Mikage gō

【English】
Mikage Gō (Mikage area)

One of the areas making up the “Five Regions of Nada” (Nada Go-go), and also used as a term indicating the sake brewery district of the Mikage (御影) region of Kobe City’s Higashi Nada Ward. Go (郷, long “o”), means an administrative unit of several villages. When sake brewing first flourished in Nada in around 1770, the area was part of the district known as Kami Nada (上灘, “Upper Nada”). With the Shimo Nada (下灘, “Lower Nada”) and Imazu regions, it was part of the core of the sake industry of Nada.

Further reorganization in 1828 saw the Upper Nada area divided into Western, Central and Eastern Districts, and the area around Mikage became part of the Central District. From 1886 on this area became Mikage Go. For this reason, the area is sometimes also called Naka (Central) Go (中郷).

There is a well called Sawa no I (沢の井) in the area. It is said that water from this well was used to make sake offered to the Emperor Godaigo in the Muromachi Period (1338-1573). It is situated under the tracks of the Hanshin Railway near Mikage Station, and its source is said to be underground water from the Sumiyoshi River.

Labels brewed in contemporary Mikage Go include Hakutsuru (白鶴), Kikumasamune (菊正宗), Kenbishi (剣菱), Fukuju (福壽), Nada-izumi (灘泉), Izumimasamune (泉正宗) and Daikokumasamune (大黒正宗).

Links to the various breweries are below.

Hakutsuru：http://www.hakutsuru.co.jp/

Kikumasamune：http://www.kikumasamune.co.jp/

Kenbishi：http://www.kenbishi.co.jp/

Fukuju：http://www.shushinkan.co.jp

Izumimasamune：http://www.izumishuzou.co.jp/
Daikokumasamune：http://daikoku-m.com/