Junmai Karakuchi Yaemon
From 'Jizake' to 'Satozake': Locally Rooted Brewing Since the Edo Period.
YAMATOGAWA SHUZO is a sake brewery making seishu in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture. In June 2022, the torch was passed from the ninth to the tenth generation. As a brewery long beloved by the citizens of Kitakata, it has operated with deep roots in the local culture, entrusted with the brewing of sacred omiki (sake for the gods).
In recent years, their dedication has taken a new form. They established 'Yamatogawa Farm,' an agricultural offshoot, to meticulously control their sake from the very first grain. Their brewers, the kurabito, now cultivate the rice themselves, having switched to high-quality, pesticide-free, and reduced-pesticide, chemical-free fertilizer rice. This is all brought to life with the subsoil water of Mt. Iidesan and the hands of locally hired brewers.
Their motto is 'Local Rice, Local Water, Local Skill.' This philosophy, rooted in the concept of Satozake (hometown sake)—a step beyond the traditional jizake (local sake)—guides their every move. "We are dedicated to a brewing style that only YAMATOGAWA SHUZO can achieve," says toji (head brewer) Masakazu Sato.
Their signature brand is 'Yaemon,' a testament to their incredible skill, which has won the Gold Prize at The Annual Japan Sake Awards for eight consecutive years. They continue to brew with one goal in mind: to create sake with a visible, traceable story.
From early on, the brewery has also looked to the wider world. They have forged paths into Taiwan, Hong Kong, the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Brazil, spreading the high-quality flavor of Japanese sake. This is a brewery active not only at home but on the global stage, and its future evolution is awaited with great anticipation.
YAMATOGAWA SHUZO