MUJAKU WORLD

MUJAKU WORLD
 
Volume: 720 ml 
Alcohol Content: 16%
Origin:  Yamaguchi Prefecture
Polishing rate: 18%
 
Mujaku 2022 - Creation of “MUJAKU WORLD” assemblage
 
In 2022, Mujaku will enter the next stage.
An assemblage*1 (meaning “blend” in French) of 6 different vintages of Mujaku with different maturities (2016/2018/2019/2020/2021/2022) and characteristics, including “2016 Mujaku” which has aged for 8 years since Mujaku was first released.
 
MUJAKU WORLD is an assemblage created with the utmost attention to detail by the “toji”, or chief sake brewer, and its blue bottle is also decorated with a glamorous design. The design was created by Mai Ohta*2, a Finnish-based designer, and it expresses the gorgeous “world of Mujaku” based on the image of “hare no hi”, or traditional Japanese celebratory events. Even after you have finished drinking it, we would like you to enjoy the design bottle as a piece of art.
In addition, this limited-edition bottle creates new value by changing its shape.
* 1 Assemblage:
Traditional winemaking technique in which multiple wines are prepared in a three-dimensional combination. The artisanal taste is created by the advanced knowledge and skills of the craftsmen.
*2 Mai Ohta, head of MAIOHTA DESIGN
Born in 1980 in Yamaguchi Prefecture. She moved to Finland in 2003. After graduating from the Department of Fashion Design at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki (now Aalto University), she worked for an apparel company in Finland before becoming an independent designer in 2011. Currently, she works as a fashion designer at Marimekko, where she oversees product design, as well as collaborating with companies in Japan and other countries, and is involved in productions in a wide range of fields. In 2020, she designed the bottle for the special edition “Mujaku 2020-RESPECT”, and for the 2022 release of “MUJAKU WORLD”, she portrays the new world of Mujaku as a creative director and graphic designer.
Finished bottles are upcycled, reshaped and donated
After enjoying the special sake, if you return the design bottle by 2032, we will recycle it by having it transformed at the hands of a glass artist. Yamaguchi Prefecture glassblowers will cut the bottles one by one, heat them in a melting furnace, remove them, blow air into them, and use tools to shape them, a process that is repeated about 20 times. Using this blown glass technique, the bottom of the bottle is upcycled into a vase, and the top is upcycled into a cute work in the shape of a sparrow, which is also the symbol of Mujaku. (Valid if returned in 10 years by the end of 2032)
Because each one is individually handcrafted, every bottle of returned Mujaku will yield a one-of-a-kind glass craft work that is given to the customer. Although it will take some time, we want you to look forward to seeing it as the “personality” and “charm” of blown glass.
Through “MUJAKU WORLD”, we will propose a new way of enjoying Japanese sake by incorporating the wonderful memories and recollections of drinking Mujaku into your lifestyle in a different way.
This “sustainable design bottle” initiative was realized not only by farmers and breweries that inherited traditional Japanese culture, but also by combining the skills, dedication, and ideas of professionals such as glass blowers, craftsmen with skills in baking bottles, and global designers.
In the future, Mujaku will continue to pursue sustainability and work to contribute to the revitalization of local industries and economies.
Long-term aged vintage sake that is rare all around the world
Mujaku is a sake that is meant to be aged.
This sake is like a wine that has been aged year after year, enabling a vintage rare across the world of long-term aging, which increases its richness and depth.
The medium-hard water from the pure stream of the Nishiki River, the miracle rice Isehikari, and the skilled technique of the toji have made vintage possible.
Storing Mujaku in a refrigerator at a low temperature allows you to enjoy it for 5, 10, or even years.
This new genre of sake called “vintage sake” is different from “koshu” or “aged sake”, since the color remains the same even after being aged for 10 years. It develops several layers of fruity aromas and savory flavors as it matures, and becomes softened and mellow.
There is even a movement to own Mujaku as an asset like wine in Dubai and Hong Kong, something unprecedented for a sake.
It adds value and increases in price each year it matures.
 
Horie Sake Brewery, the oldest sake brewery in Yamaguchi Prefecture operating since the Edo period
Surrounded by the beautiful Nishiki River and mountains over 1,000 meters high, Nishiki-cho in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture is filled with nature.
In 1764, Horie Sake Brewery started brewing in this area famous for its natural beauty.
With a more than 250-year history, the 13th toji, Kazumasa Horie, has been brewing specialty sake that is enjoyed only by enthusiasts.
He thought that it is not interesting to make a beautiful sake that anyone can do, and aimed to create a sake only his brewery could. This opened the door to the unknown world of long-term aged vintage sake, different from koshu aged sake.
Toji Horie proved his abilities to the world by winning the highest trophy in the Junmai Daiginjo category at the International Wine Competition (IWC) in both 2017 and 2018 with the brewery's signature sake, Premium Kinsuzume.
The local raw ingredients are nurtured by the abundant water and beautiful nature of Nishiki-cho.
We have continued to make quintessential sake while combining the latest technology with techniques inherited over the generations since the mid-Edo period, passing on Japanese culture and traditions handed down through the ages.
The sake produced at this sake brewery is as nearly transparent, has a clear taste, and is characterized by its elegant, rich and refreshing flavor.
Since Toji Horie is particular about making raw sake with a lot of time and effort and only a select few handle it, the sake he brews is said to be rare and have high value because the number produced is small.