Brewery History
Michizakura Brewery is located in Higashikawa, central Hokkaido. However, its origins lie in Nakatsugawa, Gifu prefecture in central Japan, where it was opened by 4th generation in the year 1877 by fourth generation village administrator Michisuke Yamada, who is the inspiration for the brewery’s name.
The brewery’s decision to make the 1550 km journey to Hokkaido came from the changing environment in Gifu. The 143 year old brewery building was deteriorating, and there were concerns that replacing only certain parts of the facility and brewing process would affect the final product. An even larger issue lay in the rising temperatures of the region due to global warming. Fortunately, the town of Higashikawa was in search of personnel for their public-private sake brewery, and their matching interests led to Michizakura Brewery relocating in 2020. As a rare public private brewery, the facilities are provided by the town while the company provides their skills, knowledge and management.
Regionality
Since moving in 2020, Michizakura Brewery has been brewing sake in Higashikawa, Hokkaido. It is blessed by Daisetsuzan National Park, Japan’s largest national park boasting beautiful scenery across all seasons and nearly untouched wilderness.The town is abundant in the resources necessary for sake brewing: groundwater reserves of melted ice from the snowy peaks of neighbouring mountains and fields of rice, including the local brand Higashikawa Rice. The town did not have its own jizake despite its rich resources, but since relocating, the Michizakura Brewery works with these locally sourced ingredients to produce a jizake coloured with the flavours of Higashikawa.
