MATSUI - KAGURA CLEAR JUNMAI NAMAZAKE

Brewery Information

PICK-UP ONLY This sake is "raw" and has never been pasteurized, making it extremely delicate due to its freshness.

Matsui Shuzo is a historic sake brewery from Kyoto, founded in 1726, during the 11th year of the Kyōhō period. The brewery is located in a remarkable part of Kyoto, surrounded by the natural beauty of the 36 Higashiyama mountains and the Kamo River, with the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Shimogamo Shrine nearby, and Mount Daimonji to the east.

After a long period of inactivity, partly caused by changes in the underground water due to construction works in Kyoto, the brewery was restarted in 2009. Today, Matsui Shuzo is led by Jiemon Matsui, the 15th generation, serving as President, Kuramoto, and Tōji of the brewery.

Jiemon Matsui did not grow up as the classic “brewery owner's son.” He studied law and was about to pursue a legal career when his father asked him to return to Kyoto to relaunch the family brewery. One sentence convinced him:

“There are many people who can become lawyers, but only you can make the sake of Matsui Brewery.”

Starting in 2008, Jiemon Matsui learned the craft of brewing at Kizakura in Fushimi. Later, he was mentored by Ryozo Michitaka, an experienced tōji with more than forty years of expertise. In 2012, Jiemon Matsui became the tōji of Matsui Shuzo himself. Since then, he has combined nearly 300 years of family history with a modern, precise, and approachable vision of sake.

The brewery itself is compact, with only 130 m² of production space. Matsui Shuzo even became an example for other breweries dreaming of restarting in a limited space. Today, the brewery produces around 300 koku per year, approximately 54,000 liters, with a strong focus on precision, hygiene, and manual craftsmanship. Technically, the brewery is highly refined. Matsui Shuzo works with temperature-controlled tanks, a stainless steel koji room, and an exceptional focus on hygiene and quality control. Machines are not used to make the work easier, but to improve quality. Craftsmanship remains central: important steps, such as carrying steamed rice, are still done by hand.

For brewing, Matsui Shuzo uses soft water from a source about 50 meters deep, with a character reminiscent of the famous soft brewing water of Fushimi. This combination of soft water, small-scale production, handcraft, and precise temperature control forms the foundation of Matsui Shuzo’s elegant Kyoto style.

The Kagura range is one of the brewery’s most recognizable lines. Kagura represents a modern interpretation of Kyoto sake: refined, aromatic, approachable, and made with exceptional technical precision. With Kagura, Jiemon Matsui aims to create sake in which both aroma and flavor come together at a high level—the elegant fragrance of a ginjo style, combined with the depth, texture, and rice expression of a junmai.

Kagura’s slogan, “Bishu Nichirin no Gotoshi,” can be loosely translated as “delicious as the sun.” It refers not only to the sake’s bright, radiant style, but also to Matsui’s sustainable approach: a significant part of the energy used in production is generated through solar power.

Kagura Clear is a Junmai Namazake brewed with Kyoto’s famous sake rice Iwai, polished to 65%. This sake uses the newly developed Kyoto yeast Kyo no Koi, making Kagura Clear a true Kyoto sake: Kyoto rice, Kyoto yeast, and Kyoto craftsmanship.

Thanks to Yodan-jikomi 四段仕込み, a four-stage brewing process in which an extra fourth addition is made during the main fermentation, this sake gains extra depth, natural rice sweetness, and a fuller body. The long fermentation at ultra-low temperature creates clear aromas, fresh fruity notes, and a beautifully balanced finish.

In the glass, Kagura Clear shows elegant notes of Muscat grape, green apple, and soft rice sweetness, with a fresh, lively structure. Because this is a namazake, an unpasteurized sake, it must always be kept chilled to preserve its fresh aromas and delicate character.

Kagura Clear is refined enough for the sake enthusiast, yet also especially approachable for those discovering sake for the first time. This fits perfectly within Jiemon Matsui’s vision: to make sake that is technically precise, aromatic, and rich, but above all immediately pleasurable in the glass.

Anyone visiting Matsui Shuzo should not forget one of their famous T-shirts featuring the text “Multiple Parallel Fermentation,” a playful reference to the unique brewing process that makes sake so special.