Miyoshino Jōzō

Fourth-generation kuramoto Hashimoto Teruaki became the tōji at Miyoshino Jōzō in 2008, and has since turned it into one of Japan’s most innovative and creative breweries. He operates under a definitive belief that the ‘air makes the sake’. Hashimoto-san focuses on yeast which he believes is the best representation of the local environment and the acids emitted by the yeast make the resultant sake very unique. The water for the brewery comes from a well named ‘Yuzuruha no Ido’ which is thought to be mentioned in one of the most ancient Japanese manuscripts, Manyoshu!  

Hashimoto sees sake brewing as part of the local agriculture, working closely with nearby farmers and adjusting his sake to the rice they grow, not the other way around, as it is in most breweries. Brewing methods are very creative and rely entirely on natural yeast, with an ethos of “helping” nature do its work. The resulting sake is full-bodied, layered, rich in umami and acidity.