To protect, grow and inherit local production culture.
About our sake brewer
To protect, grow and inherit
local production culture.
Since the establishment in 1922 by the branch family’s independent business, we have been brewing the sake in Sagae city Yamagata prefecture over 100 years. Our local area is surrounded by sacred mountain Gassan that is altitude of 1,980 meters. The snowmelt water flows as Sagae river to enrich the field and farm. We are proud and appreciate that our area is fulfilled by quality water and rice. Therefore, we brew homemade sake that is used the rice which is produced in Yamagata prefecture as taking the advantage of strong point of the local area.
Greeting
Our company is based on the Sagae city that is located in the center of Yamagata prefecture as foot of sacred mountain Gassan to brew Sake. Our company has the history of this business more than 100 years. We make much of subsoil water of Sagae river that is headstream of Gassan’s snowmelt water and large grain contract brewing rice ‘Toyokuni’ that is the reason of foundation to brew sake as local-based business. Our product development philosophy is the sake brewing that is upholding ‘food production based on Isobe philosophy’ (description in separate sheet). That brings high quality sake brewing to provide beautiful Japanese sake. Please enjoy our Sake in Japan and over the sea.
Representative Director
TOSHIHIRO ONUMA
The history of Sake Brewery
Locality of Sagae city
Yamagata prefecture produces cherries more than any other prefectures in Japan. And Sagae city that is located in center of Yamagata prefecture has been known as the cherry-producing city. And, Sagae city is producing grapes, apples and pears more than most of other cities in Japan as fruits kingdom. The west side of the city has sacred mountain Gassan that is altitude of 1,980 meter and very popular for skiing in summer. The north side of the city has the Sagae river that is headstream of snowmelt water of Gassan. Plus,many tourists visits famous temple Jionji that is designated as a national historical site recently. Altough the population of Sagae city is approximately 40,000 as a small city, the city has full of energy to develop the activities in the city.
At the time of foundingthrough
modern age
Toraya was founded by the founder Sozaemon Onuma around Yamagata city in the beginning of 18th century. (Middle Edo period) Although the business didn’t get succeed during the end of Edo era, since the eighth generation Yasukichi Onuma made the company famous, the company got 4,500 brewing as incredibly number back then. He built two factories and inherit Ishiyama brewery that was established in the beginning of 18th century in Sagae city. Then he carried out the expansion of a building extension there to start the business there as Sagae factory.
Since the brewery of Sagae city became branch family’s independent business in 1922, the company has become ‘Chiyokotobuki Torraya Co.,Ltd’.The reason that Yasukichi chose Sagae city for business was that Sagae city got full of hard water that was called ‘Famous brewing water in Tohoku’ and douche water area of cold Sagae river was producing rounded large grain sake rice ‘Toyokuni’. All the people who work for sake brewing knew that water of Sagae city is excellent for sake brewing. Especially, the water is best for Ginjoshu. So, people were carrying the water to deliver from Yamagata’s brewery during Toraya the third factory era every day, even though it was distant to get the water.
During the high-growth period of Japanese economy, number of sake brewing of refined sake was increasing and it reached and passed 5,000 sake brewing in 1975 as the longtime goal. However, decreasing of sake amount consumption and number of sake brewing has started after 1975.
On the other hand, since the company had the passion for ‘Toyokuni’ that was the origin for the foundation, the company got the seed rice in 1990. After that, the company has been working with local farmers of brewer’s rice to be a part of producing the rice. Since then, the company has worked with ‘Toyokuni Farmer’s Group’ and ‘Oe Sakamai Research Institute’ to make a strict selection for the sake rice as the process of sake brewing. The company stopped using ‘Yamadanishiki’ in 2001. And the sake rice for ‘Chiyokotobuki’ has been produced in Yamagata prefecture completely since then. The company is proud of using the local produced rice for the local sake brewing.
The company started the export business seriously around 1992. The company was exporting the sake to west coast of United Sates of America mainly. The company started exporting the sake to Thai land, Singapore and other Asian countries a little by little around year 2000. The company started exporting their sake to Europe in 2010’s. The number of exporting has been increasing year by year and the company has been exporting their products over 10 countries nowadays.
The challenge in the field of wine business
The company produced cherry wine that was using local specialty cherries in 1972.
The company did inherit the brewery of Nishikawa town and Takasa seal in 1982. Since then the company has been producing and selling ‘Gassan Sanroku Brewing Toraya Wine’ that is including the cherries and grapes as basic ingredients. The company got first-place prizes of Japan Wine Competition for two categories in 2019. Since the company has been getting all sorts of contest prizes recently, they have been focusing on producing high quality wines that are used Yamagata prefecture’s local grapes.
Our Adherence
Enriched nature around the brewery
Our local area is surrounded by sacred mountain Gassan that is altitude of 1,980 meters. The snowmelt water flows as Sagae river to enrich the field and farm. Plus, since the area is basin in Yamagata prefecture, it shows the change of season clearly and the temperature difference is obvious between day and night. Those are really important elements for growing high quality rice and fruits. Since we have the enriched land, we use only rice that is produced in Yamagata to produce hand-made local sake with passion and effort.
