Enjoy Miyagi's Sake to the Fullest Series Vol. 2 - Recommendations for Sake Miyagi is Proud of - [Southern Pref. Course

  • Miyagi
  • PR
Preparation of sake (Zao Sake Brewery)
There are many places throughout Japan that produce delicious sake, but did you know that Miyagi Prefecture also has many delicious and unique sake products?
Sake from Miyagi has a deep connection to the famous warlords of the Warring States period, and the sake brewed by each sake brewery in this land of rich nature is exquisite!
In this issue, we will introduce a total of 9 tours of Miyagi's sake.
We are also planning tours for limited departure dates, so please visit us and enjoy the environment where Miyagi-style sake is brewed, the marriage of Miyagi-style sake with local products, and meet the people who make it their profession. You will be captivated by Miyagi sake. (Please see the bottom of the page for tour details.)

Sake Brewing in Miyagi

The roots of Miyagi's sake brewing

Miyagi sake is said to have been first brewed in 1604 by Takeda Genzaemon, a sake brewer in Watari, an area in the southern part of Miyagi Prefecture, who started brewing sake as a merchant.
A few years later, in 1608, the Sendai clan's official sake brewery was established by Date Masamune, the founder of the Sendai clan, who was a gourmand and a great lover of sake.
Through the mediation of Yagyu Tajima no Kami Munenori, Masamune granted Mataemon, a resident of Kayanomori in Yamato (Nara), the family name "Kayanomori Mataemon", a ten-man support grant, and ten ryo of cut rice, and gave him a brewery and residence south of the San no Maru of Aoba Castle to start his own sake brewery. The sake brewery was built by Lord Masamune. The brewery is said to have been built by Lord Masamune himself.
Along with the development of the domain's sake breweries, town sake breweries also appeared in the Sendai castle area, and as they competed with each other in brewing techniques, Miyagi's sake brewing was refined.

About 90% of the sake is high quality sake

Miyagi sake is one of the highest quality sake in Japan. Since the "Declaration of Miyagi as a Prefecture of Junmai Sake" in November 1986, we have increased the percentage of high-quality "Tokutei Meishu" sake produced, which meets the requirements of rice milling ratio and ingredients. Currently, approximately 90% of Miyagi's sake is tokutei meishu, which is higher than the national average of approximately 40% and the average of approximately 70% in the Tohoku region.

Enjoy Miyagi's Sake to the Fullest Series Vol. 2 [Miyagi Prefecture South Course

In this second installment of the Miyagi Sake Series, we introduce the Zao Sake Brewery and the Sasaki Sake Brewery from the southern area of Miyagi Prefecture!
The southern area of Miyagi Prefecture is characterized by clear skies because the Ou Mountains and Rikuzen Hills block the snow clouds that come in on the northwesterly winds during the winter. The region is divided into a western region consisting of small basins that receive cold winds from Mt. Zao, and an eastern coastal region that receives warm sea breezes spreading south from Sendai City.
The western region is home to the only sake brewery in Shiroishi City, while the eastern coastal region is home to Yuriage, Natori City, and the Sasaki Sake Brewery, a symbol of reconstruction, both brew sake that makes the most of their respective climates, and continue to brew sake that is the face of the town while remaining close to the region.

Zao Sake Brewery - Refine your skills and turn the blessings of the majestic nature of Zao into highly elegant and beautiful sake.

Located at the foot of the Zao Mountain Range, Shiroishi City is full of historical atmosphere with its Shiroishi Castle and samurai residences. Founded in 1873 (Meiji 6) as a private store, Zao Sake Brewery is now the only sake brewery in the city, and is well loved by the community.
The brewing water is Zao's subterranean water pumped up from 50 meters below ground on the brewery's premises. This soft water is well known by local residents and leaves a "limpid" impression on the delicious yet crisp sake brewed by the Zao Sake Brewery.
Exterior view of the Zao Sake Brewery

New buds of Zao bloom beautifully as flowers

The president, toji (master brewer), and vice toji (assistant master brewer), all of whom are in their 30s on average, brew sake while embodying the concept of "harmony in sake brewing. The company also uses sakekasu as part of the fertilizer and returns the sake to the rice. This cycle of cultivation has resulted in a flavor that is unique to this region.
The brewery is led by young brewers, and they are determined to try new things every year, such as brewing sake without any analysis, using only the brewer's own senses, and in the 2023 brewing year, they tried to make their first sake using the "Namahashiro" method.
Sake from the Zao Sake Brewery
Zao Sake Brewery HP

Zao Sake Brewery and Oumen Restaurant

The brewery's sake is "sake that becomes more delicious with each successive sipping. The depth and variety of flavors can be enjoyed with every first, second, and third cup of sake. If you want to enjoy such a sake full of Zao's natural bounty, visit "Yamabuki Tei," a restaurant specializing in umen, a traditional dish that Shiroishi City is proud to have passed down for 400 years. Local chefs know the local sake better than anyone else. A skilled Japanese chef will prepare the tastes of Miyagi and Shiroishi to match the sake.
The tour products currently on sale feature menus specially designed by Yamabuki Tei using Miyagi ingredients. You may be able to encounter a rare gem of a dish!

