Sakura Masamune, located in Higashinada Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, is a long-established sake brewery founded in 1625. This year marks the 400th anniversary of Sakura Masamune's founding, and the brewery is launching a number of commemorative projects. They plan to carry on the history and spirit of the brewery through new projects, including Japan's first low-alcohol hot sake. We interviewed Sakura Masamune about their thoughts on "giving back to the sake industry."

New business commemorating 400 years of brewing

Demand for sake has been sluggish for some time now. It is said that young people have stopped drinking alcohol, but on the other hand, low-alcohol drinks are popular among young people. Sakura Masamune, a long-established sake brewery in Nada, has embraced this trend and launched a new business this year, marking 400 years since its founding, so that everyone can enjoy new ways of drinking sake. We spoke to Yamamura-san, the 11th-generation head of the brewery, about the intention behind this and the history that has been cultivated.

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Sakura Masamune Co., Ltd. President and CEO/11th Generation Yamamura Tazaemon

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Born in 1963, Sakura Masamune was founded in 1717 by Ryotatsu Aramaki, who took the name "Yamamura Tazaemon," and every successive head of the family has taken on the name ever since. In 2003, he took on the name and became Representative Director and President of the company. He has been dedicated to the development of the sake industry, and was awarded the Hyogo Prefecture Meritorious Service Award in 4.

Sakura Masamune has had a huge impact on the industry.

Sakura Masamune's history dates back to 1625. In that year, they started making sake in Aramaki Village, Itami, and named it the "founding brewery" because they were making sake using surplus rice. They were later founded in Denpo in 1717. It is the original brewery of the sake "Masamune," and has played a number of pioneering roles, including the discovery of the famous "Miyamizu" water in 1840, when the sixth-generation head of the family was the first to discover the impact that water has on the quality of sake.

In 1906, Sakura Masamune yeast was registered as an association-certified one-go yeast and distributed nationwide, making the brewery famous nationwide as a long-established sake brewery that had a major impact on the industry. In 1913, the eighth-generation head of the family established Japan's first private research institute, the Yamamura Brewing Research Institute. Since then, they have been using koji starter strains selected and bred in-house to produce even purer sake. As a long-established sake brewery in Japan's number one sake-producing region, they continue to brew each bottle of sake with care, backed by 400 years of history and tradition.

"Hijo" sake commemorating the 400th anniversary of the brewing, donations of sales, special drinking club...

This year, Sakura Masamune has announced that it will hold a commemorative event to mark the 400th anniversary of its founding. The aim is not only to increase sake consumption, but also to address negative issues facing the industry, such as drunk driving and alcohol addiction.

First up will be the sale of "Hijo," a sake celebrating the 400th anniversary of the brewing process. "Hijo" is a specially brewed sake made with rice and water, and is aged for 19 years, including in oak barrels, making it a masterpiece that tastes almost like a distilled spirit. It has both a whiskey-like flavor and the umami of sake, and is said to be a perfect match for food.

This "Hijo" will retail for 4 yen (excluding tax) and will be sold in 400 bottles, in keeping with the 400-year anniversary, but the company is not aiming to make a profit. A portion of the sales from "Hijo" will be donated to the Public Interest Incorporated Association of Alcohol Health and Medicine and the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation for Children Orphaned in Traffic Accidents, each worth 100 million yen, in order to address the problems facing the industry as a form of social contribution.

They have also launched a new project called "Hare Nomibu" (Special Drinking Club). A special website has been launched, which will offer guide content that allows you to freely choose sake according to your mood and the occasion, as well as diagnostic content that can be enjoyed even by people who are not familiar with sake, and will propose ways to enjoy sake in special moments in your daily life.

A new way to drink sake: "Smooth Warm"

Their biggest project is "Maroyakan," a proposal for a new way to drink sake: low-alcohol warmed sake. In light of the recent trend toward health consciousness and support for low-alcohol drinks, they will propose various ways to drink sake. Specifically, they have developed "low-alcohol warmed sake" that can be enjoyed even with an alcohol content of 5-10%, and by soaking various ingredients such as pickled plums, kelp, and bonito flakes in it, they can add amino acids and salt to enhance the flavor.

When I actually poured "low-alcohol hot sake" over bonito flakes, grated kelp, salted kelp, and pickled plums, I was surprised at how each one produced a completely different aroma and flavor. The salty salted kelp brought out a strong umami flavor, making it enjoyable as a rich hot sake. On the other hand, when combined with the sour pickled plums, the overall flavor became firmer. It seems like it would go well with both meals and snacks.

You can also enjoy a new way of drinking by nibbling on the grated kelp with chopsticks. Paired with the refreshing bonito flakes, the alcohol content is strong despite the low alcohol content, and the satisfaction of "drinking hot sake" was high.

The manufacturing method for this "low-alcohol hot sake" is currently under patent application, but the company is open to other companies manufacturing and selling similar hot sake. The main aim is for consumers to discover their favorite way of drinking it and for this to spread, raising demand for sake and boosting the industry. Because it is low in alcohol, it is very easy to drink even for people who don't like hot sake because it has a high alcohol content, and combined with the fun of discovering your own way of enjoying hot sake, it seems likely to become very popular with young people and women.

The 11th generation head of the family thinks about the next 10 years

When I asked Yamamura, the 11th head of Sakura Masamune, about his thoughts on the 400-year history, he humbly replied that it was just a passing point. He continued, expressing his gratitude, saying, "We have overcome various disasters and difficulties, such as war, the Great Hanshin Earthquake, and the pandemic, and it is not thanks to us that we are where we are today, but thanks to our consumers, the local community, and the government."

This commemorative event marks the 400th anniversary of the company's founding, and the company has been conducting surveys of young employees to promote it as a way to give back to the industry and to raise demand for the industry in the future. When Yamamura first heard about the plan, he said, "I thought it was an interesting initiative that was outlandish and unimaginable. It's not enough for just me to make a profit and get excited, so I hope it will lead to various ways of enjoying sake and spread." He hopes that Maroyakan will help to boost the sake industry.

Throughout the 400-year history of sake brewing, Yamamura has always held dear the belief that "sake brewing is about spirit." He says that it is because he has consistently and painstakingly brewed sake without compromising on this belief that he has come to where he is today.

"The decline of the sake industry has many backgrounds, including not only changes in lifestyle and a declining birthrate, but also the diversification of alcoholic beverages. That is why we must continue to pass on what we have been doing up until now, that 'sake brewing is a spirit', to the younger generations in the next 10 to 20 years," he concluded with a message for the future.

This long-established sake brewery is carving out its history while also working on various projects for a new era. We look forward to continuing to pay attention to how it leads the industry and looks forward, whether that be through new ways of drinking sake or contributing to society.

Writer: Junko Ethanol
After drinking various types of alcohol, I finally decided on sake after turning 30.
Lately, I've been addicted to sparkling sake.