Kikusui Shuzo (菊水酒造株式会社)
Kikusui Shuzo is a brewery in Niigata Prefecture, founded in 1881, known for Gorohachi, Kuramitsu and Kikusui no Karakuchi. A Niigata brewery famous for creating Japan's first canned nama-genshu 'Funaguchi' as well as 'Gorohachi'. KIKI lists 3 of its bottles.
AI-compiled from public information, not checked by the brewery.
Key facts
| Name | Kikusui Shuzo (菊水酒造株式会社) |
|---|---|
| Location | Niigata Prefecture |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Makes | Sake |
| Website | www.kikusui-sake.com |
What kind of brewery is it?
History
Founded in 1881 by Setsugoro Takazawa, the brewery relocated to its current site in 1969 following severe flood damage. In 1972, it pioneered Japan's first canned nama-genshu 'Funaguchi Kikusui Ichiban Shibori' and released 'Gorohachi'. In 2025, it opened 'KIKUSUI Kura GARDEN'.
What makes it distinct
| Water | Uses pure, soft snowmelt water originating from the Iide Mountain Range in northern Echigo. |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Brews with local Niigata rice as well as the legendary 'Kikusui' rice resurrected from just 25 seeds. |
| Style | Operates a modern four-season facility (Ninoji-gura) alongside an artisanal craft brewery (Setsugoro-gura). |
| Also | Pioneered the packaging technology to distribute unpasteurized, undiluted sake in aluminum cans. |
Visiting
Visitors can enjoy reserved tours, a shop, sake tasting servers, and a fermentation cafe at KIKUSUI Kura GARDEN.
- Tours
- Shop
- Tasting / food
Bottles from this brewery
The KIKI app knows 20 bottles from this maker (3 on this site).
| Bottle | Type | Per 720 ml |
|---|---|---|
| Kikusui Gorohachi Nigori Sake菊水 にごり酒 五郎八 | Junmai | ¥820 |
| Funaguchi Kikusui Ichibanshibori Honjozo Raw & Undiluted Sakeふなぐち菊水一番しぼり 本醸造 生原酒 | Honjozo | ¥1,080 |
| Kikusui Karakuchi Honjozo Dry菊水の辛口 本醸造 | Honjozo | ¥757 |
Awards
| Year | Competition | Result | Entry | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewing year 2025 | Japan Sake Awards (Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai) | Gold prize | 菊水 | |
| Brewing year 2024 | Japan Sake Awards (Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai) | Prize (nyusho) | 菊水 | |
| Brewing year 2024 | Japan Sake Awards (Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai) | Gold prize | 菊水 |