Natsuko's Sake
夏子の酒 (Natsuko no Sake)
Manga
Written by	Akira Oze
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Weekly Morning
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1988 – 1991
Volumes	12
Television drama
Original network	Fuji Television
Original run	January 12, 1994 – March 23, 1994
Episodes	11

Natsuko no Sake (夏子の酒, literally "Natsuko's Sake") is a Japanese manga series by Akira Oze. It was adapted into a live-action television series in 1994.^[1]

The story centers around Natsuko Saeki, a young woman trying to break into sake making, a business that's traditionally carried out by men.

A prequel to the story by the same author, Natsu no Kura, tells the story of Natsuko's grandmother, Natsu.

Natsuko Saeki, a young woman working for an advertising company in Tokyo, returns to her family's home in the countryside. There she finds her brother, Yasuo, searching for a "phantom" rice seed called tatsunishiki, rumored to create a new form of sake. He finds a few seeds, but after he passes away suddenly, Natsuko quits her job and begins working at the sake brewery to realize Yasuo's dream of making the best sake in Japan.

Natsuko Saeki

Played by Emi Wakui

Wataru Kusakabe

Played by Masato Hagiwara

Saeko Hashimoto

Played by Yuki Matsushita

Kazuko Saeki

Played by Mayumi Wakamura

Gen

Played by Hatsuo Yamaya

Araki

Played by Ken Ishiguro

Shizue Tanaka

Played by Mayumi Hasegawa

Yasuo Saeki

Played by Kiichi Nakai

• Natsuko no Sake at Anime News Network's encyclopedia