Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Hapanihi by Yasushi Uemura

Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Hapanihi by Yasushi Uemura is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Koura in Hoahoa Takai Competition Category.

KouraTakai· 2025

Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Hapanihi

by Yasushi Uemura

Client: Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten Ltd.

A' Design Award Koura Winner in Takai Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Hapanihi

He sake kounga teitei tēnei i whakawhanakehia tūmataiti mō ngā whare kai rangatira o tāwāhi, me te whāinga kia whakaatuhia i ngā rārangi wāina hei kōwhiringa mō te whakataki kai. Ko te wero hoahoa ko te whakaatu i tētahi āhua tuakiri Hapanihi ahurei. Ka ahu mai te hoahoa i ngā tohu tawhito Hapanihi pērā i te shide, ngā pae pepa tapu o ngā whare karakia hei tohu i ngā rohe o te atua, me te origata, te toi ā-tikanga o te whakapiko pepa. Ka taea pai e ēnei āhuatanga te whakaatu, kāore noa iho i ō rātou āhua ā-tinana, engari anō hoki i te wairuatanga hōhonu me te iho o te iwi Hapanihi.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Koura

Ko Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Hapanihi te toa o te A' Design Award Koura, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke tuatahi, whakamīharo me te hiranga. Ko ngā toa Koura he mahi tino auaha, he tirohanga mamao, he kanapa ahi, e whakaatu ana i te pūmanawa, te mātauranga me te tohungatanga o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Hapanihi he hanganga tūnga e whakatū ana i ngā ia, he whakanuia rawa, e kawe mai ana i te uara kāore anō kia kitea. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Koura he kaupapa whakamīharo, whakahonoretia e whakawhānui ana i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ka whakaara a Zaku Naguwashi Series Sake Hapanihi i te hiahia nui, ka whakaoho i te kaingākau, ka whakatenatena i te auaha, ā, ka whakamīharo i a tātou.

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.