About Ota Shuzo | Shiga Prefecture

Ota Shuzo was created by the ancestors of the 15th century Samurai warrior-poet and military tactician Sukenaga Ota (1432-1486). When Sukenaga Ota also became a Buddhist monk, he adopted the Buddhist name Dohkan, by which he is commonly referred to as today.

The current Ota family can trace their ancestry all the way back to this warrior who was also the architect of Edo Castle in 1457 (today’s Imperial Palace) in what is now known as Tokyo. Ordered by Iemitsu Tokugawa (1604-1651) the third Tokugawa Shogunate to protect the Tokaido High Road, the Ota family moved to Kusatsu in Omi province (now Shiga) where the family eventually began brewing Sake.

The Ota family has continued to produce Sake which receives nationwide acclaim in Japan, naming the product "Dohkan" after their famous ancestor.