Itano-Shuzo
Proud brewery of Ashimori in Okayama
Itano-shuzo is in the historical heart of Okayama Prefecture, situated in Ashimori town, a place where a Shogun, general who later ruled the entire country nested in the late 1500s.
The brewery is deeply rooted in the Edo era and still continues its legacy.
By exclusively using locally sourced ingredients and relying on the natural environment for the entire production process, the brewery maintains the original character and purity of handcrafting and expresses its generations of knowledge and expertise.
How it started
Located in a town where the relatives of the Shogun Toyotomi migrated in 1601, the town and the brewery have a long history and connection to the Samurai era, and the street still retains the character of those days.
Back then, there was a brewery called Taniguchi-ya which originated in the 1600s. Itano-family later acquired the brewery, and reformed in 1870 as Itano-shuzo.
One of their Sake Appellation name - Futamo - relates to the mountain, Mt Futamo behind the town. This mountain is where Toyotomi, who unified the whole country later on, set up a base camp in the fight against Mouri, a Shogun who ruled the western part of the Japanese main island.
Another appellation - Kinojo - is the name of the castle where the demon from Momotaro, one of the most famous Japanese old tales, had his base.
Their ingredients
Itano-shuzo uses varieties of rice, all of which are locally grown in Okayama.
Omachi rice is one of the rarest types of rice due to its difficulty in production while being one of the best rice for sake. It was discovered over 150 years ago and is a parent bleed for many of the modern famous sake rice.
Yamadanishiki is called the King of sake rice.
Akebono was born in Okayama, and Okayama accounts for 99% of the total production of Japan.
Water
Ashimori river flows along the brewery.
It has a colour of clear blue, and fireflies which are said to live near clean water often fly to the riverbank right next to the brewery.
Brewing Character
Their brewing focuses on handcrafting without any intervention of modern technology methods. With the advancement in technology, many breweries implemented fridges for storage and ageing instead of storing in the natural environment.
However, here at Itano-shuzo maximise the natural environment without the use of modern electronics. This requires remarkable quality control expertise, as the change in temperature and humidity influence the fermentation process and the quality of sake.
This is only possible with the vast amount of knowledge and technique of the producer.
- Toji - Production Chief
Toji refers to a chief of sake brewing who oversees the whole production and is responsible for every step of the production process.
Toji has its style and distinct brewing traditions associated with specific regions in Japan and it reflects the regional differences such as climate, water sources, rice varieties, and historical developments.
Toji of Itano-shuzo is in the style of Bichu, the region where the brewery is located.
He started assisting and learning brewing when he was 15 years old while going to high school and he now has all the knowledge and expertise needed to create a masterpiece and express his character in sake.
