"Junmai Ginjo Urakasumi Zen" 300ml Selected as In-flight Sake for ANA International Business Class. To be Served on Short-Haul International Routes from June to August 2026.

Saurau Co., Ltd. (President: Koichi Saura), the brewery behind Urakasumi, located in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, which celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2024, is pleased to announce that our flagship sake, "Junmai Ginjo Urakasumi Zen" 300ml, has been selected as an in-flight sake for ANA international flights.

The sake will be offered for three months, from June to August 2026, in the business class on short-haul international routes.

This will be a valuable opportunity for customers from around the world to enjoy the delicate and elegant taste of "Junmai Ginjo Urakasumi Zen" during their journey.

Background of "Junmai Ginjo Urakasumi Zen"

"Urakasumi Zen" was first released in 1973. At the time, Urakasumi received high praise in appraisal competitions, but ginjo sake was rarely sold commercially, and the brewery's advanced techniques could not be shared with the general public.

"We want to deliver the taste of ginjo sake to sake fans." With this desire, the 12th generation brewery master, Shigeo Saura, was inspired by a conversation with a monk from Matsushima Zuigan-ji Temple who was traveling to France for Buddhist propagation. This led to the decision to bottle excellent sake in a 4-go bottle and release it as "Urakasumi Zen," marking the origin of its creation.

For its release, a label was created combining the calligraphy of "Zen" by Myoshin-ji School Abbot Itugai Kajiura and a "Hotei" painting by Zen painter Koichi Tanakawa. The current "Urakasumi Zen" characters are by the 128th head priest of Matsushima Zuigan-ji, Master Takayoshi Kato.

The brewery maintained a philosophy of "carefully brewing and carefully selling authentic sake" without relying on advertising. Riding the wave of the local sake boom, it spread nationwide through word-of-mouth and grew into Urakasumi's signature long-selling product.

"Urakasumi Zen" celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. Exports to France, the country that inspired its creation, were later realized, and it has since developed into a brand widely exported to various parts of the world. "Urakasumi Zen," which has continued to be at the forefront of its time, is still evolving today.

Sake Quality Continuously Evolving with the Times

Initially, it was a ginjo sake made with "Hachitan Hiroshima" rice, but in the 1970s, it was converted to "Junmai Ginjo." The koji rice was switched to "Yamada Nishiki," and since 2021, pasteurization using the pasteurizer method and low-temperature bottle storage have been introduced, achieving a fresher and more balanced aroma and flavor.

While adhering to the concept of "a sake that harmonizes flavor and aroma, with a moderate taste of rice, and is not tiring to drink as a mealtime sake," we believe that the continuous improvement of sake quality over 50 years is the reason for its long-lasting popularity.

Product Overview

Junmai Ginjo Urakasumi Zen A Junmai Ginjo sake that has a moderate aroma and a fresh, full-bodied taste. It is the representative Junmai Ginjo of Urakasumi, perfect as a mealtime sake.

720ml: 2,618 yen (tax included)

300ml: 946 yen (tax included)

Awards 2026 Wine Glass Delicious Sake Award Premium Junmai Category Gold Medal 2025 IWC (International Wine Challenge) SAKE Division Junmai Ginjo Category Bronze Medal 2025 Wine Glass Delicious Sake Award Premium Junmai Category Gold Medal 2024 Catador (Chile) Gold Medal 2024 ISC (International Sake Challenge) Junmai Ginjo Category Silver Medal

Retailer Information For details on sake retailers nationwide, please contact us at the following: Saurau Co., Ltd. Head Office Brewery Phone: 022-362-4165 (Weekdays 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM) Email: Please inquire via the contact form below. https://www.urakasumi.com/contact/

Saurau Co., Ltd. Direct Online Shop https://e-urakasumi.com/

Saurau Co., Ltd. Directly Managed Store "Urakasumi Sake Gallery" Address: 2-19 Honcho, Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture Business Hours: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Closed: Sundays, New Year holidays, and other temporary closures) Phone: 022-362-4165 *Business hours are subject to change. Please check the Saurau Co., Ltd. website for the latest business status. https://www.urakasumi.com/shop/

▼ Pages related to "Saurau Co., Ltd." Official Website: https://www.urakasumi.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urakasumi/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urakasumi_sake/ X: https://x.com/urakasumi_sake

About Urakasumi Brewery, Saurau Co., Ltd. As the sake brewery for Shiogama Shrine Founded in 1724 after acquiring a sake brewing license. In the latter half of the Edo period, it became the official sake brewery for Shiogama Shrine, the Ichinomiya of Mutsu Province, and has been brewing sake ever since. The brewery is located in Shiogama, a port town facing the Pacific Ocean, approximately 300 km north of Tokyo. The bay of Shiogama has long been known as a scenic spot and was a place of longing for the nobles of ancient Kyoto, its beautiful atmosphere being sung in many poems.

With a focus on regionality, we use Miyagi Prefecture-grown rice for our general commercial sake and aim for the highest quality sake brewing using sake-suitable rice such as Yamada Nishiki for our Daiginjo sake. The "Kyo-kai No. 12 Yeast" registered with the Japan Brewing Society is a yeast strain isolated from our moromi, and we are also working on sake brewing that revives "Kyo-kai No. 12 Yeast" as the brewery of origin for this yeast.