What is Katayama Sake Brewery?

Located less than a 10-minute walk from Shimo-Imaichi Station and about a 15-minute walk from Imaichi Station, Katayama Sake Brewery was founded in 1880 (Meiji 13). By maintaining a unique commitment to ingredients and production methods, they offer exceptional products that large sake manufacturers cannot imitate.
Parking is available, but if you plan to taste the sake, please visit by bus or on foot.

Currently, the 6th generation owner, Takayuki Katayama, who holds the "Shimotsuke Toji" certification, has inherited the techniques of sake brewing and protects this brewery.

What is a Shimotsuke Toji?

In the sake brewing industry, we have long called the leaders who brew sake using traditional handmade techniques "Toji" (master brewers).
While Toji groups such as the "Echigo Toji" of Niigata Prefecture and the "Nanbu Toji" of Iwate Prefecture are famous, the aging of Toji and the shortage of successors are feared within the industry, as is the fate of such ancient traditional artisan skills.

New Generation Tochigi Sake

Katayama Sake Brewery does not use tap water for brewing. We will explore the secrets of their production method.

Secrets of the Sake Brewery

The well at the entrance of the sake brewery. Using the water from this well, which has been gushing forth without drying up since the Meiji era, is one of the secrets to making delicious sake.
This water is so exceptional that people come from all over the Kanto region to draw it.
Katayama Sake Brewery also sells plastic bottles at the storefront so you can take the well water home, so why not try drinking it along with the sake?

And what is essential for sake is rice.
While large manufacturers brew sake all year round, here at Katayama Sake Brewery, production is limited to the season because they perform cold brewing using new rice from the autumn. The sake rice (rice suitable for sake brewing) used for their Daiginjo is "Yamada Nishiki" of Special A rank from Hyogo Prefecture, and they use yeast from Tochigi Prefecture.

While collecting data such as the moisture content of the sake rice, we change the cooling time for the rice every day based on the water temperature and air dryness of that day. We carefully manage it with our own eyes to ensure the core of the rice does not crack. Because it is crafted with such careful, hands-on attention, it becomes a rare masterpiece that is hard to come by.

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

The ceiling is coated with persimmon tannin instead of chemical paints.

Built in the Meiji era when there was no electricity, the sake brewery is constructed using the craftsmanship and wisdom of that time.

Upon entering the brewery, about 10 large green tanks are lined up, and it is very cool inside. The temperature is regulated by building a roof over the roof and providing air vents. Outside the brewery, large oak trees stretch their branches to hide the building, designed to prevent direct sunlight and morning sun from hitting it. It is an architectural style that is said to have used not a single nail at the time. This precious brewery, which has never had a tank fall over even during major earthquakes, is packed with the wisdom of the craftsmen of that era.

1.5 tons of steamed rice, yeast, and water are put into the tanks to ferment. It is carefully crafted by the manual labor of artisans. Once the rice has fermented, it is pressed using a method that waits for the sake to drip out naturally over about four days.

This is a video from the Katayama Sake Brewery website that introduces the process.

After going through the above process, the sake is completed in about 40 days.
Because it is cold-brewed, the sake is pressed around February.
One of the sakes that showcases the master brewer's skill is the unfiltered sake 'Sugao'.
It is the clear sake that drips out first before pressure is applied, and it is stored in a -5°C refrigerator before appearing in stores from early spring.
It is stored so that it can be sold throughout the year, but it sometimes sells out.

"Hiyaoroshi" is a sake that is aged for one summer before being sold in stores exclusively in the autumn.
This sake is left to rest in tanks during the summer and then filtered through a 9μm filter.
Katayama Sake Brewery offers about 20 other types of sake as well.

Daiginjo that won a gold medal at the Annual Japan Sake Awards

It is said that many people from all over the country, as well as locals, visit in search of their Daiginjo. Although it was previously available for purchase in places like Tokyo, they now generally decline sales outside of the brewery to focus on sake production and maintain quality.
Despite many requests to stock their products, they maintain the artisan's stance that taste is the top priority.
They do accept online orders, so why not give it a try?

Sake cake featured on TV programs

Available in two sizes, regular (230g) and long (350g), and with a shelf life of two months at room temperature, it makes an ideal souvenir. It is a popular cake that anyone can enjoy, with a perfect balance of sake flavor and cake sweetness.
Katayama Sake Brewery, where fine sake and cakes are lined up.
If you are visiting Nikko or Kinugawa, why not stop by?

Katayama Sake Brewery

• 146-2 Segawa, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• Approx. 9-minute walk from Tobu Railway Kami-Imaichi Station
  Approx. 15-minute walk from JR Shimo-Imaichi Station
  
• 8:00–18:00 (9:00–18:00 on Sundays and holidays)
• Free
• 0288-21-0039