Brand's products SASAKI SHUZO

Founded in 1893, Sasaki Shuzo brews its sakes at "Rakuchu", in the heart of Kyoto's historic city center.

"Rakuchu" is the term used to describe the central Kyoto area of the Heian-kyo capital, north of Nijo Castle, known for the Taisei Hokan (restoration of imperial authority).

By the middle of the Muromachi period (1336-1573), there were over 300 breweries in old Kyoto. By the Meiji 26 era (1893), only 131 remained.

At that time, there were more breweries and more sake produced in Rakuchu than in Fushimi, but the number of breweries declined over time, and today only Sasaki Shuzo remains.

Sake brewing flourished in Kyoto because the city was blessed with good-quality groundwater, known as the Kyoto Water Basin.

Kyoto's exceptional topography and abundant water were the main reasons why sake was brewed in Kyoto and why Kyoto was designated as the capital for 1,000 years.

Sasaki Shuzo is located at the southern end of the ancient site of "Jurakudai", once the residence of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the second of Japan's three unifiers). This region benefits from abundant, high-quality groundwater. Water-related industries such as sake brewing, tofu and wheat gluten have flourished here since antiquity. This water is drawn from the same underground vein as the "Ginmeisui" spring that Sen no Rikyu (Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tea master) is said to have used for tea ceremonies, and is still used for such ceremonies today.