Sakihokore

For 38 years, Akitakomachi was the face of Akita rice. Then in October 2022, Akita Prefecture unveiled its successor: Sakihokore, a name derived from "saki-hokoru," meaning "to bloom in full glory." Written in angular katakana rather than soft hiragana, the name signals a deliberate shift in ambition and identity. If Akitakomachi was the charming idol of the Showa era, Sakihokore is the bold flagship of the Reiwa generation.

The Scale of the Search

The cross was made in 2010, pairing Tsubuzoroi (father), an existing Akita original variety, with Chubu 132 (mother), an Aichi-bred line prized for excellent flavor and exceptional blast-disease resistance. From that single cross, nine years of selection winnowed roughly 120,000 candidate plants down to one elite line: Akikei 821.

That ratio -- 120,000 to 1 -- reflects the uncompromising standard Akita set for its new flagship. Every dimension was tested: flavor, yield, cold tolerance, disease resistance, grain appearance, lodging resistance. Akikei 821 cleared them all. In March 2019, the formal selection was made, and years of trial cultivation and production-system preparation followed before the public launch.

A Deliberate Departure from Akitakomachi

The flavor design is intentionally different from Akitakomachi. Where Akitakomachi is light, crisp, and suited to fried rice and sushi, Sakihokore is richer and more complex. The grains are slightly larger, each one standing tall with visible structure. Bite down and you feel a firm exterior that yields to a soft, gently sweet interior -- a combination of firmness and tenderness that most rice varieties cannot achieve.

This "structured yet melting" quality was the key selection criterion during the nine-year breeding process. Conventionally, firm-grained rice stays firm throughout, and soft-grained rice lacks structure. Sakihokore resolves that contradiction, delivering both grain definition and melt-in-your-mouth softness in a single bite.

The rice cools beautifully too -- maintaining gloss, stickiness, and grain integrity in bento and onigiri. In its debut 2022 crop year, Sakihokore earned "Special A" from the Grain Inspection Association, confirming that its eating quality is already at the national elite level.

Controlled Production, No Compromises

Like Tsuyahime and Shinnosuke, Sakihokore is restricted to certified growers who follow a strict cultivation manual. Soil preparation, planting timing, water management, harvest scheduling, and post-harvest inspection are all specified and monitored by the prefecture. Only rice that passes quality review ships under the Sakihokore brand. This control mechanism is now standard practice among Japan's new premium cultivars.

The price is roughly 1.5 times Akitakomachi's, positioning Sakihokore firmly in the premium segment. Akita is betting that the quality justifies the premium, and early market reception suggests the bet is paying off.

How to Cook and Pair It

Standard water level, soaking for 30-60 minutes to fully hydrate the grain's interior. The longer soak unlocks the signature melt. After cooking, steam well and fluff gently.

Sakihokore pairs beautifully with Akita's culinary heritage:

• Sashimi (especially white fish): refined sweetness meets delicate seafood
• Kiritanpo nabe: Akita's iconic pounded-rice hot pot, now with its new flagship rice alongside
• Iburigakko: the smoky saltiness of Akita's smoked pickled daikon highlights the grain's sweetness
• Hinai-jidori oyako-don: local free-range chicken and egg over this rice is a regional treasure
• Salt rice ball: the clearest window into Sakihokore's personality

Built for the Next 38 Years

Rice consumption in Japan has been declining for decades. Consumer tastes are diversifying. Climate change is altering growing conditions. Into this headwind, Akita launched Sakihokore with the explicit mandate to carry the prefecture's rice identity for the next generation -- just as Akitakomachi did for the last.

Whether it achieves that 38-year reign remains to be seen, but the foundation is strong: a ruthless selection process, a distinctive flavor profile, controlled production, and a name that commands attention. If you want to taste what Japan's rice future looks like, Sakihokore is one of the most compelling answers on the market today.