Sasaki Sake Brewery: "Once again brewing sake in Yuriage," the brothers vow to revive their business in a temporary brewery that has been ingeniously constructed.

The Sasaki Sake Brewery was founded in 1871 by Shinsuke Sasaki, the founder of Sasaki Sake Brewery, who started his own sake brewery in Yuriage, a prosperous port for the Date Clan. With the legacy of "local sake is a liquefied version of the local culture," the brewery brews sake from local rice and the subsoil water of the Natori River, a first-class river that flows right in front of the brewery, and has been loved by the local people for more than 150 years.
However, the brewery was completely destroyed and washed away by the 5-meter tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.
Nevertheless, Hiroshi, the elder brother who oversees the brewery, and Junpei, the younger brother who is in charge of toji (chief brewer), declared, "We will never stop making sake. We will rebuild the brewery. They received support one after another from all over Japan. In the year following the earthquake, they resumed sake brewing at the Natori Reconstruction Industrial Park in Natori City, using a temporary brewery that had been constructed to meet the necessary conditions for sake brewing, including temperature, humidity, and hygiene control.
Sasaki Sake Brewery exterior

Sake is the power water of the community

Brewing sake in a temporary warehouse for the first time in the history of Japanese brewing was a challenge. Although the brewery had to make some tentative changes, such as changing the brewing water to water from the rice fields of Seri (Japanese parsley), a specialty of Natori, due to changes in water quality caused by the earthquake, new brands were created with the aim of brewing sake that would weave a story about the town of Yuriage and the brewery.
Around 2017, when the reconstruction of Yuriage was underway, they began to consider rebuilding the brewery in earnest. The two brothers visited sake breweries around Japan and drew up a blueprint for a new brewery, which they opened on October 1, 2019, "Sake Day," marking the start of full-scale reconstruction.
Since then, the brewery has continued to brew "Hosen Nani no Oto" (sound of the waves), which serves as a source of strength for the local community, in Yuriage, Miyagi, under the slogan "brewing sake that is close to Yuriage, Miyagi".
Sake at Sasaki Sake Brewery
Sasaki Sake Brewery HP

Sasaki Sake Brewery x Fishing Restaurant Hamaya

Sasaki Sake Brewery opened a sales outlet in the Yuriage Saikai Market (now closed) when it was a temporary brewery. At that time, Fishery Tei Hamaya operated a restaurant in the same market. Both of them are based in Yuriage and have supported the taste, lifestyle, and culture of Yuriage in terms of both sake and food.
We recommend the Kaisen-don, a bowl of rice topped with fresh seafood from Yuriage Port, for a meal at Fisherman's Restaurant Hamaya. The seasonal seafood glistens as if it were the sparkle of the Yuriage sea itself.
Accompanying this dish is Yuri, a junmai sake. This sake was created by bottling two tanks of sake from the Sasaki Sake Brewery that were left over after the earthquake. The sake is light on the palate, with a crisp, clean finish, and is a perfect match for a meal.
Fisherman's restaurant Hamaya Seafood bowl

Making Your Own Sake Vessels at Manpu Kiln of Zao Ware

After visiting sake breweries in southern Miyagi Prefecture and enjoying the charm of Miyagi-style sake, don't you want to pay attention to the sake cups as well?
If so, head to the Manpu Kiln, a 36-year-old kiln built in the nature of Zao, Miyagi, with a traditional semi-above-ground anagama kiln that uses only wood and human power for firing.
Here, you can experience two types of pottery making: the electric potter's wheel course and the hand-pulled potter's wheel course. You can make your own Tokugaru (sake cup) and Inoguchi (cup for drinking) with the help of the instructor.
The works are made with Manpugama's original blended clay and fired over a flame, making them unique in the world! You can also choose from 32 glaze colors and enjoy this exciting experience in Zao.
*In this tour, you will experience the electric rokuro (potter's wheel) course.
Zao Pottery Manpugama Ceramic Art Experience

Enjoy Miyagi's Sake to the Fullest Series - Part 2: Limited Departure Day Tour

The tour will include a visit and tasting of the sake brewery introduced here, a marriage of local ingredients, and the experience of making original sake cups.
This is a valuable opportunity to learn and discover, and to hear the real voices of sake breweries!
Departures from Tokyo and Sendai are available.
Please enjoy Miyagi's proud southern area with sightseeing.
Click here to register!
*The contents and services in this article are subject to change.
*Availability of tours is subject to change.
*All images are for reference only.
Tags related to this article
Previous post Back to list Next
related articles