Shikoku Sake Awards 2026
The Shikoku Sake Awards (Shikoku Seishu Kanpyokai), held annually in autumn by the Takamatsu Regional Taxation Bureau, consist of the Ginjo-shu category, the Chilled sake (Rei-shu) category and the Warmed sake (Kan-shu) category.
This competition is held to accomplish following goals:
(1) Enhance the technical level of sake brewers in the Shikoku region (Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime and Kochi Prefectures)
(2) Improve the quality of sake and consequently contribute to the sound development of the sake industry
Shikoku Sake Awards 2026 Prize Winners
Twelve breweries won prizes in each of the Ginjo-shu, Chilled Sake (Rei-shu), and Warmed Sake (Kan-shu) categories.
Ginjo-shu category
| Prefecture | Brewery | Brand | Brand(Japanese) | Brew master | JCN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOKUSHIMA | Honke Matsuura Brewing Co., Ltd. | NARUTOTAI DAIGINJO | 鳴門鯛 大吟醸 | NAKAGAWA YASUYUKI | 8480001010026 |
| EHIME | MINAKUCHISHUZO CO., LTD. | NIKITATSU JUNMAIDAIGINJOSHU | NIKITATSU 純米大吟醸酒 | KIKUCHI KENYA | 2500001004030 |
| EHIME | YAGISHUZOBU CO., LTD. | YAMATAN MASAMUNE | 山丹正宗 | ISHIDA MASASHI | 4500001012452 |
| EHIME | ISHIZUCHI SHUZO CORPORATION | ISHIZUCHI | 石鎚 | OCHI MINORU | 2500001008873 |
| EHIME | UMENISHIKIYAMAKAWA CO., LTD. | UMENISHIKI | 梅錦 | TAKEUCHI YUJI | 7500001014561 |
| KOCHI | Sento sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | Tosa Shiragiku | 土佐しらぎく | SENTO RYOTA | 5490002012857 |
| KOCHI | TOSATSURU SENJU BREWERY TOSATSURU SAKE BREWING CO., LTD. | TOSATSURU | 土佐鶴 | SAI AKIO | 8490001006733 |
| KOCHI | TOSATSURU TENPYO BREWERY TOSATSURU SAKE BREWING CO., LTD. | TOSATSURU | 土佐鶴 | OKADA HITOSHI | 8490001006733 |
| KOCHI | MINAMI SHUZOUJO Co., Ltd. | MINAMI | 南 | KONO KORYO | 3490002012974 |
| KOCHI | ARISAWA CO.,LTD | BUNKAJIN | 文佳人 | ARISAWA KOUSUKE | 8490001006056 |
| KOCHI | TAKAGISHUZO.Inc | TOYONOUME | 豊能梅 | TAKAGI IPPO | 1490001006384 |
| KOCHI | TSUKASABOTAN CO., LTD. | TSUKASABOTAN | 司牡丹 | ASANO TORU | 6490001005506 |
JCN : Japan Corporate Number
Chilled sake (Rei-shu) Category
| Prefecture | Brewery | Brand | Brand(Japanese) | Brew master | JCN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOKUSHIMA | Honke Matsuura Brewing Co., Ltd. | NARUTOTAI JUNMAIGINJOTOMOE | 鳴門鯛 純米吟醸巴 | NAKAGAWA YASUYUKI | 8480001010026 |
| EHIME | MINAKUCHISHUZO CO., LTD. | NIKITATSU JUNMAIGINJOSHU | NIKITATSU 純米吟醸酒 | KIKUCHI KENYA | 2500001004030 |
| EHIME | YUKISUZUMESHUZO CO., LTD. | JUNMAI GINJO FUREN | 純米吟醸 風恋 | TOKUNAGA RYOHEI | 9500001000171 |
| EHIME | YAGISHUZOBU CO., LTD. | YAMATAN MASAMUNE | 山丹正宗 | ISHIDA MASASHI | 4500001012452 |
| EHIME | ISHIZUCHI SHUZO CORPORATION | ISHIZUCHI | 石鎚 | OCHI MINORU | 2500001008873 |
| EHIME | SAKAROKU SAKE BREWING Co., Ltd. | KYOHINA | 京ひな | TAKECHI NAOYUKI | 1500001017751 |
