The beginning
Brewing through
the generations.
Mitsutake Shuzo traces its beginning to 1688, the first year of Japan’s Genroku era.
For more than 330 years, the brewery has made sake in Kashima, Saga Prefecture. Its story is one of continuity: knowledge handed down between generations, local water and rice, and a close relationship with the historic brewing district of Hizen Hamashuku.
The birthplace
Hizen Hamashuku,
Kashima.
A historic brewing town in southern Saga Prefecture, framed by the Tara mountains and the tidal waters of the Ariake Sea.
The brewery stands on Sakagura-dōri—“Sake Brewery Street”—among white-plastered storehouses and traditional town buildings. Kashima’s setting connects mountain water, the rice-growing Saga plain and a distinctive coastal food culture. It is not simply where Mitsutake is made; it is part of the flavour, rhythm and identity of the brewery.
The brewery
Kashima, Saga
Japan
Home to the historic brewing town of Hizen Hamashuku.
Living tradition
Tradition that
keeps moving.
Mitsutake protects established brewing practice while giving younger brewery teams room to develop new ideas. Alongside classic sake, the brewery has created liqueurs and distinctive contemporary releases—an approach that treats tradition as a foundation rather than a boundary.
The brewery has also been known as a place that developed many tōji, or master brewers: a reputation sometimes expressed through the nickname “Mitsutake School.”
The spirit of Mitsutake
“A brewery of warmth
and excitement.”
This is Mitsutake Shuzo’s own expression of its character. It captures two sides of the brewery: the human connection surrounding sake, and the curiosity that keeps a centuries-old producer creating new styles.
English adaptation from the official Mitsutake Shuzo Japanese website, with place context from Kashima Tourism and the Saga Prefecture Sake Brewers Association. It is an adapted translation, not a word-for-word reproduction.