“How free it feels.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Gonin Musume Shizen no Manma” is the unfiltered, unpasteurized version of Terada Honke’s iconic sake, “Gonin Musume” Junmai.
This special bottling stays true to its name—pure, untouched, just as nature intended.
Drinking Terada Honke’s sake fills me with joy.
It’s free, vibrant, and full of life.
It feels like the sake itself is quietly declaring, “I’m perfect as I am.”
There’s strength in that spirit—dignified, unapologetic, and yet graceful.
If you’re expecting the refined, clean taste of quick-brewed sake, this might surprise you.
Sure enough, when my husband took his first sip, he exclaimed, “What is this?!”—clearly shocked by the unexpected flavor.
Watching him, already tipsy myself, I smiled again:
“How free it feels.”
Ah, how refreshing.
Alongside the sake, I had Terada Honke’s narazuke pickles.
These are also made with care—fermented slowly using natural sea salt, coarse sugar, and sake lees from the same traditional kimoto process.
I love narazuke.
The crunch alone feels like my body is rejoicing.
Perfect as a snack with sake, or simply with rice.
And in that quiet, unassuming moment, I found myself thinking:
How precious even the smallest joys can be.
This sake brewery is where my fascination with kimoto-style sake truly began.
Their brewing method follows the traditional kimoto technique passed down since the Edo period, using only organically grown rice and no additives.
It is a return to the origins of sake— a time when it was known as “the best of all medicines” and crafted in harmony with nature.
The first time I was drawn to the word kimoto, I picked up a book titled Hakkō-dō (The Way of Fermentation), written by Terada Hōkei, the 23rd-generation head of Terada Honke.
At the time, I had unease— questions I couldn’t quite put into words.
And yet, within the pages of that book, I found the answers I had been seeking.
“Yes… this is what I needed to hear. This is what I’d been searching for.”
I remember being deeply moved as I turned each page.
And now, here I am—writing this blog.
