Local Guide
Katayama Sake Brewery is the most famous sake brewery in Nikko! What is the secret of this sake brewery that has been around since the Meiji era?

One of the essential things to travel is local specialties. Encountering things that can only be eaten or touched in that particular area is one of the best parts of traveling.
We would like to introduce Katayama Sake Brewery, a famous brewery in the Nikko and Kinugawa area, which has won a gold medal at the National New Sake Competition.

Katayama Sake Brewery, located less than a 10-minute walk from Shimo-Imaichi Station and about a 15-minute walk from Imaichi Station, was established in 1880. The brewery's unique attention to materials and methods of production makes it possible to offer a range of excellent sake products that cannot be imitated by major sake brewers.
Parking is available, but those who wish to sample the sake should visit by bus or on foot.

Today, Takayuki Katayama, the sixth generation head of the brewery, who is certified as a "Shimotsuke Toji" (Shimotsuke Toji), has inherited the brewery's sake brewing techniques and is protecting this brewery.

What is Shimotsuke Toji?

Since ancient times, we in the sake brewing industry have referred to the leaders who brew sake using traditional handmade techniques as "toji.
The Echigo Toji of Niigata Prefecture and the Nanbu Toji of Iwate Prefecture are well-known for their traditional craftsmanship, and there is concern in the industry about a lack of successors due to the aging of the toji.

New Generation of Tochigi Sake

Katayama brews sake without using tap water. Here we will explore the secrets of this brewing method.

The well at the entrance of the brewery. One of the secrets to making delicious sake is the use of water from this well, which has been gushing forth since the Meiji Era (1868-1912).
The water is so special that people come from all over the Kanto area to fetch it.
Katayama Sake Brewery sells well water in plastic bottles for customers to take home, so why not try it with your sake?

And rice is an essential ingredient for sake.
Major manufacturers make sake all year round, but here at Katayama Sake Brewery, the production season is limited because they use new rice in the fall for cold brewing. The sake rice used in Daiginjo is "Yamadanishiki," a special grade A rice produced in Hyogo Prefecture, and the yeast is produced in Tochigi Prefecture.

While taking data on the moisture content of the sake rice and other factors, we change the time the rice is cooled each day according to the temperature of the water and the dryness of the air that day. The core of the rice is carefully controlled by human eyes to prevent it from cracking. The rice is carefully handcrafted in this way, making it a rare delicacy that cannot be tasted often.

About 800 kg of rice is steamed in a koshiki, an unglazed earthenware steamer with holes to allow steam to pass through.

The ceiling is coated with persimmon tannin without chemical paint.

There was still no electricity in the Meiji era when the building was constructed, and the craftsmanship and wisdom of the time are still alive in this sake brewery.

When you enter the brewery, there are about 10 large green tanks lined up in a row, and it is very cool. The temperature is regulated by building an additional roof over the tanks to allow air to escape. Outside the brewery, a large oak tree extends its branches to hide the brewery from direct Nikko and morning sun. The architectural style of the time was such that not a single nail was used. The valuable sake brewery, whose tanks never collapsed and remained intact even after a major earthquake, is filled with the wisdom of the craftsmen of that time.

Fermentation begins with 1.5 tons of steamed rice, yeast, and water in the tank. The sake is carefully made by hand by craftsmen. Once the rice has fermented, the sake is squeezed for about four days to allow the sake to fall naturally.

This video from the Katayama Sake Brewery website shows how it is done.

After the above process, sake is ready in about 40 days.
Since the sake is made in the cold, it is squeezed around February.
One of the sake that showcases the skill of the toji is the unfiltered sake "Sokkai".
It is stored in a refrigerator at -5°C and is available in stores from early spring.
It is stored so that it can be sold throughout the year, but it is sometimes sold out.

The "cold oroshi" is matured for one summer and then sold in stores only in the fall.
This sake is left in tanks during the summer and then filtered through a 9μm filter.
Katayama Shuzo also offers about 20 other types of sake.

It is said that many people visit the brewery from all over Japan as well as from the local area in search of daiginjo. In the past, it was possible to purchase Daiginjo in Tokyo and other places, but in order to maintain the quality of the sake, the brewery now refuses to sell it except at the brewery in principle so that they can concentrate on brewing.
While there have been many requests to distribute their sake wholesale, they maintain their craftsman's stance that taste is their top priority.
They accept purchases over the Internet, so why not give it a try?

Sake cakes featured on TV programs

There are two types: regular size (230g) and long size (350g), and they last for two months at room temperature, making them ideal as souvenirs. The flavor of the sake and the sweetness of the cake are just right, making it a popular cake that anyone can enjoy.
Katayama Sake Brewery, with its famous sake and cakes.
Why not stop by when you visit Nikko or Kinugawa?

Katayama Sake Brewery
  • address (e.g. of house) 146-2 Segawa, Nikko, Tochigi MAP
  • Direction 9 minutes on foot from Tobu Railway Kami-Imaichi Station
    Approx. 15 min. walk from JR Shimo-Imaichi Station
  • Hours of Operation 8:00-18:00
  • Admission Fee Free of charge
  • TEL 0288-21-0039
  • Parking Free of charge
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.