Beneath the majestic Kirinzan Mountain, in the northern Niigata prefecture lies Kirinzan Shuzo. According to ancient Chinese legends, the Kirin is a mythical animal, much like a benevolent flying unicorn, that appears as a sign at the birth of a saint and brings much happiness and luck. Locals named the mountain after the creature, because it looked like the strange part -deer, part- cow of the legend.

Kirinzan Shuzo

Kirinzan began not as a brewery at all, but as a charcoal manufacturing business fueled by the many beech trees in the region in the early 1800's. Kichihei Saito, the second generation of the owner family, soon made history by changing their focus to sake. The brand name of this original sake was "Well of Happiness" - in homage to the abundance of soft water, filtered by fertile soil, stored in its well and seen as a blessing. In 1882, Tokukichi Saito, the third generation of the founding family, changed their brand name to Kirinzan.

the Kirinzan Mountain

The beech trees, the Kirinzan Mountain and the Tokonami River that surround the location of the brewery provide the perfect filtration system in order for the local water to become soft. In the production of sake, soft water allows for a long fermentation and this creates the delicate, elegant style of sake for which Kirinzan is known.

In order to ensure the best quality of rice for the product, the toji (brew master) at Kirinzan with his team members works in the local rice fields in the summer months and brews the rice he has cultivated in the fall. The brewery is committed to using the finest local rice in order to support the local Oku-Aga agricultural community.