Brewery History
The Koshimeijo Brewery was founded in 1934 with the merging of the Yamashiroya and Yamagaya breweries, but its rich history traces back to much earlier. Yamashiroya Brewery’s roots date back to 1845, when the founder purchased a brewery licence from the Tada family. Yamagaya brewery was founded at least a century before even that, with records stating it was already in business in the Kyoho period (1716-1736). The current president is the 6th generation in a line of brewmasters and has worked at the brewery since 1970.
The brewery has experienced and survived multiple difficulties throughout the years. Its predecessors’ buildings were destroyed in fires in 1787 and required urgent rebuilding to meet sake demands at the time. The brewery survived the 2004 Niigata Flood and a landslide it caused, thanks to logs that acted as a dam upstream. It withstood the Chuetsu earthquake in the same year without a single sake bottle breaking. 220 years of culture and hardship that have been passed down through generations are reflected in their sake even to this day.
Regionality
Koshimeijo Brewery is located in the historical region of Tochio, central Niigata. The region is known as the place where Kenshin Uesugi, a powerful military commander during the Warring States Period, spent his early days and won his first battle. It is also the birthplace of the Akiba faith, which spread across the country and is the namesake of Akihabara, Tokyo. Snowfall can reach several metres in the winters, enveloping their brewery to create a controlled cold environment, like a natural refrigerator.
The brewery exclusively uses locally produced rice breeds, including Takane Nishiki, Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku, among others. This rice is brewed with water sourced from subterranean rivers from the local Mt. Sumon.
