Toko Ginjo Umeshu

Toko has been continually operated since 1597, during the Azuchi Momoyama period. Their sake is brewed in Kojima Sohonten which later became the purveyor to the Uesugi Family. They always give our best to pursue first-class quality and deliver to our customers a culturally rich and refined experience. Kojima Sohonten focused on their treasure, rice and water - nature’s gift - and aims to make sake that reflects this gift. They value their craftsmanship through brewing with quality natural ingredients and microorganisms which required an experienced brewer’s eye and deftness of hand. The goal is to be a world-class brewery and they actively make improvements and innovations through customer feedback and research. Recent change includes becoming a all Junmai brewery which removes distilled alcohol in their brewing process.

Ito-san has been the Toji at Kojima Sohonten for more than 5 years and a brewer for more than 40 years. “The brewing process has changed significantly, compared to when everything was handmade. While with the latest equipment the problem of labor shortages has been alleviated and the quality of sake has improved, the basics are still determined by the human factor. Essentially, our work has something that cannot be measured by machines. It is the senses and skills that we have cultivated over many years that determine our sake.” -Ito-san