Founded 143 Years Ago! The Historic Kobayashi Shuzo Sake Brewery

Are you a fan of Japanese sake?
The Domingo editorial team loves sake so much that we often find our luggage heavier with bottles we've bought on our travels. We especially love the rich, powerful rice flavor of the sake from Kobayashi Shuzo.

Kobayashi Shuzo is a historic sake brewery founded 143 years ago.
Its flagship brand is "Kita no Nishiki," but it also sells many other popular brands like "Hokuto Zuiso," "Maruta," and "Fuyuhanabi," with a lineup of about 30 different types of sake.
Kita no Nishiki Online Shop

"The theme at Kobayashi Shuzo is to know the face of every rice producer and to create sake that reflects the local terroir. We use Hokkaido rice to make sake that has a distinct rice flavor."

Yonezaburo Kobayashi, the fourth-generation owner

Kobayashi Shuzo's sake is made with 100% Hokkaido-grown rice. The brewery is committed to making 100% Tokutei Meisho-shu (Specially Designated Sake*) and brews sake tailored to the unique characteristics of rice from various local farmers.

*Specially Designated Sake: This refers to premium sake such as Ginjo-shu, Junmai-shu, and Honjozo-shu, which must meet specific requirements to be labeled as such. (Source: National Tax Agency website)

Kobayashi Shuzo's Sake Brewing: A History Tied to the Rise and Fall of the Yubari Coal Mines

Kobayashi Shuzo is known for its impressive collection of 17 beautiful brick and stone storehouses on its vast 10,000-tsubo (approx. 33,000 sq. meter) property. These buildings are designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.

Photo courtesy of Kobayashi Shuzo

How was Kobayashi Shuzo able to grow so large as a sake brewery?
Let's delve into the history of Kobayashi Shuzo.

It all began back in 1878 (Meiji 11).
The founder, the first Yonezaburo Kobayashi, who was originally from Niigata, moved to Hokkaido and started the brewery in Sapporo with the ambition to "make his mark (nishiki) in the north (kita)." He used water from the Sosei River for his brewing.

Around 1900, about 20 years after its founding, Kobayashi Shuzo reached a turning point.
Witnessing the prosperity of the Yubari coal mines and the flow of people and money towards Yubari, the brewery relocated to Kuriyama Town (then known as Kakuta Village), right next to the booming area.

Photo courtesy of Kobayashi Shuzo

For the miners in Yubari, every day was a life-threatening job. Not knowing what tomorrow might bring, they enjoyed sake to soothe their fatigue and gain energy for the next day.
Securing the rights to supply sake to Hokutan (Hokkaido Colliery and Steamship Company) also gave the business a boost, and the sake sold like hotcakes. This was the golden age for Kobayashi Shuzo.

The relationship between the Yubari coal mines and Kobayashi Shuzo didn't stop there. The brewery used the energy from coal mined in Yubari to overcome the challenges of sake brewing in Hokkaido's harsh winters. In this way, Kobayashi Shuzo grew significantly alongside the history of the coal mines.

However, as times changed and motorization began after the war, the Yubari coal mines rapidly declined. The sake, once beloved by the miners, saw a sharp drop in sales along with the mines' decline.

Triggered by the decline of the coal mines, the brewery shifted its focus from "quantity" to "quality." In 1985 (Showa 60), they finally began selling sake made from 100% Hokkaido-grown rice, a long-held dream.

The Revival of Kobayashi Shuzo: The Challenge of 4th Generation Yonezaburo Kobayashi

Although they succeeded in producing sake using 100% Hokkaido-grown rice, difficult times continued.

The current president, the fourth-generation Yonezaburo Kobayashi, joined the company in 1989 (Heisei 1).
He says he worked for a general company for two years, then at Nippon Oil, a supplier to Kobayashi Shuzo, for two years to learn about the petroleum business before returning to the family brewery.

"There was a time when I rebelled against the idea of taking over the family business. My old name was 'Yonetaka Kobayashi,' and the characters mean 'to be devoted to rice.' It felt like my destiny to take over Kobayashi Shuzo was set from birth. Despite various struggles, I decided to come back."