Particular choice for brewer’s rice ‘Toyokuni’
‘Toyokuni’ is rice paddy that was grown in former Amarume town of Yamagata prefecture at 1903. ‘Toyokuni’ became one of the big three varieties of rice in Yamagata around 1920. ‘Toyokuni’ is large grained brewer’s rice and low protein as the best for the rice. Farmers stopped producing ‘Toyokuni’ after 1945, because of rice growing process rationalize. However, since the rice is the origin of our company’s existence, our company got seeds of ‘Toyokuni’ in 1990 to appreciate the rice again. Currently, we have organized ‘Toyokuni farmer’s meeting’ to produce the rice from the rice-planting.
Particular choice for the water
The main branch of our company started tthis business in Yamagata city around year 1700. After that, they came to Sagae city for Sagae’s ‘Toyokuni’ and Sagae’s ‘water’. Sagae city had full of spring water at that time. And the quality of the water was extremely good for producing Sake. Since the water has German water hardness 3 or 4 as medium soft water, the water is perfect for pure rice sake. The Japanese sake that is using the water as mother water has clear and smooth sake quality totally.
The process to produce
Chiyokotobuki’s Japanese sake.
Rice cleaning,
Rice washing, Maceration
Rice cleaning begins in the middle of October as getting newly harvested rice. Our company takes care of all the rice cleaning by rice-polishing machine as the program of flat rice cleaning. We carry out rice washing and maceration the day before preparation for the sake. We use rice washing machine and maceration is mostly limited-water absorption to consider the type of brewer’s rice and rice polishing rate.
Rice steaming
We use old-fashioned steaming vat. We use the dry steam in the end of the process to make the steam rice that is soft inside and hard outside as not too sticky. We use the simulate rice in the bottom of steaming vat to steam for 50 minutes as aiming perfectly to make balanced smooth steamed rice.
Cooling down
The steamed rice needs to be separated as rice malt, yeast starter and the rice for unrefined sake by using radiant cooling machine or natural cooling while adjusting the temperature and the touch that depends on the weather or the process after this step.
To make rice malt
We need sprinkling yeast starter and managing the right temperature and humidity as repeating the hand working for 55 hours. Then, rice malt should be ready. We might need to use several yeast starters that depend on the purposes.
To make yeast starter
We use fast brewing yeast basically. We use kyokai sake yeast or Yamagata sake yeast that depends on what kind of sake we want. We produce and use Kimoto・Yamahai yeast mash that depends on products concept.
Main preparation for Sake
We mainly prepare total rice weight of 600kg～1500kg. We carry out old-fashioned preparation mainly as using the open tank. Since we carry the preparation out in winter, the fermentation processes slowly by low temperature long term fermentation that has more than 25 days of main fermenting mash period.
Refined sake Pressing・Hiire
(Hiire means to heat brewed sake for the purpose of pasteurization.)
We press the main fermenting mash by automatic compressor or bag shaped towel after finishing fermentation period. Then we do Hiire when we find out the proper timing. After that, we bottle sake for commercialization.
Introducing products
-
Junmai Daiginjoshu
(Among daiginjoshu, those for which only polished rice,
malted rice, and water are used as raw materials are called junmai daiginjoshu.)Toranoko
720ml/1.8L
The color of sake is sparkly and pale gold. The scent of pears and peaches. The taste is mixture of soft and gentle sweetness and light bitterness as smooth and classy flavor. We recommend this sake for aperitif as the first drink of making toast.
- Material rice
- YUKIMEGAMI
- Rice Polishing Ratio
- 35
- Alcohol by volume
- 16
- Sake meter value
- 0
- Acidity
- 1.2
- Concentration factor
- Smooth and refreshing
- The degree of
sweetness/dryness - Medium
- Recommended
temperature to drink - keep it cool as 7~12℃
-
Junmai Daiginjoshu
SUISHO 40
720ml
The color is clear and bright as reminding us of crystal. The scent of Japanese pear and Japanese plum. The taste is mixture of light sourness, delicate sweetness and light bitterness as elegant flavor. We recommend this sake for aperitif as the first drink of making toast.
- Material rice
- YUKIMEGAMI
- Rice Polishing Ratio
- 40
- Alcohol by volume
- 16
- Sake meter value
- 0
- Acidity
- 1.2
- Concentration factor
- Smooth and refreshing
- The degree of sweetness/dryness
- Medium
- Recommended temperature to drink
- keep it cool as 7~12℃
-
Special Junmaishu
DEWANOSATO
720ml/1.8L
The scent is mixture of mild aroma of grains/mushrooms and fruity aroma. When you drink, you would taste the gentle sweetness in your mouth. This taste doesn’t disturb to enjoy meal at all. Since it’s light flavor, you don’t get tired of the taste during meal. We recommend this Sake for drinking with food as reasonable Sake.
- Material rice
- DEWANOSATO
- Rice Polishing Ratio
- 60
- Alcohol by volume
- 15
- Sake meter value
- 1
- Acidity
- 1.3
- Concentration factor
- Smooth and refreshing
- The degree of sweetness/dryness
- Medium dry
- Recommended temperature to drink
- keep it cool as 7~12℃
