Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Kepani by Yasushi Uemura

Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Kepani by Yasushi Uemura is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Gula in Hoʻolālā ʻUhi Competition Category.

GulaʻUhi· 2025

Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Kepani

by Yasushi Uemura

Client: Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten Ltd.

A' Design Award Gula Winner in ʻUhi Category

1,721,442

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #164565

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Kepani

ʻO kēia he sake kiʻekiʻe i hoʻomohala ʻia no nā hale ʻaina kiʻekiʻe ma nā ʻāina ʻē, me ka makemake e hoʻokomo ʻia ma nā papa waina e like me kekahi koho no ka hui pū ʻana me ka ʻai. ʻO ka pilikia hoʻolālā, ʻo ia ka hōʻike ʻana i ke ʻano Kepani i ʻokoʻa loa. Loaʻa ka hoʻoulu ʻana o ka hoʻolālā mai nā kiʻi kuʻuna Kepani e like me ka shide, ʻo ia nā lei pepa hoʻāno i hoʻohana ʻia ma nā hale akua e kaha i nā palena o ka mea hoʻāno, a me ka origata, ʻo ia ka hana hoʻāno o ka wili pepa. Hōʻike pono kēia mau mea ʻike ʻole nō i kō lākou hiʻohiʻona kino akā hoʻi i ka ʻuhane hohonu a me ke kumu o ka poʻe Kepani.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Gula

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Kepani i ka A' Design Award Gula, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā pae mua, kupaianaha a kūʻokoʻa. He mau hana hou loa, ʻike maka a nani hoʻolaʻa nā lanakila Gula e hōʻike ana i ka ʻuhane akamai, ka naʻauao a me ka mākau o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Kepani he mea hoʻokumu i hoʻomaikaʻi nui ʻia, e hoʻokumu ana i nā ʻano hou, he nui, e hāʻawi ana i ka waiwai ʻaʻole i ʻike ʻia ma mua. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Gula he papahana kupaianaha, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi nui a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. Hoʻāla ka hoʻolālā Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Kepani i nā manaʻo makemake ikaika, hoʻāla i ka ʻiʻini, hoʻoulu i ka hana noʻeau a hoʻopūliki iā mākou.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: A premium Japanese sake designed for luxury restaurants primarily in Europe and America. It was created with the goal of being featured on wine lists as one of the basic options for food pairing, alongside wines.
Dimensions & Packaging: Grass Bottle 750ml:
Height 335mm, Diameter 80mm
Tags: Sake, Japanese sake, Zaku, Drink Package, Japan, UemuraDesign, Traditional
Production Technology: In this label design, small cut-out holes were made to express the folded shapes of paper. Since the holes are extremely small, they are manually cut. As sake labels need to be durable when placed in coolers, synthetic paper was used to give the appearance of traditional paper while providing the necessary durability.
Design Challenge: Sake in wine bottles can easily be mistaken for wine, making it challenging to create a design that immediately conveys 'Japan.' To express sake through traditional Japanese imagery, we drew inspiration from elements such as 'shide' (white paper streamers used in Shinto rituals) and 'origata' (envelopes folded to convey respect), incorporating these symbols into the design to represent Japanese spirituality.
Research: In recent years, sake has become popular in the Western market. Usually, sake bottles are written in Japanese and are often difficult to understand. So, I expressed it using traditional Japanese imagery in a way that a sommelier at a Western restaurant could intuitively understand.
Inspiration: The design emphasizes Japanese spirituality to highlight the unique characteristics of sake. It draws inspiration from traditional motifs, such as "shide," the paper streamers used in Japanese shrines to mark sacred boundaries, and the art of "origata," the traditional method of folding paper in ceremonial practices.
Project Duration: This project started in Mie Prefecture, Japan, in 2020, and by April 2023, three varieties of the series were completed. Sales began in Tokyo and other parts of Japan, and the product is also available in Europe and the United States. The sales continue.
Operation Flow: It is mainly served in restaurants in Europe and the United States that serve sake.

By adding sake to the menu, which has previously offered a wide variety of wines, the restaurant can provide a broader selection. This gives guests the opportunity to explore new flavors and experience choices they haven't had before, while also sparking an interest in Japanese culture.