Founded in 1873, UONUMA SHUZO has a history of 130 years. “TENJINBAYASHI” is UONUMA SHUZO’s brand sake which is made by Uonuma locals from water and rice obtained in Uonuma. Tenjinbayashi is a cerebration song which has been handed down since the old days in the Tsumari area (Tokamachi city and Tsunan town in Niigata prefecture). It is said to have been originally a Shinto song to pray for rich rice harvest.

The history of UONUMA SHUZO will be fully explaind to you.

We maintain the environment appropriate to make high quality Koji, malted rice.

ISHIZUKA SHUZO was founded as TAKAYANAGI SHUZOJO in 1912. It is a traditional Saka-gura, brewery in Takayanagi-machi, which has abundant nature.

We make sake using the spring water obtained in Takayanagi-machi. The place ISHIZUKA SHUZO is located is blessed with abundant nature, where lots of Moriaogaeru (a Japanese frog) and Sawagani (a small river crab), a creature symbolic of clean water, inhabit.

Inside of Saka-gura, brewey, ISHIZUKA SHUZO’s sakes are lined up. The female president or Kura-bito, craftsmen will explain our sake.

This area used to be a town which had many inns for travelers to stay for rest on their way to their destinations. The first head of the SASAGUCHI family used to run an Ocha-ya, Japanese old café, where sake was sold like hot cakes. Then they thought of producing sake themselves and started it. The brewery started with the name, “SASAGUCHI SHUZOTEN” after the family name of the founder.

We have a history of 118 years since the foundation. SASAIWAI SHUZO has developed and is still developing with the local culture. While producing sake, we make a part of our brewery open to the public to act as a storyteller of the local history.

SASAIWAI SHUZO makes it a rule to pray for good and safe sake production on a lucky day on the Japanese calendar in the middle of October each year. In principle, we should have a Shinto priest pray for us. But as our Buddhist denomination, Shingon-shu, which Kukai spread, admits the fusion of Shinto and Buddhism, our temple priest can handle Shinto exercises. Therefore, we ask him to pray for safety at our brewery’s Shinto altar before we start sake production each year.