| EHIME | UMENISHIKIYAMAKAWA CO., LTD. | UMENISHIKI JYUNMAIGINJYOUGENSHU HIYAOROSHI | 梅錦 純米吟醸原酒 ひやおろし | TAKEUCHI YUJI | 7500001014561 |
| KOCHI | Sento sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | Tosa Shiragiku | 土佐しらぎく | SENTO RYOTA | 5490002012857 |
| KOCHI | TOSATSURU TENPYO BREWERY TOSATSURU SAKE BREWING CO., LTD | TOSATSURU | 土佐鶴 | OKADA HITOSHI | 8490001006733 |
| KOCHI | HAMAKAWA SHOTEN CO., LTD. | BIJOFU JUNMAIGINJO JUNREI TAMA LABEL | 美丈夫 純米吟醸 純麗 たまラベル | OHBA FUMIHIRO | 5490002012931 |
| KOCHI | TAKAGISHUZO.Inc | TOYONOUME | 豊能梅 | TAKAGI IPPO | 1490001006384 |
| KOCHI | Kameizumi Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. | Kameizumi Junmai Ginjo Genshu Koiku No.63 | 亀泉 純米吟醸原酒 高育63号 | SAIBARA KAZUHITO | 8490001005438 |
JCN : Japan Corporate Number
Warmed sake (Kan-shu) Category
| Prefecture | Brewery | Brand | Brand(Japanese) | Brew master | JCN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOKUSHIMA | Honke Matsuura Brewing Co., Ltd. | JUNMAIGINJOGENSHU KAMIKATSUNOTANADAMAITOWAKIMIZU | 純米吟醸原酒 上勝の棚田米と湧水 | NAKAGAWA YASUYUKI | 8480001010026 |
| EHIME | MINAKUCHISHUZO CO., LTD. | NIKITATSU JUNMAISHU | NIKITATSU 純米酒 | KIKUCHI KENYA | 2500001004030 |
| EHIME | YUKISUZUMESHUZO CO., LTD. | JUNMAI GINJO | 純米吟醸 | TOKUNAGA RYOHEI | 9500001000171 |
| EHIME | YAGISHUZOBU CO., LTD. | YAMATAN MASAMUNE | 山丹正宗 | ISHIDA MASASHI | 4500001012452 |
| EHIME | ISHIZUCHI SHUZO CORPORATION | ISHIZUCHI | 石鎚 | OCHI MINORU | 2500001008873 |
| EHIME | SAKAROKU SAKE BREWING Co., Ltd. | KYOHINA | 京ひな | TAKECHI NAOYUKI | 1500001017751 |
| KOCHI | KIKUSUI SHUZO CO., LTD. | SHIMANTOGAWA | 四万十川 | OOHARA TETSUO | 1490001008364 |
| KOCHI | Sento sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | Tosa Shiragiku | 土佐しらぎく | SENTO RYOTA | 5490002012857 |
| KOCHI | TOSATSURU SENJU BREWERY TOSATSURU SAKE BREWING CO., LTD. | TOSATSURU | 土佐鶴 | SAI AKIO | 8490001006733 |
| KOCHI | HAMAKAWA SHOTEN CO., LTD. | BIJOFU TOKUBETSU JUNMAISHU | 美丈夫 特別純米酒 | OHBA FUMIHIRO | 5490002012931 |
| KOCHI | MINAMI SHUZOUJO Co., Ltd. | MINAMI | 南 | KONO KORYO | 3490002012974 |
| KOCHI | TAKAGISHUZO.Inc | TOYONOUME | 豊能梅 | TAKAGI IPPO | 1490001006384 |
JCN : Japan Corporate Number
Entry Status
Category
One entry for each of three categories (Ginjo-shu,Chilled sake(Rei-shu), and Warmed sake(Kan-shu)) is allowed per licensed sake brewery.
(1) Ginjo-shu
Sake produced as ginjo-shu (including junmai-ginjo-shu) at their own sake brewery between July 2025 and June 2026.
(2) Chilled sake(Rei-shu)
Sake produced and processed for sale at their own sake brewery with a mean polished rice ratio of 55% or more.
(3) Warmed sake(Kan-shu)
Sake produced and processed for sale at their own sake brewery with a mean polished rice ratio of 55% or more.
