Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum

(Kobe City, Hyogo)

【Nada（灘）】 is a region stretching from Kobe to Nishinomiya in Hyogo Prefecture, long known for its sake brewing. The Rokko mountain range rises behind the region, while the Seto Inland Sea lies to the south. The rain that falls on the Rokko Mountains flows over the surface of the land into rivers that empty into the sea. Some of the rainwater, however, seeps into the ground and slowly flows underground as underflow water.

This natural gift proved ideal for brewing high-quality sake. Rich in minerals that promote yeast fermentation and low in iron, which can adversely affect the color and flavor of sake, this water became a key factor in the flourishing of Nada's sake industry.

Its location along the Seto Inland Sea also worked to its advantage in sake production. Convenient maritime transportation made it possible to ship sake to Edo (present-day Tokyo), a major center of sake consumption at the time.

Nada sake gradually gained a reputation for its high quality, and the region developed into one of Japan's leading sake-producing areas. Nada is a crossroads where everything comes together: water from the mountains, high-quality rice, convenient maritime transportation, and the skills of sake brewing.

Today, Hyogo Prefecture ranks first in Japan in sake production, and Nada, at the heart of this industry, is known as the country's largest sake-producing region. Approximately one-quarter of all sake produced in Japan comes from this area.

One of the leading sake breweries in Nada is Kiku-Masamune, founded in 1659. This long-established sake producer has passed down its brewing techniques for more than 360 years. I visited the Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum, where visitors can discover the origins of its sake-making tradition.

Hyogo

Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum: Where the Tradition of Sake Brewing Lives On