Tenzan Brewing Company

Shimizu River in Ogi City, Saga Prefecture. Its main stream, the Gion River, has been selected as one of Japan’s 100 best waters, and is so pure that fireflies fly around in early summer. Additionally, the underground water from the Tenzan Mountains is rich in minerals, making it ideal for sake brewing. Tenzan Sake Brewery is located on the riverbank in Iwakura, Ogi-machi, Ogi-gun, Saga Prefecture. Founded in 1861 during the Edo period, the company operated a watermill business that utilized the clear waters of the Gion River, as well as milled flour and made noodles. It is said that the Shichida family, the brewery, also took on the responsibility of polishing sake rice from local sake breweries. Through this connection, they purchased a sake brewery and a set of tools from a brewery that was going out of business, and in 1875 (Meiji 8), the first generation, Toshizo Shichita, began brewing sake. The brewery built by the second generation, who had a deep knowledge of architecture, remains as a cultural property today, and the third generation worked on researching and cultivating sake rice, and the “commitment” of the successive owners has been passed down to this day. . The company’s brand since its founding has been “Tenzan,” and they currently offer a variety of products, including “Iwa no Kura,” which is distributed only in Kyushu, and “Shichida,” a pure rice sake brand created by the 6th generation brewer. Approximately 90% of the rice is locally grown in Saga Prefecture, and the company has established the Tenzan Sake Rice Cultivation Research Group based on the philosophy that “good sake begins with rice cultivation.” In 2017, it received the Best President Award at the French competition “KURA MASTER” and in 2022, it received the Platinum Award in the Aged Sake category, receiving high praise overseas.