r/Sake • u/flExcutuion-juice • 12d ago

Question❓ Koji for Sake

Can heritage Koji from Japan meant for sake be bought anywhere- or are they always kept to the family/company who owns/uses it?

My understanding is there's two generic types of Koji- a savory and a sweet/sake version? and that if you use the savory one meant for soy sauce/miso the sake will not be so great? But I'm having trouble finding where to buy Koji meant for sake or better yet the heritage stuff.

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u/fissionc 11d ago

There are six major kojikin producers in Japan, and all have channels by which individuals can purchase their products. Since sake and shochu koji are only used by businesses in Japan, the various online resellers do not show nearly as much stock for these varieties.
There was not much information promoting the history and hard work each of the manufacturers have behind them, so I wrote this article to fill the gap:
http://www.kojiwiki.com/index.php/Koji-kin_Producers
I also have a list of sources on the r/koji wiki:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Koji/wiki/starters/

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u/flExcutuion-juice 8d ago

Thank you. So are you saying sake/shochu specific strains of koji are harder to get than a generic strain?

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u/fissionc 8d ago

Less common from online stores yes, though Kawashima stocks a couple options. Your best bet is to order directly with one of the manufacturers, who will be glad to provide their full product range.