Akita Shurui Seizoh Co., Ltd. was established in 1944 when 12 breweries in and around Akita City were amalgamated. The main facilities of Akita Shurui Seizoh are located in Kawashiri, Akita City. The brewery uses the pure, high-quality spring water available at Kawashiri. Its source is said to belong to the same subsoil water vein used by Lord Satake for tea ceremonies during the Edo era.
At Kawashiri, the company has two kura buildings called Senshû kura and Sennin kura as well as storage, bottling, and product warehouses. The entire production process, from preparation to shipment, is carried out in-house. The Senshû kura was established in 1978, and is a well-designed, modern six-story building, making it beneficial for the traditional saké brewing process. The brewing process begins on the top floor, and each subsequent step in the process is carried out on the floor below, creating an efficient progression. In 2005, one of existing buildings in the company’s main premises at Kawashiri was renovated and turned into a Saké Dôjô Sennin kura (Saké Brewing Training Center), where traditional brewing techniques are practiced. The brewers fervently practice traditional saké brewing in order to create and perfect a tradition for the generations to come.
In 1990, a rice milling plant was built in the town of Go-shono, and in 1998, the Goshono kura was established, thus continuing the heritage of handcrafted saké. While the brew-ery uses these traditional techniques, it also uses advanced temperature control equipment, and only a limited number of the best young workers are employed at this kura. Here, they adapt to the needs of saké lovers by maintaining a rela-tively small-scale production process, guaranteeing the quality of each batch of saké.
