Katsuya Shuzo (勝屋酒造合名会社)
Katsuya Shuzo is a sake brewery in Akama, Munakata, Fukuoka, founded in 1790. A small team of brewers makes hand-crafted sake with Shiroyama subterranean water, including the Okinoshima and Nara no Tsuyu brands.
What kind of brewery is Katsuya Shuzo?
In 1790 the first-generation Zenichi Yamamoto took the name Katsuya and began brewing sake from tribute rice. Around 1873, in the time of the fourth head, Yagoro Yamamoto, rioters in the Chikuzen bamboo-spear uprising targeted the brewery and it had to stop brewing for a time. The family has long revered Munakata Taisha, and the brand name Nara no Tsuyu comes from the shrine's sacred oak. The business was incorporated as a partnership in 1926, and in 2015 the main house and chimney were registered as national tangible cultural properties. The craft has been passed down through nine generations.
- Water
- Brewing uses mineral-rich subterranean water from Mt. Shiroyama.
- Style
- Being small, the brewery does almost all of its brewing by hand.
Can you visit Katsuya Shuzo?
- Tours
Brewery tours are by reservation and are not offered from October to March during brewing; groups pay a separate fee and should consult in advance. A brewery open house is held on a Saturday and Sunday in the third or fourth week of February, no reservation needed.
Hours and booking rules change, so check before you go. Official website
Other brewery tours in Fukuoka
Compiled with AI from public pages, mainly the brewery’s own site (not yet checked by the brewery)Sources: katsuyashuzo.com