In 1973, four sake breweries - Asami Shoten, Kachiki Shuzoten, Sakurai Shuzoten and Matsumoto Shuzoten - merged to form Ichinokura Co., Ltd., in the Matsuyama region of Osaki (Miyagi Prefecture), located in the center of Sendai plain. Matsuyama has been well known since ancient times for its good quality rice and has prospered as an agricultural and brewing town.
The foundation of Ichinokura was based on two essential values:
- A return to the origins of fermentation: brewing sake by hand, using all five senses;
- A reversal of thinking: thinking not only in terms of sake, but also aiming to develop agriculture through partnerships between farmers and brewers, and to revitalize the local community as a whole.
These essential elements continue to be valuable as they are passed down from one generation to the next. Ichinokura remains passionate in its efforts to create a rich variety of sake and cuisine using traditional methods with the latest brewing technologies.
More than 90% of the rice used in making Ichinokura sake is grown locally in Miyagi Prefecture. In order to acquire good quality rice, Ichinokura began by securing contracts with local farmers and, starting in 2004, it established its own internal department to promote sustainable agriculture that minimizes its environmental impact and helps support local farmers through the cultivation of good quality rice. Ichinokura is currently working on producing its own rice and aims to develop a cultivation method for quality rice best suited for sake making.
Water is an ingredient that constitutes 70-80% of sake and is, therefore, one of the most important elements in determining the taste of sake. A well was drilled at the brewery premises to bring in groundwater from a depth of 100 meters for use in brewing its sake. The reason why Ichinokura located its brewery in this naturally abundant location is that it has access to great-tasting fresh water from the rich local underground resources.
40 workers work in the brewery, under the supervision of the toji who uses techniques from the Nanbu Toji school (a sake brewing school) to brew sake entirely by hand. Ichinokura firmly believes that making sake by hand is the best way to control the management of the rice that goes into making sake. This is very important because the quality of sake differs depending on weather conditions, the variety and method of growing the rice, and the activity of the microorganisms that accompany fermentation. The making of koji rice, the most important process in sake brewing, is scrupulously taken care of by the brewery workers, day and night.
Miyagi Prefecture is not only famous for its rice, but it is best known as shokuzai okoku (or 'food kingdom') for the abundance of its food such as seafood from the Sanriku coast, the rich agricultural and livestock products of the land. Ichinokura takes its role in producing great-tasting sake that enhances these foods very seriously. Ichinokura also adapts to changes in different cuisines by continuing to produce a variety of new products.
