200 years of dedicated sake brewing

Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is currently thriving as an oil refinery. Nakajimaya Sake Brewery is located in Tomita-doi, where the Jindai River and Tomita River meet. For nearly 6 years since 1823, the brewery has been dedicated to sake brewing. The local brand "Kotobuki" is used in celebrations and ceremonies in hopes of long life, and has long been loved by local residents, who call it "Tsuru, Kame, Kotobuki." In addition, the brewery offers a rich lineup of sake with clear concepts, including "Kane-naka," brewed using the rare traditional kimoto method, and "Nakajimaya," a brand launched in 200 with an eye on the new era. The company motto is "Keep your heart in the sake," and the brewery brews with a single mind, resulting in a deliciousness that cannot be achieved through mass production.

I want to brew sake that will be remembered by people

In the long history of sake brewing, there are things that change with the times and things that remain unchanged, and we believe that all of these things are connected to the current state of the sake brewery, so we value creating flavors by combining long-standing skilled techniques with modern, cutting-edge chemical knowledge. Our motto for sake brewing is to aim for sake brewed in this way to remain in people's memories without being swayed by trends, even as times and tastes change.

Special environment and techniques

There is a saying in sake brewing that goes, "First, koji, second, third, brewing," and as such, the most important step is koji-making. Nakajimaya Brewery uses high-quality Akita cedar for the koji-making room, creating a natural space that is comfortable for the microorganisms called koji. Kanenaka is made using the kimoto-brewing technique, which was developed in the late 17th century. In the normal sake brewing process, lactic acid bacteria are used to prevent the growth of bacteria. Today, a yeast starter called "sokujo-moto" is mainly made by adding artificial lactic acid, but kimoto-brewing incorporates natural lactic acid bacteria that live in the brewery, giving the sake a complex and deep flavor. If it is further aged in a storehouse for more than a year, the flavor and fullness will increase. This flavor is what makes it "Nakajimaya-like," and it has received high praise in contests and overseas.

To connect to the next 200 years

Sake breweries exist thanks to the relationships between drinkers and the liquor stores and restaurants that serve the sake. While continuing to cherish the connections with people that are connected through sake, they are also working on expanding overseas, such as developing products and entering overseas contests, in order to make their sake brewing more widely known. They will continue to make tireless efforts to connect their 200-year history to another 200 years in the future.