Number of Entries
| Tokushima | Kagawa | Ehime | Kochi | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breweries | 5 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 34 |
| Items (Ginjo-shu) | 5 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 30 |
| Items (Chilled sake) | 4 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 31 |
| Items (Warmed sake) | 4 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 31 |
| Total of Items | 13 | 14 | 33 | 32 | 92 |
Quality Evaluation
Schedule
| Preliminary Ginjo-shu evaluation / Chilled sake(Rei-shu) evaluation | September 15, 2026 | ||
| Final Ginjo-shu evaluation / Warmed sake(Kan-shu) evaluation | September 18, 2026 |
Judges
Judges are experts in evaluating the quality of sake, including:
-Sake brewers
-Researchers of the National Research Institute of Brewing
-Researchers of prefectural brewing-related organizations
-Academics in the field of brewing
-Technical officers of the Takamatsu Regional Taxation Bureau
- Preliminary evaluation of Ginjo-shu / Chilled sake (Rei-shu) evaluation (12 judges)
| Affiliation | Name |
|---|---|
| Tokushima Prefectural Industrial Technology Center | Okahisa Naoki |
| Kagawa Prefectural Industrial Technology Center | Tomimoto Kazuya |
| Saito Brewery Co., Ltd. | Saito Tomohiko |
| NISSIN SHURUI CO., LTD. TAIKO BREWERY | Nakanishi Arase |
| NISHINOKINRYO CORP. | Nishihara Mikihiro |
| MINAKUCHISHUZO CO., LTD. | Kikuchi Kenya |
| YAGISHUZOBU CO., LTD. | Shiomi Takanori |
| UMENISHIKIYAMAKAWA CO., LTD. | Takeuchi Yuji |
| TSUKASABOTAN CO., LTD. | Asano Toru |
| TOSATSURU SAKE BREWING CO., LTD. | Murata Akihiko |
| Takamatsu Regional Taxation Bureau | Kawaguchi Tsutomu |
| Takamatsu Regional Taxation Bureau | Kitamura Tetsuya |
- Final evaluation of Ginjo-shu / Warmed sake (Kan-shu) evaluation (11 judges)
| Affiliation | Name |
|---|---|
| National Research Institute of Brewing | Oda Ken |
| Yasuda Women’s University | Nose Akira |
| Ehime Institute of Industrial Technology | Morimoto Satoshi |
| Kochi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center | Hoki Yoshiro |
| NISSIN SHURUI CO., LTD. TAIKO BREWERY | Tomiyama Akihiro |
| Housui. Brewing CO., Ltd. | Baba Taichi |
| NISHINO KINRYO CORP. | Sakai Shiro |
| AYAKIKUSHUZO CO., LTD. | Miyake Hidekazu |
| ISHIZUCHI SHUZO CORPORATION | Ochi Minoru |
| Takamatsu Regional Taxation Bureau | Kawaguchi Tsutomu |
| Takamatsu Regional Taxation Bureau | Kitamura Tetsuya |
Process
The quality evaluations were performed by sensory evaluation. All entrants were blind-tasted by category. Entrants were served at approximately 20 ℃ (68 ℉) for the Ginjo-shu category, at approximately 10 ℃ (50 ℉) for the Chilled sake(Rei-shu) category and at approximately 45 ℃ (113 ℉) for the Warmed sake (Kan-shu) category.
After the preliminary evaluation in the Ginjo-shu category, the highest scoring entrants were selected for the final evaluation. The prize winners were determined based on the score of the final evaluation. In each of the Chilled sake (Rei-shu) and the Warmed sake (Kan-shu) categories, entrants were evaluated only once to determine the prize winners.
Quality of Entrants
As for the Ginjo-shu category, there have been many products in which fruity aromas and rich ,rounded sweetness are well harmonized.
Many entrants in the Chilled sake (Rei-shu) category exhibited mild, well-balanced aromas and a refreshing taste supported by elegant acidity.
In the Warmed sake (Kan-shu) category, many entrants have had taste rich in umami especially when warmed at 45 ℃.
Award Ceremony
| Date | November 5, 2026 | ||
| Location | Takamatsu Regional Taxation Bureau |