Zuiyo Co., Ltd. was founded in 1867 in Kawashiri, a town that prospered under Hosokawa rule as a place where rice harvests were collected and stored. Zuiyo was the first brewery to make the switch from akazake, the only alcohol being made in Kumamoto at the time, to sake brewing. The Kumamoto Prefecture Sake Institute was founded here in 1909 to improve sake brewing techniques in Kumamoto (it was later moved to Shimasaki, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City in 1922), making Zuiyo a very important player in sake history in Kumamoto.

Managing Director Kentaro Yoshimura is closely involved with sake-making at Zuiyo. He works together with local rice farmers to grow the sake rice used to make their famous Sukun Junmai Ginjo, winner of many awards both within Japan and overseas. Wanting to produce sake that utilizes rice at its natural best, Yoshimura has brew recipes that use fertilizer-free rice and low-polished rice. “Due to the earthquake this past year, a lot of the farms didn’t hit their expected crop yields but rice production overall is up. We are trying out different varieties, including Kumamoto rices like Ginnosato and Akimasari, as well as Yamadanishiki and the new Hananishiki varieties.”

Many buildings in the brewery were damaged by the earthquakes, including the Tohigura where akazake is made, but thankfully the brewery found the strength to carry on through the outpouring of support received from around the country. “Luckily, there’s been no change in the quality of Aso groundwater that we’re getting since the earthquake. I’m so thankful to be able to continue making sake here as it’s such an important place in the history of sake in Kumamoto. My goal is to diligently study sake-making, protect the traditions that need protecting, innovate in the areas that need to change, and continue to make sake that resonates with the character of Kumamoto,” Yoshimura states. Yoshimura also says that he has been reawakened to the appeal of the robustly fermenting Kumamoto Yeast, and his next goal is to brew with Kumamoto Yeast to make a sake that is brilliant and full-bodied yet balanced—something that will make the perfect addition to a pleasant meal.