Of the 19 sake breweries in Toyama Prefecture, Uozu Sake Brewery is the only one in Uozu City. It was originally founded in 14 under the name of Motoe Sake Brewery, but when it became difficult to continue due to the absence of a master brewer, Nihonshu Capital Co., Ltd. took over the business and restarted as Uozu Sake Brewery in 2022. What efforts are they currently making to establish the new Uozu Sake Brewery? We spoke to Uozu Sake Brewery Vice President Otsuji about their progress over the past two years.

I spoke to this person

Koji Otsu, Vice President of Uozu Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

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Originally from Osaka Prefecture, he was originally from a completely different industry, having worked in the IT industry for over 30 years. Having previously been friends with Bungo Tanaka, the representative of Nihonshu Capital Co., Ltd. and current president of Uozu Sake Brewery, he will become vice president of Uozu Sake Brewery in 2023 after working at Oonogawa Co., Ltd., a sake brewery in the same group. He likes to exercise, and his hobby is training at the gym.

"We want to preserve the city's only sake brewery" - Business succession fulfills the local community's wish

Uozu Sake Brewery, the only sake brewery in Uozu, Toyama Prefecture, was founded in 14 under the name Hongo Sake Brewery. The sake brewed with high-quality underground water from the Tateyama foothills water system has been loved by the people living in this seaside town. In 1925, the brewery was destroyed by a major fire called the Uozu Fire, but was rebuilt and remains a local brewery with a history of about 31 years.

However, in recent years, due to circumstances, the head brewer was absent, making it difficult for the brewery to continue. The brewers tried to make sake by "copying what others did", but it was still difficult. Tanaka Bungo, representative of Nihonshu Capital Co., Ltd., was consulted about Motoe Sake Brewery. Tanaka is a pioneer in business succession who has rebuilt many sake and shochu breweries, but with his wealth of experience, he said that it was not an easy decision to make given the situation at the time.

Bungo Tanaka, CEO of Sake Capital and Uozu Sake Brewery

However, Tanaka was met with enthusiasm from the local community, including the local government and nearby restaurants. After meeting with local residents to appeal for the sake brewery and the light of "sake" not to be lost in the city of Uozu, Tanaka decided to "team up together to brew sake and develop the town." The business was handed over to Tanaka in March 2022, and the company was restarted under the name "Uozu Sake Brewery" in November 3, with Tanaka as president.

Using "Uozu" as a prefix, promote the "face of the town, the brand, and the brewers"

When they restarted, they changed the name to Uozu Sake Brewery, knowing that they were the only sake brewery remaining in Uozu. This reflects their desire to treat town development and sake brewing as one "culture." The head brewer for the revival is Sakamoto Katsumi, who entered the world of sake brewing in his 30s and moved to Toyama. Tanaka, a busy man who has worked on numerous breweries, will also be stationed at the brewery almost full-time in the first year of the reconstruction, helping with brewery construction and sake brewing. Together with Miyauchi Hiroyuki, who was the head brewer at Motoe Sake Brewery at the time, they began a fresh start from scratch.

The storehouse and tools have been thoroughly cleaned, and by maintaining and installing new facilities, they have created an environment in which they can produce delicious, clean, ``pure and tasty'' sake, from the key step of making koji, to washing the rice, bottling and pasteurization.

The website has also been revamped to feature each brewer. By showing the faces and personalities of not only the chief brewer and president, but also the employees, drinkers feel closer to the brand and have a sense of security knowing that they can literally "see the faces" of the sake.

The key to the revival is narrowing down the brands to the main brand "Hokuyo", "Honami" available only at authorized dealers, and "Shinkiro no Mieru Machi" available only in Toyama Prefecture. All sake is pure rice with no added alcohol. In order to raise awareness of the brand in the first year of the revival, the sake is released with a label design that prominently displays the logos of each brand name. This is also Tanaka's strategy to raise awareness of the brand as an initial unveiling.

He generously showed his carefree smile to various media outlets, including local media, and got the local community involved, helping to spread the word about "Uozu Sake" and the true nature of the team that makes it.

