Inaba Shuzo
Inaba Shuzo is a traditional Sake brewery located in the Ibaragi region, at the foot of Mount Tsukuba. The area is particularly suitable for Sake production due to the proximity of pure water springs and the cool climate, perfect for cultivating rice of excellent quality. Indeed, water and rice are the two essential ingredients for creating this fascinating Japanese beverage. It is a historic sakagura that, following ancient tradition, produces beer and Sake according to the oldest artisanal rules and still works today with great passion to pass on the Japanese art of rice fermentation.
The historical origins of Inaba Shuzo are very ancient. Sixteen generations have passed since the first ancestor of the family settled in these lands. In 1867, the production of the first Sake began, which was named Minanogawa after the river that flows near Mount Tsukuba. From the very beginning, production has been based on local rice and the purest water from the courtyard spring.house, which flows down from the nearby mountains. The quality of the Sake was so high that it was served as the sacred Sake of the Tsukuba shrine. Alongside Sake production, beer production, another excellence of the region, has also been increasingly appreciated abroad.
Despite the fame and success, the company has maintained an artisanal dimension, with small productions carried out with manual processes and without the use of machinery. The rice is washed by hand, and during the preparation of koji, the production manager personally checks the right temperature. The same procedure is followed with the moromi (a fermentation mixture of rice, koji, yeast, and water), which is tasted several times to monitor its progressive evolution, until the final product. Finally, in the final stage, the moromi is not pressed, but hung in a bag allowing the precious Sake to drip slowly, ensuring maximum purity, in full respect of traditions that certainly did not know the haste of modern times. In 2019, an important project related to the protection and safeguarding of the territory was born.important project related to the protection and safeguarding of the territory. With the aim of promoting the activities of local small farmers, the terraces at the foot of Mount Tsukuba have been recovered for rice production. The goal is to use only local rice for the production of Sake, to give the labels a strong connection to the territory.
Inaba Shuzo is a traditional Sake brewery located in the Ibaragi region, at the foot of Mount Tsukuba. The area is particularly suitable for Sake production due to the proximity of pure water springs and the cool climate, perfect for cultivating rice of excellent quality. Indeed, water and rice are the two essential ingredients for creating this fascinating Japanese beverage. It is a historic sakagura that, following ancient tradition, produces beer and Sake according to the oldest artisanal rules and still works today with great passion to pass on the Japanese art of rice fermentation.
The historical origins of Inaba Shuzo are very ancient. Sixteen generations have passed since the first ancestor of the family settled in these lands. In 1867, the production of the first Sake began, which was named Minanogawa after the river that flows near Mount Tsukuba. From the very beginning, production has been based on local rice and the purest water from the courtyard spring.house, which flows down from the nearby mountains. The quality of the Sake was so high that it was served as the sacred Sake of the Tsukuba shrine. Alongside Sake production, beer production, another excellence of the region, has also been increasingly appreciated abroad.
Despite the fame and success, the company has maintained an artisanal dimension, with small productions carried out with manual processes and without the use of machinery. The rice is washed by hand, and during the preparation of koji, the production manager personally checks the right temperature. The same procedure is followed with the moromi (a fermentation mixture of rice, koji, yeast, and water), which is tasted several times to monitor its progressive evolution, until the final product. Finally, in the final stage, the moromi is not pressed, but hung in a bag allowing the precious Sake to drip slowly, ensuring maximum purity, in full respect of traditions that certainly did not know the haste of modern times. In 2019, an important project related to the protection and safeguarding of the territory was born.important project related to the protection and safeguarding of the territory. With the aim of promoting the activities of local small farmers, the terraces at the foot of Mount Tsukuba have been recovered for rice production. The goal is to use only local rice for the production of Sake, to give the labels a strong connection to the territory.
