View of Masuichi-Ichimura Shuzo

A while back, our Sake Swap partner sent us a very nice bottle of Masuichi Hekiiken Danginjo Junmai Nama. As I started browse through their website and read about the brewery in Obuse, Nagano, I really wanted to go for a visit. Finally, on Monday, I got an opportunity to see Masuichi-Ichimura Brewery as part of my tour around Nagano.

The town of Obuse at this time of the year is like a giant fruit basket. Endless orchards of apples, grapes, pears and chestnuts are all approaching the harvest. It’s just such a quaint old town: perfect for stroll to fully immerse yourself in art and culture, or cycle around feeling the cool, clear Autumn air. I will definitely come back and write more about the area.

When I visited Masuichi-Ichimura Brewery, I was first taken to their beautifully set up tasting room, Teppa, that lead to the kura and to the dormitory where their kurabito spend half of the year.

The tasting

Shū Mochigome Junmai

There was a slight break before I tried Shū after four other bottles. “This one is very special in a sense it is made of mochigome or glutinous rice and brewed in an oke, or wooden tank.” Ichimura-san said. It was sweet, with a clean acidity to balance out the sweetness and ended with light touch of bitterness. It’s a bit like desert wine and something like cheese and raisins would go well with it. Or, it tasted just like mirin, a real one made of mochigome, only a bit lighter.

“And, it’s not just any mochigome…” Ichimura-san continued with the story behind Shū. What’s called Shū today was produced and sold as Sakuragawa right up to the World War II when the brewery was forced to stop production by the military government. Locals in Obuse in that era knew sake with two names: Sakuragawa and Masuichi. Sakuragawa was the sake they drank on special occasions. The other, Masuichi, now rebranded as Square One, was the table sake they enjoyed everyday. Sakuragawa was also the name of the strain of glutinous rice grown in Shiga prefecture used to brew the sake.

The Sakuragawa rice was nowhere to be found until in recent years, until the brewer found the rice in Shiga through the Internet. So, finally, they brought back the old special brew, Sakuragawa, under the new name and the new look as Shū.

As I wondered through the beautifully preserved Masuichi compound and made my way into one of their restaurants, Kurabu, there they were! I saw some antique ceramic bottles with hand painted blue Sakuragawa letters on them.

This is just one of Masuichi’s many stories from their long history as a conglomerate enterprise in the area over the last few centuries. When you visit their shops, hotel, and restaurants, you will see how the echoes of tradition comfortably and tastefully blends with today’s modern designs.

Masuichi-Ichimura Brewery’s English Website: http://www.masuichi.com/english/index.htm

Masuichi Kyakuden from the side

Chestnut orchard in Obuse