Kobayashi Shuzo

Kobayashi Shuzo, the brewery behind Hououbiden sake, was founded in 1872 in Oyama, Tochigi. It stands among rice fields on the northern Kanto Plain and draws underground water from the Nikko mountain range. Fifth-generation Masaki Kobayashi leads the brewery with his wife Mayumi, whose technical brewing training helped guide its move towards ginjo sake.

Hououbiden’s ginjo sake is brewed slowly at low temperatures. Rice is steamed over direct heat, koji is made by hand, and selected lots may be pressed by gravity from hanging bags or slowly through stacked cloth.