Sake brewery visit: Kokyuho sake brewery in Hiroshima
We went to visit the Kyokuho Sake Brewery in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture in December.
Kyokuho Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. is a historic sake brewery located in Kabe-cho, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, founded in 1865 (the first year of the Keio era).
The representative brand “Kyokuho" is known as a sake that is imbued with the traditions and passion of the brewery.
The current president is Yohei Hamamura, who took up the position in 2015. The company pursues “sake that can only be made in Kabe, where the brewery is located, and a taste that can only be expressed by Kyokuho," and aims to brew sake with a unique personality that values the local Kabe ingredients.
In addition, in 2024, “Kyokuho Junmai Ginjo Taihei" won a gold medal at the National Kanzake (Hot sake) Contest, and has received high praise.
The company is located in Kabe Town, a town rich in nature surrounded by two rivers and mountains, in an area that originally flourished as a post town. In this area, the brewery works to challenge new flavors while preserving traditions.
On the day, President Hamamura gave us a tour of the brewery.
The building was historic and beautiful, with a very dignified feel.
Here are some photos from the brewery tour.
The view from the rooftop was amazing.
There was a wide variety of samples for the tasting, and the aged sake and lemon liqueur were excellent.
The lemon liqueur, made with plenty of Hiroshima lemons, was quite a rare liqueur.
We were very grateful to the brewery staff for taking the time to kindly accommodate us despite their busy schedules.