BREWERY NEWSLETTER – IMAYOTSUKASA VOL.01 –

Introducing Japan’s Sake Breweries

About IMAYOTSUKASA (Niigata)

Niigata prefecture is home to around 90 breweries– the most out of all the prefectures in Japan. Imayotsukasa is within walking distance of Niigata Station, a place many consider as the prefecture’s grand entrance.

Brewery Newsletter from IMAYOTSUKASA

Braving the Frontiers of Sake Brewing Since 1767

Imayotsukasa is a sake brewing company from Niigata prefecture in Japan.

Niigata prefecture is home to around 90 breweries– the most out of all the prefectures in Japan. Our brewery is within walking distance of Niigata Station, a place many consider as the prefecture’s grand entrance. Many domestic and international customers visit us every year. We welcome around 30,000 guests annually, who come to tour our brewing facilities or enjoy a couple glasses of sake at our direct outlet stores.

Our company was established in 1767 and celebrates its 253rd birthday this year. Nearly three centuries ago, we opened our doors as a sake wholesaler, hotelier, and restaurateur. From the late Edo period to early Meiji period, Kitamaebune, the travelling merchant ships that sailed between Ezo (Hokkaido) and Osaka along the Sea of Japan, often docked at ports in Niigata prefecture. Because of the economic prosperity they brought, Niigata’s population grew and grew until it surpassed that of Edo, the capital of Japan.

In the mid-Meiji period, we began to focus our business on sake brewing. We established brewing facilities in the Nuttari region, where the soil was stable and we had easy access to the Agano river and its abundant supply of pure subsoil freshwater. Furthermore, another river had flowed in front of our facilities at that time: the Kurinoki river. Although this river has now become a highway, it once served as a convenient transportation waterway through which we ferried sake brewing ingredients to our facilities and shipped freshly brewed sake to customers.

Although the number of businesses in this region has decreased over the years, many sake breweries, miso fermentation facilities, and soy sauce breweries still operate here. Thus, to this day Nuttari is still well known in Japan as a town famous for its fermented foods.

The Past and Present Intertwined

Our name, Imayotsukasa, originates from the Japanese phrase “Ima no jidai wo tsukasadoru”, which means “Let us be a leader of the times.” in English. Having been in business for over 200 years, our company today operates with the goal of creating new ways to enjoy sake that suit the modern age. In Japan, many people perceive traditional industries like sake brewing as “unapproachable” and “complicated”. We want to change this perception. As we honour our traditional roots, we also integrate novel concepts and trendy designs into our sake products that match the needs and desires of modern-day consumers. We believe that sake should not only be a fancy beverage for connoisseurs, but rather a cultural treasure close to our hearts that is easy for anyone to pick up and try.

True Junmai Sake Specialists

From 2006 onwards, we changed our production process so that none of our sake contains any added alcohol. We are the first brewery in Niigata to make this change after the end of World War II. Not adding alcohol means that it is impossible to adjust the final taste and aroma of our sake once the brewing process is complete. Because of this, from the start of the brewing process to the finish, the tension in our brewery is palpable. Since we are a brewery that specialises in Junmai Daiginjo, Junmai Ginjo, and Junmaishu, our brewing process reflects our unique strengths.

The Pride of Niigata

All the water we add to our sake is sourced from natural springs in the Suganadake mountains located in Gosen, a city in Niigata prefecture. Water plays a great role in sake brewing. Before a batch of sake is finished, we must add water to it. At the bare minimum, this water must be free of tastes, smells, and impurities. Also, it is best if the water contains natural minerals that aid the growth of koji mold and yeast, while being low in iron, manganese, and organic matter since these items cause the sake’s quality to deteriorate.

Although we previously sourced water from the Agano river’s subsoil flow, the characteristics of this water have changed over the centuries. Hence, we searched for a new water source that would best fit our sake and chose the Suganadake mountain springs.

As for the rice, 100% of the sake rice we use is grown locally in Niigata. This rice has been cultivated specifically for sake brewing, and it yields a clean tasting Junmai sake brimming with umami flavour. Here at Imayo Tsukasa, we are working tirelessly to brew sake that stimulates the appetite, brings people together, and is impossible to get tired of.