Dialogue with one “Akihiro Igarashi , Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery”

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日本酒

Kawagoe,Saitama

Dialogue with one “Akihiro Igarashi , Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery”

“Traditional sake brewing” registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

In the Edo period, Kawagoe was valued as an important northern outpost supporting Edo (present-day Tokyo), and shared a close and lively relationship with the city.

Edo culture left a strong mark on Kawagoe, and even today you can still feel the spirit of that era in the Kawagoe Festival and the town’s traditional kura-zukuri streetscape.

The city is home to many artisans and merchants who continue to uphold these traditions.

By spending time with master craftspeople and those who have dedicated their lives to preserving the old ways, you can experience something far deeper than what typical sightseeing offers: a genuine connection and a lasting sense of inspiration.

Why not take a moment to talk with just one of them? You might experience a moment that truly moves you.
A single encounter could change the way you see the world.

About Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery

Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery is an extremely rare sake brewery which was established after 2000. This year makes the 18th anniversary of the brewery’s opening. It is impossible to open a new sake brewery in Japan without a government license. It is a really rare occurrence.

This sake brewery is characterized by its very compact size. As a comparison, it is only roughly the size of a tennis court. In addition, while most sake breweries are constructed from wood, this brewery is also attached to a soy sauce brewery, so it is made of mortar to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Kagamiyama offers a total of 10 types of sake that are sold year-round, in addition to a large selection of limited seasonal products.

I believe that no other sake brewery makes such a wide variety of sake. Sake is generally made in the winter, but our brewery is small and cannot produce large quantities, so we make our sake almost all year round.

n Japan, dishes eaten in winter have strong flavors, while dishes eaten in summer tend to be lighter in flavor. The same is true of our sake. We tend to make strong sake in winter, and light and refreshing sake in summer. Our sake lineup is solely for the enjoyment of marriages and pairings that match the season and the dish. We hope you enjoy our sake.

We want to spread the appeal of Japanese sake from Kawagoe to the world.

Akihiro Igarashi, President and CEO of Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery

Akihiro Igarashi, the second son of the family who runs Igarashi Sake Brewery in Hanno City, who was selected as the brewer, had chosen a different path in life, but at the order of his father, the president of Igarashi Sake Brewery, he worked hard to establish Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery.

We also place great emphasis on the rice it uses as our raw materials. We contract with nine farmers in the city to grow Sake Musashi, a sake rice developed by the prefectural government, in order to aim for superior quality sake. We have also developed a system to receive technical support from the prefectural agricultural and forestry department, as well as the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH).

In 2019, our daiginjo brewed with Sake Musashi became the first in the prefecture to win the gold medal at the Japan Sake Awards.

In recent years, the overseas market for our sake has been expanding, with exports to Asia, the U.S., Brazil, and other countries. We also give lectures in various countries and promote the appeal of sake to the rest of the world from Kawagoe.

[Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery]

Kagamiyama Sake Brewery, which was founded in 1875 in Shintomicho, Kawagoe City, was beloved by many for its local Kawagoe sake, but regrettably drew the curtain on its long history in September 2000.

Six years later, in February 2007, with the understanding and cooperation of stakeholders, and against the backdrop of the passionate support of the local government and citizens who wanted to see the brewery revitalized, Koedo Kagamiyama Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. was newly established in Nakacho, Kawagoe City.

At Kagamiyama, we do not compromise in brewing our sake. Our brewers spend every waking moment working round the clock to control our sake’s maturation, just as if we were raising our own children.

The history and traditions of Kagamiyama have been passed down to us, and the spirit of the brewers, quality sake rice, yeast, and sake lovers, passed down through the generations, is still alive and well today.