery draws on water from the Niyodo River, consistently ranked the clearest river in Japan, and has deep historical ties to Sakamoto Ryoma, the celebrated Meiji Restoration patriot from Tosa (modern Kochi). The Senchuuhassaku brand name references a political essay Ryoma wrote aboard a ship, advocating eight governance reforms for post-feudal Japan. Made from Yamada Nishiki rice polished to 57% with a sake meter value of +8, this Tokubetsu Junmai is decisively dry, clean, and elegant, the prototypical expression of Kochi's karakuchi (dry) sake culture.