The flavor of sake starts with the rice. Sake rice (shuzo kotekimai) is bred and selected for brewing. This guide explains how it differs from the rice you eat, profiles the leading varieties, and shows official production figures, all drawn from public sources.
Sake rice is rice suited to brewing sake. Its formal Japanese name is shuzo kotekimai (literally "rice well suited to sake brewing"), and it is also called sakamai (Go NAGANO). Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) explains that the rice used for sake includes varieties also sold as table rice, as well as brewing-suited varieties such as Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku, and that this sake rice is mainly traded under contract farming.
Compared with table varieties such as Koshihikari, sake rice is harder to grow and yields less, so it has historically sold at higher prices than table rice. MAFF notes, however, that after table-rice prices rose sharply in recent years, table rice now fetches more than sake rice.
Koji rice and kake rice
According to a Kyoto Prefecture research document, making koji requires rice that lets the koji mold grow well, and large grains with a shinpaku (such as Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku) are said to suit it. Brewers call rice suited to koji-making sake rice. The remaining rice added during fermentation (kake rice) may be ordinary table varieties such as Nipponbare or Koshihikari, though premium sake such as daiginjo sometimes uses sake rice for kake rice too. "100% Yamada Nishiki" sake means Yamada Nishiki was used for everything.
Three traits stand out: shinpaku, large grains and low protein. Hyogo Prefecture lists the conditions of good sake rice as large grains, a clear shinpaku at the center, and low protein, and says Yamada Nishiki has all of them.
| Trait | What it means | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Large grains | Large grains are said to suit koji-making. | The Kyoto Prefecture document says koji-making suits large rice with a shinpaku. |
| Shinpaku (心白) | The white-looking center of the grain, said to be larger in sake rice than in table rice. | Go NAGANO describes it as low in protein, easy to dissolve, and well suited to brewing. |
| Low protein | Too much protein can lower sake quality. | The Kyoto Prefecture document says excess protein can cause quality loss and that brewing rice with low protein content is sought. |
| Polishing ratio (seimai-buai) | About 90% for table rice; sake rice needs 70% or less, and 50% or less for daiginjo. | As explained by Go NAGANO. Sake rice is used on the premise that much of the outer grain is polished away. |
Sake rice is meant to have much of its outer layer polished away. The polishing ratio (seimai-buai) is the proportion of the grain left after polishing: a ratio of 50% means half of the brown rice has been polished off, and the lower the number, the more has been removed. For the full brewing flow including polishing and koji, see How Sake Is Made.
The Sapporo Regional Taxation Bureau (National Tax Agency) explains that ginjo is brewed from rice polished to 60% or less, daiginjo to 50% or less, and honjozo to 70% or less. Ginjo and daiginjo are therefore types whose definition includes high polishing.
A Kyoto Prefecture study of two varieties, "Iwai" and "Kyo no Kagayaki", found that protein content fell in both as polishing progressed. In other words, the more of the outer layer is removed, the less protein remains. Miyama Nishiki, a variety bred in Nagano, is introduced as one that is often highly polished because its shinpaku is small (Go NAGANO).
How to read the numbers
A lower polishing ratio means more polishing. The thresholds of 50% (daiginjo), 60% (ginjo) and 70% (honjozo) are part of each type's definition. See Sake Types for the differences and the Sake Glossary for terms.
The key varieties are Yamada Nishiki (Hyogo), Gohyakumangoku (Niigata and others), Miyama Nishiki (bred in Nagano) and Omachi (Okayama). The table covers only details confirmed in public sources: MAFF, Hyogo and Niigata prefectures, and farm cooperatives.
