Sake from Miyagi - Quality, innovation, unique taste
There are 25 sake breweries in Miyagi. In 1986, the Miyagi Sake Brewers Association declared Miyagi Junmai the flagship of the prefecture. 55% of Miyagi sake is Junmai grade—an extremely high figure compared to the national average of just 22%. Miyagi sake is considered one of the highest quality in Japan. Currently, around 90% of sake from Miyagi is classified as premium sake, well above the national average of around 30%. Miyagi sake has also won numerous awards. Therefore, it's almost a household name in Japan to say, "No matter what sake you drink in Miyagi, you can't go wrong."
The great earthquake of 2011 hit Miyagi Prefecture hard. Of the prefecture's 25 breweries, six were completely destroyed, three suffered severe damage, and 14 were partially damaged. Due to the widespread destruction, some brewers considered closing their operations. However, thanks to the generous support of Miyagi Prefecture, other organizations, and many sake enthusiasts, none of the sake breweries were forced to close. The buildings were largely rebuilt on the same site. Thanks to these new buildings, many Miyagi breweries now have the latest sake brewing techniques.
Discover with us:
Sake from three fantastic craft breweries from Miyagi Prefecture
Kakuboshi
Kakuboshi was founded in 1908 in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. The brewery suffered several devastating blows: After a major fire in 1929, the buildings were completely destroyed. The following year, the family rebuilt the company headquarters on the same site. Since 2003, Sake Kura has been a registered tangible cultural asset of Japan. In the devastating earthquake of 2011, the ground floor of the building was washed away and the second floor was severely damaged. The brewery was completely rebuilt in May 2016 and remains certified as a nationally registered tangible cultural asset. The brewery's sake has won numerous awards and is considered particularly light and fresh. Its aroma is not too strong and goes particularly well with seafood, the culinary flagship of Miyagi Prefecture. Kakuboshi is a small company with 30 employees, half of whom work in production.
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Sasaki Sake Brewery
Sasaki Shuzoten was founded in 1871 in Natori, Yuriage District, Miyagi Prefecture. Sake Kura is run by two brothers in the fifth generation. While the younger brother, Toji, is responsible for sake production, the older brother handles the overall management and administration of the brewery. Like almost every sake brewery in Miyagi, the devastating tsunami of 2011 hit the Sasaki brewery hard. The company headquarters building, a registered tangible cultural property of Japan, was completely destroyed. Fortunately, the production warehouse, located on a slightly elevated site, was spared by the tsunami. The two brothers received support from across the country to rebuild the brewery. Initially, a temporary brewery was built in the Natori City Reconstruction Industrial Park to resume production. In 2019, a new sake brewery was built at the old location. The new brewery building combines state-of-the-art technology with five generations of experience, making Sasaki sake more exciting than ever. The city of Natori is blessed with the finest water from the river of the same name and the Abukuba River. Sasaki uses almost exclusively local rice from Miyagi Prefecture for its sake.
Here you can find Sasaki sake!
Zao Shuzo
Zao Shuzo was founded in 1873 at the foot of the Zao Mountains in Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture. It is the city's only sake brewery. At the time of its founding, it was a small independent sake shop producing just 4,500 liters of sake. Today, Zao Shuzo ranks 11th among Japan's most award-winning sake breweries. Since its founding, the brewery has consistently committed itself to quality-oriented sake brewing. It uses only local rice from Miyagi Prefecture. Miyama Nishiki and Kura no Hana, special sake rice varieties for the production of premium sake, are cultivated by farmers in Shiroishi City and the neighboring city of Kakuda in collaboration with young farmers from the region. The area is blessed with the particularly soft water of the Shiroishi River, thus providing ideal conditions for sake production. The sake kasu (sake lees), which remains as a residue from brewing, is used as a fertilizer component for the rice fields, so that sake is essentially turned back into rice.
Another unique feature of Zao Shuzo is the average age of its employees. The team is very young, with all employees between 20 and 35 years old. In 2016, Toji, then only 28 years old, was hired. The taste of the sake has changed since then. While it used to be very rich in flavor, Zao's sake is now extremely fresh and clear.
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