Brand's products SAKOHONTEN - YAMANOKIBUDO

Sakohonten, founded his company in 1937 in Kuji-shi, Iwate Prefecture.  In 1971, company released Yamanokibudo, a 100% pure Crimson Glory grape juice without additives, for the first time in Japan. With its own vineyards, Sakohonten has become a rare company that specializes solely in making grape juice from Crimson glory grapes. As a pioneer in this field and under a premium brand, the company presents the best in grape juice and related products.

Fruit juices with no added sugar, no preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors

Kuji region people have been making good use of this grape as a traditional family remedy for the past seven hundred years. Iwate Prefecture produces more Crimson Glory grapes than any other prefecture.
The harvest in the Kuji area accounts for 40% of the total harvest in Iwate. Kuji is literally the first land of Crimson glory vine production in Japan.
First encounter with the Crimson Glory vine was a totally unexpected one. Kokichi Sasaki, Sakohonten Co. founder discovered the wild Crimson glory vine by accident, which led him to create current Yamanokibudo.
Around 1940-1942, while peddling in the mountain villages of Kuji, Kokichi stopped by chance in front of a house where a young woman was about to give birth. He heard a midwife say, "A baby has been born safely. Bring some Yamabudo juice (Crimson glory vine) and give it to the mother." Kokichi thought that Crimson glory vine juice must be very good for health. After World War II, Kokichi started to make juice.
Using a burlap sack and a weight, he extracted juice from Crimson glory vines that he bought from his neighbors. In 1955, he began marketing this juice.
Around 1970, he began to develop Crimson Glory 100% grape juice in response to the growing demand from expectant mothers ready to give birth whose doctors recommended taking Crimson Glory juice. However, marketing was complicated by the fact that the juice was bitter and acidic. The discovery of a unique aging process of 3 to 5 years without fermentation allowed the production of a juice with a well-balanced bitterness and sourness while preserving the original characteristics of Crimson Glory.
What is the meaning "Ki" word in the name Yamanokibudo? "Ki" is spelled 生 in the Kanji character, which means "pure" or "raw". The character is used as a prefix for various words such as Ki ippon for pure sake or Nama shoyu for unpasteurized soy sauce.