Gohyakumangoku (五百万石) is one of the varieties of “sake rice (sakamai, 酒米)”, rice suited to making sake. In both the 2024 and 2025 crops, it had the second-largest production of all sake rice, after Yamada Nishiki (山田錦). Sake rice as a whole is explained on the Types of sake rice page.
How it came about
Gohyakumangoku is a variety developed by the Niigata Prefecture agricultural experiment station by crossing “Kikusui (菊水)” and “Shin No. 200 (新200号)”.
Features of Gohyakumangoku
Gohyakumangoku is a variety that forms ears very early (a very early-maturing variety), and many of its grains have a shinpaku (心白). The shinpaku is the white, opaque part at the center of a rice grain. It absorbs water easily and is suited to making sake.
Main producing areas
The prefectures with the largest production in the 2024 crop are Niigata, Fukui, Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukushima. In the 2024 crop, a little over half of all Gohyakumangoku was grown in Niigata Prefecture.
“Tone Numata”, a geographical indication that names Gohyakumangoku as an ingredient
The geographical indication (GI) for sake “Tone Numata (利根沼田)” (Gunma Prefecture) requires that only “Yuki Hotaka (雪ほたか)”, “Gohyakumangoku” and “Koshihikari (コシヒカリ)” harvested in the producing area be used for the rice and the rice koji.