The 300-Year Story of Naniwa Shuzo
Passing down the intuition of tradition to the next generation,
and brewing the ultimate sake through the intelligence of innovation.
Our Philosophy
We do not simply aim to brew sake that tastes good. We want to share the appeal of Japanese sake, create moments that make the heart move, bring conversation to the table, and leave a lasting impression. We brew sake as an experience that becomes energy for tomorrow.
Thorough cleaning and careful inspection are the foundation of quality. We face sake brewing with sincerity, never stop exploring, and put an honest spirit into every drop so that more people can come to love Japanese sake.
Sake culture has a history of around 2,000 years, and we have continued that culture in Hannan, Osaka for more than 300 years. We believe it is our mission to pass this proud tradition on to future generations. With gratitude for the blessings of Hannan, we will continue to grow together with our community.
Our Founding Place: Hannan, Osaka
A commercial city shaped by food culture
Osaka’s history began with Naniwazu, an ancient port dating back to the fifth century. During the Edo period, Osaka flourished as the “Kitchen of the Nation,” where goods and wealth gathered from across Japan. Naniwa Shuzo has been refined by this region’s discerning eye for food and drink, and has continued brewing sake here to this day.
The blessing of the Izumi Mountains
Hannan is surrounded by mountains and the sea, making it a place well suited to brewing. The quality water flowing from the Izumi Mountains supports local agriculture and fisheries, and also serves as the life source of our sake brewing. This rare natural environment gives Naniwa Masamune its distinct character.
The History of Naniwa Shuzo
Experience the Naruko Residence Virtually
Our Commitment to Handcraftsmanship in Every Process
Sake brewing is an art that works with living elements: rice, koji, and yeast. The toji’s intuition in reading the climate and the condition of the rice is, in fact, the result of highly precise accumulated knowledge. We use AI analysis to visualize and analyze that craftsmanship, pursuing the highest level of reproducibility through human hands. This is not automation for efficiency. It is an evolving form of handcraftsmanship, designed to reach an even higher level.
01 Cleaning
We clean every day before brewing begins, during each process, and after the work is complete.
Sake brewing involves microorganisms, so contamination by unwanted bacteria is one of the greatest risks we must avoid. To prevent this, we clean every corner with care. Tools are washed each time they are used, and we maintain a clean environment at all times.
02 Water
Since our founding in the Edo period, we have used underground water from the Izumi Mountains, drawn from our own well. Because the brewery is close to the sea, the water is rich in minerals and relatively hard.
This water helps yeast grow vigorously, supporting stable fermentation. We have used it for sake brewing without altering it since our founding, and it continues to flow today.
03 Rice
For daiginjo-class sake, we use Yamada Nishiki rice from Hyogo Prefecture. Our sake named “Hadate” is brewed with Hinohikari rice grown in Hannan City.
We also brew sake using local rice, including ancient rice from Hannan, creating sake rooted in the character of the region.
04 Washing and Soaking
Rice is washed in 10-kilogram batches using our well water for a precisely determined amount of time. After washing, the rice is placed in baskets and soaked in water.
The soaking time changes depending on the rice variety, hardness, polishing ratio, and water temperature. The toji carefully reads the condition of the rice and adjusts the soaking time in detail. Because this greatly affects koji growth and fermentation, it is one of the most important and difficult-to-mechanize processes in sake brewing.
05 Steaming Rice
We steam the rice using a rice steamer with a double steam-layer structure.
Each year, the hardness and softness of the rice differ. By judging the rice with human eyes and hands, we carefully adjust the steam volume and steaming time to produce ideal steamed rice.
06 Koji Making
Koji making is a process that takes about two full days. Koji becomes most active at around 35°C, so the room temperature is set accordingly.
Because koji temperature changes rapidly and is difficult to control fully by machine, we check the temperature every two to three hours through the night and perform handwork as needed. By combining this with a large amount of historical temperature data, we determine the optimal timing and method for each intervention.
By adding modern data analysis to techniques passed down through generations, we make precise decisions on koji growth and completion, consistently producing powerful, high-quality koji.
07 Shubo Yeast Starter
We use the standard sokujo method to grow yeast safely and efficiently. The purpose of shubo is to cultivate healthy yeast, so the room is kept at 5°C to prevent unwanted microorganisms from entering.
Yeast is grown over about two weeks by repeatedly raising and lowering the temperature. During this process, we record daily temperature changes and carefully photograph the surface condition, including the state of bubbles, to build a visual database.
By comparing daily analysis and sensory evaluation with this visual data, we guide each yeast starter toward the ideal condition with great consistency, establishing reproducibility for high-quality shubo that becomes the source of fruity aroma.
08 Moromi Fermentation
Moromi fermentation is the culmination of sake brewing. Steamed rice, koji, yeast, and water are added to a large temperature-controlled tank, where alcoholic fermentation proceeds slowly over 20 to 30 days.
We analyze the moromi every day and manage the progress of saccharification and fermentation. At this stage, we make full use of accumulated data on past fermentation temperatures and the actions taken at each moment, such as temperature adjustments and mixing frequency. Rice changes every year in hardness and how it dissolves, but by comparing each batch with our accumulated data, we can guide fermentation toward the ideal path regardless of the rice condition.
Through this “handcraftsmanship × data” approach, we determine the ultimate timing for pressing, creating sake that is fruity, crisp, stable, and consistently delicious.
Toward the Next 300 Years
Breaking Down the Barriers to Enjoying Sake
Breaking down the barriers to Japanese sake
1. Continuing our business in Osaka, a city known for its food culture
2. Brewing in an ideal environment blessed with water and rice
3. Evolving through technology passed down for generations and the intelligence of AI
We are grateful to brew sake in such a blessed environment, and we will continue to devote ourselves to sake brewing. At the same time, we will not merely preserve the culture and traditions handed down through generations. By using modern AI and data analysis, we will turn them into reliable assets and pass them on to the next generation through a variety of initiatives.
