Yonetsuru

Yonetsuru Shuzo is a sakagura that has been run on a strictly family basis for over 300 years, ever since the founder Ihei Umezu started sake production in 1697, during the Genroku period. The headquarters of this Japanese brewery is Mahoroba, a sakagura located in the small town of Takahata, within the Yamagata Prefecture, an area characterised by fertile soil and very clean water, fundamental prerequisites for the production of high quality sake.Throughout time, the Umezu have always been committed to supporting the local community and enhancing the area, contributing to its rural development. At the end of the Edo period, the family also became official suppliers to the Uesugi clan, at that time ruler of the area. Important was then the contribution of the ninth generation of the Umezu, represented by Ihei, the founder's namesake, who gave a significant impulse in further raising the prestige of sakagura, focusing on avant-garde techniques for the time. He was also elected village chief and is credited with the official birth of the Yonetsuru brand. Today, it is the twelfth generation, represented by Yoichiro Umezu, that carries on the business, combining the long family tradition with the most modern technology in the industry. The name 'Yonetsuru' comes from the folk tale 'Tsuru no Ongaeshi', which tells of an ear of rice bowed down, willing to 'convey a feeling of gratitude with a sincerely made drink'.

Yonetsuru Shuzo sakes are made from rice of the Yamada Nishiki, Dewasansan, Kamenoo and Kamesui varieties, the latter recently developed in Takahata. The rice is grown by trusted local farmers and is milled to a polish of up to 35% in the case of the finest sake. The transformation of rice into sake, carefully monitored by brewery master Satoshi Sugai, is then entrusted to two microbial agents: Koji fungus and yeast.

Yonetsuru Shuzo's goal is to make sake that is refreshing and balanced, never over the top, but always elegant. By virtue of these qualities, the sakagura labels have won numerous prizes and awards over the years, including internationally. Besides sake production, Yonetsuru Shuzo is also dedicated to the production of delicious shochu, a traditional Japanese spirit.