Sake to toast the end of civil war

by | Aug 28, 2018 | Sake News from Japan

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The Minyu Net site has a report on a small celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Boshin Civil War, namely a special edition 300 ml bottle of sake on sale from JR East in Tohoku.

The conflict was part of the Meiji Restoration, where social changes and pressure from other countries prompted the end of shogunate rule in Japan and a “restoration” of Imperial power, although that was more or less in name only.

The label features Hijikata Toshizō, vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, a famous pro-shogunate unit made up of former Samurai who operated in Kyoto. The bottle contains a tokubetsu junmai from the Eisen Shuzō brewery with the impressive name of Aizu Province Matsudaira Higo no Kami oadzukari Shingsengumi Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizō (会津藩　松平肥後守御預り　新選組副長　土方歳三義豊).

Only 2,000 bottles will be initially available from 10 August 2018. This is the third in a series of commemorative bottles, with previous ones featuring Saitō Hajime, captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi, and the group as a whole. The sake is made from Miyama Nishiki rice grown in Aizu, and has a clear texture and is semi-dry.

The commemoration is a joint venture between JR East and the Mori company in Koriyama, Fukushima. The 300 ml bottles cost JPY 1,000 (tax included). They will be sold at all JR stations in Fukushima, including Aizu Wakamatsu and Koriyama.

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