Azakura Shuzo (阿櫻酒造株式会社)
Azakura Shuzo is a brewery in Yokote, Akita Prefecture, founded in 1886 (Meiji 19). It makes the sake Azakura using the Akita-style cold-season, long low-temperature fermentation. KIKI lists one of its bottles.
- Bottles listed
- 1
- Makes
- Sake
- Japan Sake Awards
- 2 golds
What kind of brewery is it?
Azakura Shuzo was founded in 1886 (Meiji 19) in snowy Yokote, a town known for its kamakura. The page also notes that another name for Yokote Castle is Azakura Castle. Today the brewers work under Yamauchi toji Teruii Toshio, brewing by the Akita-style cold-season method. The brewery is also pursuing a terroir approach, with its brewers growing sake rice in Yokote and brewing it with Yokote water.
What makes it distinct
- Water
- Subsurface water from the Ou mountains is used in every step from rice washing onward.
- Master brewer
- Brewing is led by the Yamauchi toji.
- Style
- Brewed by the Akita-style cold-season method with long, low-temperature fermentation.
- Ingredients
- Most rice is bought as brown rice and polished in-house.
- Also
- Most products are bottle-stored in refrigeration before shipping. Specially designated sake of junmai grade and above is washed by hand in full.
Visiting
- Shop
The brewery shop carries all Azakura products and original goods, with tastings for those who wish. It is open 10:00 to 16:00 and closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Compiled with AI from public pages, mainly the brewery’s own site (not yet checked by the brewery)Sources: azakura.co.jp
Bottles from this brewery
The app finds 13 bottles from this maker by their label (1 on this site).
Japan Sake Awards
A prize-winner in 4 of the 9 contests from brewing year 2017 to 2025, with a gold prize in 2.
Source: the prize lists of the Japan Sake Awards (National Research Institute of Brewing and Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association). Brewing year 2019 had no final judging, so no gold prizes.