Collection: Chiyo Shuzo

About Chiyo Shuzo | Gose, Nara Prefecture

Chiyo Shuzo is a small brewery founded in 1873 which moved to its present location in the southwest part of the Nara basin near the Shinomine mountain range in 1902. Their very small production consists of many small meigara (brands) which are constantly sought after because of their high quality and limited availability.  

The current Toji (Master Brewer) Tetsuya Sakai began his career in the wine industry when he worked for Grace Winery for 5 years along with a 3 month winemaking stint in California. After marrying into the family who owned Chiyo Shuzo, Sakai-san’s career path changed to becoming a sake brewer. After 9 years working alongside the previous Toji at Chiyo, Sakai-san eventually took over the role as Toji in 2004 and then in 2007 also became the Kuramoto (Brewery Owner). 

Being naturally curious, Sakai-san constantly experiments with different strains of rice and brewing methods. This results in an extraordinary number of styles for such a tiny brewery. In 2000, Sakai-san started creating a range of sake to specifically showcase local regionality. Named after the nearby scenic mountains, this range is called Shinomine. Currently Sakai-san manages around 4 hectares of rice paddies, providing about 10% of their needs each year. The remaining rice is sourced from 26 farmers spread across Nara and nearby regions.