| Variety | Main growing areas | Characteristics | Source note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamada Nishiki 山田錦 | Hyogo Prefecture (57% of Yamada Nishiki in the 2025 crop). Suited areas are around Miki and Kato cities. | Large grains, a clear central shinpaku and low protein, all together. Popular with brewers. | Hyogo: crossed in 1923 at the Hyogo Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station from "Yamada-ho" and "Tankan Watarifune", named in 1936 and adopted as a prefectural recommended variety. 4,610 ha planted in the 2023 crop. |
| Gohyakumangoku 五百万石 | Niigata (51% of Gohyakumangoku in the 2025 crop), Toyama 15%, Fukui 14%. | Second in output after Yamada Nishiki. One parent of "Koshi Tanrei", bred by Niigata Prefecture. | MAFF: 14,380 tonnes in the 2025 crop (estimate). Niigata: Koshi Tanrei was bred by crossing Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku. |
| Miyama Nishiki 美山錦 | Grown mainly in Nagano and widely in the Tohoku region. | Cold-tolerant; a mutation produced by gamma-ray irradiation. Often highly polished, and often makes light, clean sake. | Go NAGANO: born in 1978 at the Nagano Agricultural Experiment Station. Iwate Prefecture document: named in 1978 (Showa 53) in Nagano; large grains. |
| Omachi 雄町 | Okayama Prefecture (about 95% of output). Origin: Omachi district, Naka Ward, Okayama City. | Tall plants with large ears; low yield; hard to grow and hard to brew with. Koji mold takes well and the rice dissolves easily. | JA Zen-Noh Okayama: discovered by a farmer in 1859 (Ansei 6). JA Zen-Noh Hiroshima: the only variety discovered over 100 years ago that is still grown today. |
Many other sake rice varieties have been bred around Japan. This table is limited to varieties whose details could be confirmed in public sources. The "Hyogo Sake Rice 'Yamada Nishiki' Production System" of the Kita-Harima and northern Rokko area was certified as a Japan Agricultural Heritage System on January 24, 2025 (Hyogo Prefecture).
Yamada Nishiki is produced the most: 32,678 tonnes in the 2025 crop (estimate), 37% of the total. In MAFF's August 2026 (Reiwa 8) document "The Situation of Rice for Sake," total 2025-crop sake rice output is about 87,000 tonnes (estimate), and Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku together make up more than half.
| Brand | 2024 crop (tonnes) | 2025 crop, estimate (tonnes) | 2025 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamada Nishiki | 33,842 | 32,678 | 37% |
| Gohyakumangoku | 17,650 | 14,380 | 16% |
| Miyama Nishiki | 4,640 | 4,242 | 5% |
| Omachi | 2,965 | 3,085 | 4% |
| Others | 35,575 | 32,938 | 38% |
| National total | 94,672 | 87,323 | 100% |
By prefecture, the 2025 crop was Hyogo 24,830 tonnes (28%), Niigata 9,912 (11%), Okayama 6,178 (7%), Nagano 5,392 (6%) and Akita 3,730 (4%), together about 60% of the total. By brand, Yamada Nishiki is 57% Hyogo (18,516 tonnes), 9% Okayama and 7% Yamaguchi; Gohyakumangoku is 51% Niigata (7,300 tonnes), 15% Toyama and 14% Fukui.
Notes on the numbers
The figures come from MAFF's agricultural product inspection results. The 2025 crop is an estimate: preliminary figures as of March 31, 2026 were scaled to a final-figure equivalent using the inspection progress rates of the previous three years. Totals may not match the breakdown because of rounding. MAFF also notes that output has stayed around 90,000 to 100,000 tonnes except for the 2020 to 2022 crops, which fell because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brewery pages on Terroir HUB SAKE list details such as the polishing ratio and rice used when they appear on the brewery's official website. Browse by prefecture: Hyogo, Niigata, Okayama or Nagano.
Sources (checked 2026-10-26):
MAFF, Agricultural Production Bureau, 'The Situation of Rice for Sake' (August 2026): definition-type explanation, prices, production by prefecture and brand
Hyogo Prefecture, 'Hyogo Sake Rice': Yamada Nishiki crossing and naming, large grain / shinpaku / low protein, growing areas, planted area
Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Agricultural Heritage certification of the Yamada Nishiki production system
Niigata Prefecture, 'Koshi Tanrei' sake rice (Yamada Nishiki x Gohyakumangoku)
JA Zen-Noh Okayama, 'Omachi': discovery year, share grown in Okayama, characteristics
JA Zen-Noh Hiroshima, Omachi document: discovered over 100 years ago, brewing suitability
Go NAGANO, 'Sake rice': definition, shinpaku, polishing ratio, Miyama Nishiki
Iwate Prefecture, Miyama Nishiki variety document: named in 1978, large grains
Kyoto Prefecture, Biotechnology Research Center: storage proteins in Kyoto sake rice (koji rice, kake rice, protein and polishing)
Sapporo Regional Taxation Bureau, 'Quick guide to sake labeling': polishing ratios for ginjo, daiginjo, honjozo