Yamada Nishiki

Yamada Nishiki is one of the most important sake rice varieties (shuzo kotekimai) used in sake production. It was named in 1936 at an agricultural experiment station in Hyogo Prefecture and has since been recognized as Japan's leading sake rice. Yamada Nishiki has characteristics well suited to sake brewing, including a starch-rich core (shinpaku) that allows high degrees of polishing. Because of this, it is especially prized for making Ginjo and Daiginjo sake. The variety is very difficult to cultivate, as it tends to lodge (fall over) and has low disease resistance. Even so, Yamada Nishiki grown in the Special A districts of Miki and Kato in Hyogo Prefecture is regarded as being of the highest quality. Its small shinpaku and low protein content contribute to improving the quality of the sake during brewing, and brewers hold it in high regard. Yamada Nishiki is sometimes called the "king of sake rice," and its rich aroma and flavor are favored by many sake enthusiasts. Its standing in the sake industry is firmly established, and it became known throughout Japan during the Ginjo sake boom of the 1980s and 1990s.