Sakai used to be "one of the leading Sake brewing area in Japan" in the Edo period, comparable to the Nada (Hyogo Prefecture) and the Fushimi (Kyoto Prefecture).

By the Meiji era (1868-1912), there were more than 95 sake breweries in Sakai, and the city was known as one of the most famous sake-producing areas in Japan, and until the Taisho era (1912-1926), the sake brewing industry was the leading manufacturing industry in Sakai.

The Asahi Beer's founder, Komakichi Torii, was also a major contributor to distribution innovations, inventing Japan's first bottled sake. The idea was conceived in Sakai.

In this way, our predecessors created many 'Japan's firsts'. Sakai's sake brewing industry peaked in the Taisho era (1912-1926), but declined in the Showa era (1926-1989), and in 1971 one of the remaining breweries closed its doors.

But local leaders with a passionate desire to revive sake brewing in Sakai, relocated a brewery from Higashinada and established Sakai Izumi Shuzo in 2014.

In fact, this was the first revival of local sake in 44 years.

The brewing water is spring water from the local Mt Kongo spring in Osaka.

According to historical legend, monks practising asceticism on Mt Kongo overcame their hardships by drinking this spring water.

It is also loved by the local people as famous water, and is the source of local specialities such as sake, tofu and konnyaku. The famous water that has nurtured this history is the source of Sen no Rikyu.

The main rice used in Rikyu Gura is Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture.
Hyogo Prefecture boasts the highest production of Yamada Nishiki in Japan and is also one of the country's top producers in terms of quality.
The reason for this is that the natural conditions in Hyogo are extremely suitable for growing Yamada-Nishiki.

The Yamada-Nishiki production area, which extends into the mountains north of Mt Rokko, has the perfect climatic conditions: warm, with long hours of sunshine and little rainfall. Rokko, the night temperature during the ripening period is low, with a daily temperature difference of more than 10°C, which helps the rice to produce a good crop.

The soil is also said to be rich in phosphorus and magnesium, which makes the grain tighter and the white core brighter.

Toji's passion for sake brewing. Tradition, history and the future.

The Toji has revived sake in his home town of Sakai. His passion for sake is the secret of Rikyu Gura's great taste.