Collection: Taiyo Shuzo

What I want to convey - the gentleness of snow, the heart of Echigo

Our brewery's history began in 1945 when 14 local breweries merged. It was founded as Shimogoshi Meijo (sake brand name: Koshino Tamashii), and in 1950 it was renamed Taiyo Shuzo (sake brand name: Taiyo-zakari). Since then, it has had 10 breweries as shareholders, and continues to operate as such today.
The Murakami and Iwafune districts have long been a castle town thriving with salmon processing and sake brewing, boasting over 50 breweries by the end of the Edo period. Among the breweries that merged with ours was one founded in 1635, and it continues to make history today, boasting one of the longest histories in the country.
Our brewery is known as a pioneer in the commercialization of ginjo sake and boasts numerous awards at various sake tasting competitions. In recent years, we have also focused on research into the cultivation of raw rice, and as a result, we have received gold medals at the National New Sake Tasting Competition, as well as the Grand Prize at the Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Taxation Bureau Sake Tasting Competition (89th), and have been honored as the representative of Niigata Prefecture (71st, 78th, 81st, and 93rd).
Surrounded by the Asahi Mountain Range, the fertile hometown of Murakami is blessed with pure water and is a production area for high-quality sake rice. Fine sake is brewed here through the blessings of nature, a proud tradition, and the skills of master craftsmen.

Murakami is a castle town in a land of scenic beauty. In spring, the Miomote River, which collects clear waters from the snow-capped peaks, flows into the Sea of ​​Japan, irrigating the rice paddies of the plains. When the cherry blossoms in full bloom on the castle mountain in the center of town turn to deep green, summer arrives, filled with festivals. In autumn, salmon swim upstream in the Miomote River, and soon, as the cold winds of Siberia blow and powdery snow begin to fall, "winter, the season for sake brewing," arrives.

Murakami has long been a region where sake brewing flourished. In the Edo period, Ihara Saikaku included a story in "The Life of an Amorous Woman" about a wealthy man from Murakami who, while enjoying himself in the pleasure quarters of Shimabara in Kyoto, brought Murakami sake with him because he found Kyoto's sake to be of poor quality. The history of Taiyo Shuzo Co., Ltd. began when 14 old local sake breweries merged.
Founded in 1945 as Shimogoshi Meijo Co., Ltd., with the sake brand name "Koshi no Tama," the company changed its name to Taiyo Shuzo Co., Ltd. and its sake brand name to "Taiyo-zakari" five years later. Although the company was established during the Showa era, the history of each of the breweries that formed its foundation is very old. Some breweries were founded in 1635, even before the publication of Ihara Saikaku's "The Life of an Amorous Woman," and the company takes pride in its long history and tradition of diligently continuing sake brewing.

One chapter in our company's history, dedicated solely to producing delicious sake, is our pioneering commercialization of ginjo sake in 1972. Since the first "Daiginjo Taiyo-zakari" was released, each bottle has been assigned a serial number. This serial number is also recorded on the enclosed customer record, and all returned records are preserved in numerical order, continuing to this day as a company treasure. We sincerely ask for your continued support of Taiyo Shuzo, a company nurtured through years of hard work amidst the traditions and culture of the castle town of Murakami.

Murakami: "A town of salmon, sake, and human kindness."

The Mimote River, which flows through the city, was formerly called the Senami River and is known for the salmon run in the autumn.
The groundwater of the Miomote River originates from the snowmelt of the Asahi Mountain Range within Bandai-Asahi National Park. It is clear, soft water that makes for an exceptional brewing water.

We are the first in the country to sell Daiginjo sake commercially.

The Japan Ginjo Sake Association was established in the 1980s to promote ginjo sake, which had just begun to be commercialized. In the early 1970s, when commercially available daiginjo sake was rare, Taiyo Shuzo was the first in the country to release daiginjo sake commercially in 1972.
When it was first released, the company president at the time hand-wrote the labels because he didn't expect many people to buy it. As sales gradually increased, the labels were switched to letterpress printing, but the president still hand-wrote the serial numbers, and each bottle has been assigned a sequential number since the first bottle was released. The same serial number is also recorded on the usage record included with the bottle, and customers who purchase this Daiginjo sake send back their feedback along with the label number. All of the returned records are preserved in numerical order and continue to be treasured company records to this day.
That spelling is preserved as the "Record of My Love for Daiginjo Taiyo-zakari."

The rice used is 100% from Niigata Prefecture.

The rice used, including varieties such as "Gohyakumangoku," "Takane Nishiki," and "Koshi Tanrei," is 100% Niigata Prefecture-grown rice.
In particular, "Koshi Tanrei" is a rice variety developed by Niigata Prefecture with the aim of upholding its reputation as a kingdom of local sake. Taiyo Shuzo has been involved in the project since the trial cultivation stage, using the rice paddies of its brewers. While they had continued to use "Yamada Nishiki" for their Daiginjo sake, they switched to "Koshi Tanrei" in 2004, and in 2007, the Daiginjo sake made with "Koshi Tanrei" was selected as the first-ever representative of Niigata Prefecture at the Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Taxation Bureau's sake tasting competition.

Nagomikura, an exhibition hall that tells the story of history.

"Namizugura" is a place where you can see exhibits showcasing sake brewing tools, sake vessels, and items related to sake culture, as well as learn about the history of sake brewing in Murakami, and also enjoy sake tastings. It was created with the aim of contributing to the revitalization of the local economy by enhancing and promoting the appeal of local sake, which is one of the tourist resources.
During the special exhibition period, dolls, folding screens, and other items preserved by the breweries that merged with the current one will be on display.