【Afuri】Hitonari Tsuji's "Cosmos" Adorned, One-of-a-Kind Japanese Sake. Limited Oak Cask Aged Bottle to be Released on May 10th
Kikkawa Jozo, a sake brewery in Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, is collaborating with writer and artist Hitonari Tsuji, based in Paris, France. They will release a limited edition sake, 'NARI 2026 -Oak Cask Finish-', featuring Tsuji's painting on the label and aged in oak casks, exclusively on their official online store from May 10, 2026.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 7, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 7, 2026 at 10:45 (14 min after Collected)
Kikkawa Jozo Co., Ltd., a sake brewery in Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture (Headquarters: Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Yoshinori Goto), will collaborate with Hitonari Tsuji, a writer, director, and painter active in various fields based in Paris, France. A limited edition sake, 'NARI 2026 -Oak Cask Finish-', featuring his painting on the label and post-aged in oak casks, will be released exclusively on the official online store from Sunday, May 10, 2026.
■ Project Background: Resonance of Tradition, Innovation, and "Transience"
The sake brewing of Kikkawa Jozo, which brews "Afuri," and the worldview of Hitonari Tsuji, who continues to depict "mono no aware" under the Parisian sky, deeply resonated, giving birth to a special bottle where sight and taste merge.
The base is a Junmai Ginjo carefully brewed from "Dewasansan" rice from Yamagata Prefecture. This is then finished (post-aged) in oak casks (barriques) that once nurtured Chardonnay, the queen of white wines.
Hitonari Tsuji. Carefully selected everything from sake quality to bottle color and seal material.
■ Product Features
1. Unique "Single Cask Finish"
Only one small cask of 225 liters. This limited single cask, which quietly slept and breathed in the components of the barrel, was bottled. No additional production is possible, making it a truly rare drop, a "once-in-a-lifetime encounter."
2. Western Aroma, Japanese Soul
The delicate aroma reminiscent of vanilla and nuts derived from the Chardonnay cask harmonizes with the soft umami of Dewasansan rice. While being sake, it possesses a rich structure that complements Western dining tables, such as French and Italian cuisine.
3. The Philosophy of Label Painting "WA KOSMOS" by Hitonari Tsuji
The label features 'WA KOSMOS,' a work symbolizing Tsuji's exhibition "Kyoka Suigetsu."
"Kyoka Suigetsu" — ephemeral things like "bubbles, light, dreams, shadows" that disappear if touched, like a landscape reflected in a puddle. The depicted cosmos (autumn cherry blossom) symbolizes human life and love, and the petals disappearing into darkness tell of the fragility of the individual. However, the "red" gathered in the center represents human love and hope connected in the abyss of despair. A strong life force, enough to form an orderly cosmos, is embedded there.
"WA KOSMOS" prototype label
■ Message from Hitonari Tsuji
The etymology of "cosmos" is Greek, meaning "order" or "universe." This painting is not just a flower, but a depiction of the world and universe itself that received the flower called cosmos.
This worldview expressing "transience" perfectly links with the sound of the word "Afuri" and the momentary artistry that sake possesses.
■ Product Overview
Product Name: NARI 2026 -Oak Cask Finish-
Painting Title: "WA KOSMOS" by Hitonari Tsuji
Base Sake: Junmai Ginjo (using Dewasansan from Yamagata Prefecture)
Aging Method: Chardonnay Wine Oak Cask Finish
Alcohol Content: 15 degrees
Selling Price: 14,800 JPY (tax included)
Release Date: Sunday, May 10, 2026
Comes in a gift box.
■ Sales Method
・Kikkawa Jozo Official Online Store Exclusive: https://kikkawa-jozo.com/
NARI 2026 -Oak Cask Finish-
■ Hitonari Tsuji Profile
Resides in Paris, France. Writer, painter, musician. Awarded the 116th Akutagawa Prize in 1997 for "Kaikyo no Hikari." In recent years, he has been actively working as a painter, holding solo exhibitions in France and various parts of Japan. From August 5-11, the Hitonari Tsuji exhibition "Kyoka Suigetsu" will be held at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store, Special Gallery. Solo exhibitions will also be held in October at the Paris Art Fair and in November in Lyon.
