Kamotsuru Brewing Company
Kamotsuru Sake Brewery’s flagship product is Daiginjo Special Gold Kamotsuru, a daiginjo sake with gold leaf shaped like cherry blossom petals. It also became famous as the drink that former President Obama enjoyed when he visited Japan. Kamotsuru Sake Brewery, the largest sake brewery in Saijo, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, dates back to the Edo period, when Kojimaya began brewing sake for the Saijo Honjin of the Asano Domain in 1623. is said to have started. Later, in 1873 (Meiji 6), they named their sake “Kamotsuru” on Chongyang Day and changed their business to sake brewing. 1918 (Taisho 7) Kamotsuru Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. is established. Since the Meiji era, Kamotsuru has received numerous honors at national competitions, and the quality of Kamotsuru is supported by the toji’s traditional ginjo techniques and sincerity. Saijo is blessed with the perfect climate, water, and rice for sake brewing, and has long been known as a place for producing high-quality sake. Kamotsuru is particular about the quality of its ingredients, and uses only rice harvested in Hiroshima Prefecture. In 1898 (Meiji 31), they introduced Japan’s first power rice milling machine, and they still mill rice in-house today. There are four breweries within the company, and four brewers who have inherited traditional techniques brew sake with the motto of “sake naka zashin” (there is heart in the sake). The quality of Kamotsuru is described by the brewery as follows: “It is light in color and has a graceful aroma, has a strong flavor, yet has a light smoothness, has a balance between sweet and spicy, and is easy to drink. A famous sake with all four characteristics: “Ama”, “Kara”, “Pin”, and “Uma” that make full use of Kamotsuru’s unique secret method of making Ginjo sake. This “moderate sake,” which is described as “not sweet and not spicy,” is the sake that has been passed down through generations by Kamotsuru’s chief brewers. With an uncompromising belief in sake brewing, they continue to brew sake that captivates sake fans around the world.