We also use renewable energy, including post-FIT electricity, as part of our environmentally conscious approach to brewing.
Above all, we aim to break down one of the greatest challenges facing the sake industry: the barrier that prevents people from choosing sake in the first place. With sake quality that anyone can enjoy, made possible by combining traditional intuition with AI analysis, we will create initiatives that help energize the entire sake industry. Our first step is to continue working in Hannan, Osaka, the local community that gives us this environment, and to become a brewery loved by our hometown.
01 Creating sake that is easy for beginners to enjoy
To break down the barriers to sake, we design our sake with the motto of pursuing ease of drinking while continuing to explore the highest possible quality.
For ginjo-class sake and above, we use yeast that produces a fruity aroma reminiscent of green apples. We aim for sake with balanced sweetness and acidity, followed by a clean, refreshing finish that makes it approachable even for beginners. For junmai and regular sake, we use yeast that gives a gentle banana-like aroma and creates a clean, easy-drinking style. The aroma is restrained, making these sake excellent choices with meals, enjoyable not only chilled but also warm.
Each of our sake is approachable, smooth, and suitable as an introduction to Japanese sake. Through AI-based data analysis, we aim to reproduce this ideal quality without fluctuation, even as the climate changes from year to year, and to deliver our sake in its best condition.
02 Brewery tours, rice farming, and brewing experiences in Hannan, Osaka
As people increasingly move away from alcoholic beverages, sake accounts for only a small portion of total alcohol consumption. If this continues, sake culture may decline. Sake is Japan’s national drink, and it is part of Japanese culture itself.
To encourage people to choose sake among many forms of entertainment, the industry must take the first step toward them. As part of this effort, we focus on real experiences, actively welcoming visitors for brewery tours and tastings in Hannan, Osaka. We want as many people as possible to visit in person and directly experience the culture of sake brewing.
Even outside the brewing season, we use video monitors for each process so visitors can imagine the work of brewing. Through local rice planting, harvesting events, and brewing experiences, we share the fascination and depth of sake making. We believe this is our mission as a brewery carrying culture forward.
03 Events that help make Osaka a great sake city
To pass on sake culture and help energize our founding region of Hannan, Osaka, we hold a new sake unveiling event every November. Together with the Hannan City Tourism Association and local businesses, we create an event that brings the community together.
We also take part every year in Tenma Osakekai, an event where breweries from Osaka Prefecture gather in one place. Through this event, we hope people will discover not only our sake but also Osaka’s local sake culture.
In 2023, we hosted the EXPO Sakaba Hannan event at our brewery to mark two years before the Osaka-Kansai Expo. By holding events on the grounds of a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, visitors can also experience Japanese architectural culture. Through these events, we see it as our mission to share the appeal of Hannan and Osaka, and to help make Osaka known as a great sake city.
04 Refining our brewing skills and turning craftsmanship into an asset through AI
Every year, our toji participates in the summer brewing course held by the Nanbu Toji Association to learn the latest techniques and trends, applying them to our sake brewing.
We also actively take part in brewing courses at the National Research Institute of Brewing and seminars held by the Brewing Society of Japan. While our work is rooted in techniques passed down through generations, we never settle for the status quo and continue to improve our brewing technology.
As a result, we have maintained a high level of technical ability, including multiple Gold Prizes at the Annual Japan Sake Awards.
In addition, by using AI to turn the toji’s intuition and the latest knowledge gained from training into data and assets, we reduce dependence on individual skill alone and build a foundation for reliably passing down 300 years of craftsmanship to the next generation.
05 Welcoming inbound tourism and creating Osaka souvenirs
To support the preservation and growth of sake culture, we actively welcome tourists to our brewery. Our location near Kansai International Airport also allows us to welcome inbound visitors from overseas.
By guiding visitors through our Tangible Cultural Property residence and brewery, and by offering tastings, we help them gain a deeper understanding of Japanese sake. We hope that their experiences and word-of-mouth impressions will help spread the habit of enjoying sake.
We also focus on producing sake for souvenirs, mainly for Osaka city. Osaka souvenirs that add color to travel memories can help pass sake culture on to new audiences. With the same care and technology used in our main sake brewing, we craft souvenir sake that can become a first step toward loving Japanese sake.
Awards & Honors
Media Features and Appearances
Hannan City vs. Izumisano City
Our SDGs Initiatives
We help reduce food loss by making effective use not only of sake, but also of sake lees produced during brewing.
We promote food education through brewery tours, rice planting events, and rice harvesting experiences.
We promote energy saving by switching our lighting to LED.
We continue to refine our skills through sake competitions, brewing courses, and technical training.
By maintaining and passing down brewing techniques inherited since our founding, we help create a foundation for industry and innovation.
We work with local communities and industry groups through hometown tax return gifts and events with Hannan City, the tourism association, and the Osaka Sake Brewers Association.
Behind these initiatives is our strong desire to pass on Japanese sake culture and give back to our local community.
Whatever the first point of contact may be, we hope more people will discover the deliciousness and appeal of Japanese sake, and come to love it as a culture Japan can proudly share with the world.
But all of this depends on one essential foundation: sake that is overwhelmingly delicious.
To realize our philosophy of “sake that enriches the heart,” and to carry the handcraftsmanship built over 300 years into the future, we will continue to brew each bottle with care, combining the sharpened senses of our toji with AI-based data analysis in an evolving form of handcraftsmanship.