In 2023, when those hectic days finally started to take the shape that Tanaka envisioned, Vice President Otsu transferred from the popular Akita Prefecture sake brewery [Oonogawa Co., Ltd.]. Compared to Oonogawa, which Tanaka says "had the energy and momentum of young people," "Uozu Sake Brewery is calm, and in a good way, it has a Showa or Heisei feel to it (laughs). It's calming," and now, with Otsu joining the team, a total of eight people are moving forward with the same vision for the future.

"Team Uozu" at the restart

"Hokuyo" is a local sake, and "Honami" lets you enjoy the flavor of the ingredients

Uozu Sake Brewery's sake has been loved by people who live by the sea. We asked Otsu about the characteristics of each of their sakes. The name of their main brand, "Hokuyo," comes from the fact that Uozu Port was the base of a fleet for the North Sea fishing industry. Although it is a brand that is available nationwide, they are still conscious of it being a "local sake." They say they aim to create sake that is suitable for daily evening drinks, that is close to the drinker, and that people will never tire of drinking. Among them, there are challenging sakes such as a Junmai sake made with the mythical rice "Kamenoo," which was given to them by Miyamoto Miso, a local miso shop that is a fellow fermentation industry partner, and a premium series made by brewing all Yamadanishiki rice at different polishing ratios and pressing it in a bag hanging, so you can enjoy the variety.

Meanwhile, "Honami," available only at authorized dealers, is an unfiltered raw sake that is rich in sweetness and umami, making the most of the inherent goodness of sake. According to Otsu, this has been "President Tanaka's ideal sake" even before the recent cram-like trend of "Murokanamagen." "Honami" releases new sake every month, each one made with a different type of rice. The yeast is also selected to match the rice used, making it a sake that allows you to enjoy the natural flavors of the ingredients.

What all of their sakes have in common is the desire to "make what consumers want."
Currently, they strive to release the sake they make fresh, but when they tried selling a small amount of their stock after letting it age, some customers said that "the aging brings out a different flavor," and Otsu told us, "There may be new seeds for growth in this kind of different approach."

Special collaborations with local organizations and different industries

As part of their philosophy of "sake brewing is town development," the brewery is also keen to collaborate with local groups and different industries. As the first step in the revival, at the request of the master brewer Sakamoto, they released a collaborative sake called "sonomama," which uses regular rice and features art by people with disabilities at a local multi-purpose facility on the label. This was the start of the brewery releasing products in collaboration with local businesses such as orchards and indigo dyeing shops. While these collaborative products often involve changing the label of an existing sake, Otsu says that master brewer Sakamoto "has a very strong and proactive attachment to his hometown." He designs the quality of the sake to match the concept, and he works on each one with great affection.

To gain the ability to sell "sake that we want to sell"

Two years have passed since Uozu Shuzo restarted. We asked Otsu about their future plans.
"We have become fairly stable in the direction of making good sake. That's why, when it comes to sake brewing, rather than thinking about 'how to sell the sake we make,' we want to think about the needs of the drinker and approach it with the intention of 'I want to sell this kind of sake/I want people to drink it, so I'm making it.' I think that in the future we need to strengthen our brand power and organize our items in order to sell our sake. Also, I feel that there are not many places where we can promote the taste itself. It would be great if we could open a direct sales store one day. To achieve this, we first need to restore the brewery and further improve the quality of our sake."

It would be impossible to mention all the events that have occurred from the time the business was on the brink of closing down to the present day, but all of these were efforts to keep the light of "sake" burning in the city of Uozu.
In fact, I personally feel that the chances of finding Uozu Sake Brewery's sake in Tokyo and other urban areas are gradually and steadily increasing. The day may not be far off when the sake that embodies the smiles of "Team Uozu," which has embraced the entire town, will become known to sake lovers all over the country.

Writer: Arika Mito
Living in Tokyo / Sake/Japanese writer, Japanese teacher, Sake taster
A writer and teacher who is active in the "two (Japanese) pillars" of Japanese and sake. Her favorite brand is ``Yamato Shizuku'' and she has a strong love for Akita Prefecture.
Other than alcohol, my hobbies are fashion and perfume. Qualifications: SAKE DIPLOMA, Sake Studies Instructor, Sake Master, Japanese Language Teaching Proficiency Test