When he returned, Kobayashi Shuzo was in a state where it could have gone bankrupt at any moment.

"I wanted to bring vitality back to Kobayashi Shuzo and to the town. I focused on two things. First, 'turn the sake brewery into a tourist attraction.' And second, 'improve the quality of the sake.'"

The first thing the fourth-generation Yonezaburo Kobayashi did was to turn the brewery into a tourist destination.
Starting in 1989 (Heisei 1), he launched the "Sakagura Matsuri" (Brewery Festival), opening the brewery to the public on the second Saturday and Sunday of April.
It's an annual festival with local food stalls, where a special "Nama Nigori-zake" (unpasteurized cloudy sake) is served exclusively for these two days. Before the pandemic, it attracted over 20,000 visitors each year.

Photo courtesy of Shinise Matsuri

In 1995 (Heisei 7), he opened the "Kuramoto Kita no Nishiki Memorial Museum."
This building was completed in 1944 and was used as a bank and the former head office. It now serves as a direct sales shop for Kobayashi Shuzo's sake, a paradise for sake lovers where you can taste and buy.

On the second floor, about 5,000 items such as sake vessels and furnishings are displayed, allowing visitors to trace the history of Kobayashi Shuzo and imagine life back then.

In addition, related facilities like the Kobayashi Residence and Kinsui-an restaurant also delight visitors.

"By opening the brewery to the community, we started to hear various feedback from customers. Among them, someone telling us 'I get a headache when I drink Kobayashi Shuzo's sake' might have been a turning point for us."

Based on feedback from customers who drink their sake, they put even more effort into improving its quality. The goal was to create a smooth sake that allows you to feel the local terroir, using local rice, koji, and water.

Kobayashi Shuzo further advanced its long-standing efforts to use Hokkaido-grown rice, and in 2009 (Heisei 21), they finally switched to 100% Hokkaido-grown rice for all their products.

Why not enjoy a Japanese sake that fully captures the richness of Hokkaido and Kuriyama Town?
Kita no Nishiki Online Shop
*You must be 20 years or older to drink alcohol.

The Potential of Sake Brewing with Hokkaido-Grown Rice

In 2005, Kobayashi Shuzo's sake, made with a commitment to 100% Hokkaido-grown rice, won the Gold Medal at the National New Sake Appraisal for the second consecutive year. It was said to be the first time a sake made purely with Hokkaido ingredients had achieved this.

Furthermore, Kita no Nishiki is highly acclaimed not just in Japan but also overseas.
At "Kura Master," a Japanese sake competition held in France, the "Kita no Nishiki Junmai Daiginjo Noren Label" won a Gold Medal in the Junmai Daiginjo & Junmai Ginjo category in 2018, and a Platinum Award in the Junmai Daiginjo category in 2020.

Photo courtesy of Kobayashi Shuzo

The registration of "Washoku" (Japanese cuisine) as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage has boosted the global demand for Japanese sake.
"Currently, we export our sake mainly to Asian countries like Singapore, Taiwan, and China. I'd like to expand our exports to European countries and spread Hokkaido-made Japanese sake to the world."
The evolution of Kobayashi Shuzo is far from over.

Turning Kobayashi Shuzo into a "Sake Theme Park of Sorachi"

The fourth-generation Yonezaburo Kobayashi says he wants to "turn Kobayashi Shuzo into a sake theme park of the Sorachi region."
By hosting events like the Sakagura Matsuri, exhibiting history and tools, and adding restaurants, he has focused on tourism that opens the brewery to the community, while simultaneously striving to make even more delicious sake. It is he who created the open and welcoming image of Kobayashi Shuzo that we have today.

"I didn't know what would work, so I just struggled and pushed forward desperately. I always sense the changes of the times, changing what needs to be changed and preserving what needs to be preserved. I will always move towards the future."
He was a truly wonderful person, sincerely dedicated to Kobayashi Shuzo's sake brewing and the local community.
There is no doubt that Kobayashi Shuzo will become an even more interesting place in the future.