Hitonari Tsuji
■ About Kikkawa Jozo
Founded in 1912. A sake brewery located at the foot of Mt. Oyama (Mt. Afuri) in Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. With the concept of "Sake for Life's Sake," they challenge traditional and experimental sake brewing using natural underground water with a hardness of approximately 150mg/L, one of the hardest waters in Japan.
Company Name: Kikkawa Jozo Co., Ltd.
Representative: Yoshinori Goto
Address: 681 Kambe, Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1138
Official HP: https://kikkawa-jozo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikkawa_sake/
■ Project Background: Resonance of Tradition, Innovation, and "Transience"
The sake brewing of Kikkawa Jozo, which brews "Afuri," and the worldview of Hitonari Tsuji, who continues to depict "mono no aware" under the Parisian sky, deeply resonated, giving birth to a special bottle where sight and taste merge.
The base is a Junmai Ginjo carefully brewed from "Dewasansan" rice from Yamagata Prefecture. This is then finished (post-aged) in oak casks (barriques) that once nurtured Chardonnay, the queen of white wines.
Hitonari Tsuji. Carefully selected everything from sake quality to bottle color and seal material.
■ Product Features
1. Unique "Single Cask Finish"
Only one small cask of 225 liters. This limited single cask, which quietly slept and breathed in the components of the barrel, was bottled. No additional production is possible, making it a truly rare drop, a "once-in-a-lifetime encounter."
2. Western Aroma, Japanese Soul
The delicate aroma reminiscent of vanilla and nuts derived from the Chardonnay cask harmonizes with the soft umami of Dewasansan rice. While being sake, it possesses a rich structure that complements Western dining tables, such as French and Italian cuisine.
3. The Philosophy of Label Painting "WA KOSMOS" by Hitonari Tsuji
The label features 'WA KOSMOS,' a work symbolizing Tsuji's exhibition "Kyoka Suigetsu."
"Kyoka Suigetsu" — ephemeral things like "bubbles, light, dreams, shadows" that disappear if touched, like a landscape reflected in a puddle. The depicted cosmos (autumn cherry blossom) symbolizes human life and love, and the petals disappearing into darkness tell of the fragility of the individual. However, the "red" gathered in the center represents human love and hope connected in the abyss of despair. A strong life force, enough to form an orderly cosmos, is embedded there.
"WA KOSMOS" prototype label
■ Message from Hitonari Tsuji
The etymology of "cosmos" is Greek, meaning "order" or "universe." This painting is not just a flower, but a depiction of the world and universe itself that received the flower called cosmos.
This worldview expressing "transience" perfectly links with the sound of the word "Afuri" and the momentary artistry that sake possesses.
■ Product Overview
Product Name: NARI 2026 -Oak Cask Finish-
Painting Title: "WA KOSMOS" by Hitonari Tsuji
Base Sake: Junmai Ginjo (using Dewasansan from Yamagata Prefecture)
Aging Method: Chardonnay Wine Oak Cask Finish
Alcohol Content: 15 degrees
Selling Price: 14,800 JPY (tax included)
Release Date: Sunday, May 10, 2026
Comes in a gift box.
■ Sales Method
・Kikkawa Jozo Official Online Store Exclusive: https://kikkawa-jozo.com/
NARI 2026 -Oak Cask Finish-
■ Hitonari Tsuji Profile
Resides in Paris, France. Writer, painter, musician. Awarded the 116th Akutagawa Prize in 1997 for "Kaikyo no Hikari." In recent years, he has been actively working as a painter, holding solo exhibitions in France and various parts of Japan. From August 5-11, the Hitonari Tsuji exhibition "Kyoka Suigetsu" will be held at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store, Special Gallery. Solo exhibitions will also be held in October at the Paris Art Fair and in November in Lyon.
Hitonari Tsuji
■ About Kikkawa Jozo
Founded in 1912. A sake brewery located at the foot of Mt. Oyama (Mt. Afuri) in Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. With the concept of "Sake for Life's Sake," they challenge traditional and experimental sake brewing using natural underground water with a hardness of approximately 150mg/L, one of the hardest waters in Japan.
Company Name: Kikkawa Jozo Co., Ltd.
Representative: Yoshinori Goto
Address: 681 Kambe, Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1138
Official HP: https://kikkawa-jozo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikkawa_sake/