takashi murakami creates limited edition sake with akita-based brewers NEXT5

takashi murakami creates limited edition sake with akita-based brewers NEXT5
(above) pure junmai daiginjo sake made in a limited brew of 5000

takashi murakami has embarked on a collaboration with akita-based brewers NEXT5 to develop a sake that goes back to the origins of producing the traditional japanese rice wine. kimoto-zukuri, a method of making sake using kimoto yeast, was the starting point for the wine that was first established in the late edo period, but which has recently been gaining attention within the japanese brewing industry. the artist has created four limited edition bottles—one original glass bottle, and three original ceramic bottles—to package the beverage. each design features murakami’s signature anime-style flowers in both graphic and relief motifs.
original ceramic bottle designs: gold relief (edition of 150 with signature); white relief (edition of 150); and, gosu porcelain (edition of 150)

the NEXT5 team is a joint brewing unit composed of: tadahiko kobayashi, the third head of akita brewery (makers of yuki no bijin); yusuke sato, the eighth head of aramasa brewery (makers of aramasa); koei watanabe, the sixteenth head of fukurokuju brewery (makers of ippaku suisei); tomofumi yamamoto, sixth head of yamamoto brewery (makers of yamamoto); and, naoaki kuribayashi, seventh head of kuribayashi brewery (makers of harukasumi). these five professional brewers have joined their knowledge and skills together, to learn from the past and create a sake for the future.
takashi murakami has designed the bottle packaging using his signature anime-style floral motif

‘NEXT5 goes back to question the very nature of what sake is when they create sake. if we go far back enough into the history of sake, we find the culture comes from china. we want to grasp this thread and weave it into a fresh form‘, says takashi murakami. because the sake is made using materials specifically from the akita with the maximum attention to detail, only a limited number of takashi murakami x NEXT5 sake is on sale.
takashi murakami x NEXT5

takashi murakami and the NEXT5 brewing unit

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