Omachi Sake Rice – the Ancestral Sakamai

The History of Omachi as a Sake Rice

Omachi (雄町) sake rice’s discovery dates to the mid-19^th century. The rice strain, growing wild, caught the eye of Okayama farmer, Kishimoto Jinzo, on his way back from a pilgrimage to Mt. Daisen in Tottori Prefecture in 1859. Kishimoto brought two rice plant samples of this unknown rice back to his hometown in Takashima in Okayama Prefecture and, after a few years of selection and breeding, he officially named the rice strain “Nihongusa” (二本草) in 1866. More farmers joined in cultivating the rice strain after its release, and, over time, fewer people called it by the name of Nihongusa but rather by the name of Kishimoto’s hometown “Omachi.”  

Throughout the Meiji Period (1868-1912), Omachi was extensively grown and used as a sake-brewing rice by breweries. By early Showa Period (1926-1989), the rice variety was highly praised and sake made with Omachi dominated top spots in national sake competitions. Comments on the rice variety went as far as saying “If it’s not made from Omachi, it is unlikely to get an award” (雄町でなければ賞が取れない). 

Omachi, however, is a rice strain that is difficult to grow. It is a tall rice plant (up to 160cm in stalk height, compared to 100cm for many table and sake rice varieties), which makes Omachi exceptionally susceptible to lodging (the bending over and collapsing of the crop), therefore reducing yield and grain quality. Omachi is also more prone to pests and diseases if the rice plants are close to each other. For high-quality Omachi, farmers would sacrifice yield from the start by reducing planting density. This is to ensure each rice plant is widely spaced, with improved airflow to reduce the risks of lodging and disease transmission. 

Despite the good qualities Omachi has for sake brewing, farmers changed to other sake-brewing rice with greater consistency in yield, or – especially due to food shortages pre-and post-second world war – table rice. As a result, the production volume drastically dropped to as little as 3 hectares of crop acreage nationwide and did not pick up again until the 1990s.  

Omachi’s Revival and Modern Day Production

Currently (2026), Omachi is the fifth-largest sake-brewing rice in terms of production volume. Although it still accounts for only 1/11 of the production volume of Yamada Nishiki (as of 2024) – Japan’s No#1 sake rice – more farmers have been encouraged to grow the crop. Toshimori Shuzo was an early adopter and pioneer in reviving Omachi in the ‘90s and has inspired other breweries in Okayama Prefecture to use Omachi in sake making. The collective efforts of sake breweries had led to an increase in Omachi production not only in Okayama, the home of Omachi, but also in neighbouring prefectures in Western Japan (but still the most grown sake-brewing rice in Okayama is Yamada Nishiki and not Omachi!).  

Omachi has different naming variants that often confuse consumers. Some variants attach a place name with a pure lineage of Omachi, while some are cross-bred rice varieties with Omachi lineage. For example, “Akaiwa Omachi,” a pure lineage of Omachi that grows well in Akaiwa, Okayama Prefecture has earned a reputation as the highest grade of Omachi rice in rice inspections and among breweries in Japan. On the other hand, Kairyo Omachi is a cross-bred rice variety that cultivates better in colder climates like Shimane than the warmer climate of Okayama. 

	Description	Rice Variety
Pure selected Omachi variants	Name attached to pure lineage Omachi that has grown well in the local region	Akaiwa Omachi  Bizen Omachi  Hiba Omachi  Kinai Omachi  Funaki Omachi
Cross-bred Omachi variants	New varieties from Omachi crossbreeding with other varities	Hyogo Omachi  Kairyo Omachi  Koi Omachi

In terms of sake-making, Omachi is also not an easy rice to work with. Omachi has a large shimpaku but, due to its soft texture, it is difficult to achieve a high level of polishing. Thus, greater care is needed to polish Omachi down to low polishing rates. The rice also dissolves in the fermentation mash easily, which requires a great level of skill to control the speed of fermentation. 

The flavour characteristics of Omachi, however, are rewarding and it has won over many fans (known as Omachi-ists!). The rice variety gives sake a unique earthy tone with substantial umami. Sake made from Omachi often has a rich, full-bodied, expansive palate with complex flavours of rice, sometimes with nutty notes and often with a green herbaceous vibe. 

At Tengu Sake we’re huge fans of Omachi and our friends over at Tsuji Honten in Okayama – makers of Gozneshu – use nothing but Omachi so, if you’re keen on exploring its wild allure then we highly recommend you check out their brews!

References: 

JA 全農： https://www.zennoh.or.jp/oy/product/rice/omachi/ 

岡山県備前雄町：http://bizen-omachi.pref.okayama.jp/ 

農林水産省（令和6年産酒造好適米の生産状況等）：https://www.maff.go.jp/j/seisaku_tokatu/kikaku/attach/pdf/sake_r6seisan-1.pdf 

岡山酒図録：https://occ-sake.shop/omachi/ 

Medium, 【酒米故事】百年人氣酒米「雄町」： https://sakebrewer-tw.medium.com/酒米故事-百年人氣酒米-雄町-fffee4345833