Yoshi no Gawa was established in 1548 when Mondo Kawakami resigned as a samurai and began brewing saké in the Settaya region. This region has a long history of saké and fermentation, being blessed with an abundance of pure, fresh water, and high quality rice. Melted snow from the Nagaoka Mountain Range mixes with water from Japan’s largest river, Shinano, to create a clean, soft water with a perfect balance of minerals. Yoshi no Gawa accesses this refined water source from an underground spring on the brewery grounds. Committing to the traditional cycles of brewing saké in the winter and harvesting the rice in the summer, the rice Yoshi no Gawa brews it saké with is cultivated by the brewers themselves. This integrative approach allows the brewers to use their extensive knowledge of the role of rice in saké-brewing to harvest a high-quality rice known as the ‘kurabito saibaimai’, or brewer’s rice. These ingredients are brought together by highly skilled brewers in the brewery (‘kura’) that is both historical and innovative. 

For over 470 years, traditional skills have been passed down to each skilled brewmaster. Yoshi no Gawa prides themselves on preserving tradition while incorporating leading-edge technologies to brew saké brewed from the finest ingredients.