[6161] Suiryu Junmai Junkara 睡龍 純米 醇辛 久保本家酒造 奈良県 29BY(2017) 1800ml

29BY(2017) Junmai
Gohyakumangoku, Rice polishing rate 65%

Complete fermentation and long aging periods combine to create a one-of-a-kind junmai-shu. It is released from the brewery after 6–8 years, sometimes over 10 years of extended maturation. Naturally, it continues to age for years afterward, even evolving and maturing for several years after opening. It has beautiful amber colour and superb purity. “Suiryū” (“Sleeping Dragon”) evokes a dragon awakening from deep slumber, symbolizing sake that reveals its true character through patient maturation.

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Kimoto Method

Kimoto is a traditional brewing method featuring 'Yama-oroshi'—a labor-intensive process where brewers manually mash steamed rice and koji into a paste using wooden poles. This traditional technique fosters natural, wild lactic acid bacteria, yielding a sake with a robust, deeply layered umami and a crisp acidity.

Dragon Legends

People in Chinese culture really love dragons. In China, dragons are revered as sacred symbols of power, good fortune, and the emperor, embodying benevolence as masters of rain and water. This influence reached Japan through Tang dynasty envoys during the Nara period, forming the foundation of dragon deity worship. Nara is truly the heartland. Particularly around Uda City’s Murou district—near Kubohonke Shuzō—abundant dragon legends, sacred sites, and spiritual power spots exist, with rain-prayer rituals still performed today. 

Meanwhile, in Japan, long before dragon deity worship was transmitted from the Tang dynasty, the Ōmononushi no Kami had been venerated as the serpent god, water god, and thunder god at Ōmiwa Shrine on Mount Miwa. We will set aside a separate occasion later to explain this clearly and simply.

Among the various dragon legends, “Suiryū” means “sleeping dragon,” symbolizing sealing and protection. Kubohonke Shuzō’s “Suiryū” (“Sleeping Dragon”) evokes a dragon awakening from deep slumber, symbolizing sake that reveals its true character through patient maturation. Far from flashy youth, this is sake that grows richer and deeper with time.

This slender, ribbon-like paper label, spiraled around the bottle, is a stylized design of a dragon—and it’s a registered trademark of Kubohonke Shuzō.

>>>Read about Dragon Legends at the News Archive

>>>Read more about history of Nara and Suiryu at the News Archive