VOL.201 MARCH 2025
Traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan Sake of Saijo, Hiroshima Prefecture: Brewed in the Ideal Land of Sake Making

A sake brewery with a striking red brick chimney and white walls, located along Saijo Sake Brewery Street, which continues from JR Saijo Station. 
Photo: Hiroshima Tourism Association

Saijo, in Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is often mentioned alongside Fushimi in Kyoto and Nada in Hyogo as one of Japan’s top three sake-producing regions in mass media. We spoke with an official from the Saijo Sake Brewers Association to learn about the characteristics of Saijo’s sake, which benefits from a climate and environment ideal for brewing, as well as the region’s history of sake production.

SHIMA Harumasa, the chairman of the Saijo Sake Brewers Association and president of Fukubijin Shuzo Co., Ltd., describes the flavor of Saijo Sake as follows: “Saijo Sake is made using local well-known water and high-quality sake-brewing rice, resulting in a delicate and refined taste that is often called ‘onna-zake’ (female sake) due to its smooth and rich flavor.”

SHIMA explains that this flavor is a result of the local climate and environment: “There are many regions in Japan where sake brewing is thriving, but few places have as many sake breweries as Saijo. Located in a basin at an altitude of 250 to 300 meters and surrounded by mountains such as Mount Ryuo (with an elevation of about 549 meters), Saijo benefits from a climate with significant temperature differences and renowned water sourced from Mount Ryuo. This land, with its ideal climate and environment for sake brewing, is considered the perfect place for sake production. The moderately hard well water ideal for brewing, the inland climate that cools well in winter, and the expertise of the toji (a master sake brewer)¹—all of these factors support Saijo’s sake brewing tradition.”

The history of sake brewing in Saijo is said to date back to the mid-17th century. “Sake brewing in Saijo is believed to have begun over 350 years ago, around 1650. At that time, Saijo prospered as a key stop along major land routes. Eventually, demand for sake from travelers staying at inns led to the start of the sake brewing industry. The oldest brewery, Hakubotan Sake Brewery, was founded in 1675, and this year (2025) marks its 350th anniversary,” comments SHIMA.

In fact, SHIMA’s company, Fukubijin Shuzo, has served a role similar to an educational institution, where the techniques of fermentation engineering are taught in practice, training skilled toji and sending them to sake breweries nationwide. It was also known as the Saijo Sake Brewing School until around 1970.

In the modern era, sake production in Saijo began to grow. “In 1896, a local, yet globally recognized rice milling machine manufacturer invented Japan’s first motorized rice milling machine² and began production and sales. At the same time, the extension of the Sanyo Railway³ from Mihara City to Hiroshima City in Hiroshima Prefecture made transportation of sake by land much easier. These two events propelled Saijo to become a leading sake-producing region nationwide.”

Saijo Sake Brewers Association has established its own sake certification criteria. Only sake that meets various standards, such as the use of 100% locally grown sake-brewing rice from Hiroshima Prefecture, is certified to bear the name ‘Saijo Sake.’

In Saijo, seven sake breweries still line Saijo Sake Brewery Street, which stretches from Saijo Station (JR Sanyo Main Line). The sake breweries with brick chimneys, red tiled roofs, and white-walled buildings retain their traditional charm. In 2009, the area was chosen as one of the 20 Selections of Japan’s 20th Century Heritage, and in 2024, it was designated a national historic site.

“Saijo Station, the closest station to Saijo Sake Brewery Street, is about 30 kilometers from Hiroshima Station, which is on the Sanyo Shinkansen (bullet train), by local train. With no transfers, access is very convenient. We encourage you to take a short trip from Hiroshima City and visit Saijo in Higashihiroshima City. In the fall, the city hosts events such as Sake Hiroba, where you can sample approximately 800 varieties of sake from all over the country, and Saijo Sake Matsuri, a sake festival featuring brewery events,” says SHIMA. “If you’re visiting from overseas, we hope you’ll come to Saijo to enjoy walking through its charming streets, booking a brewery tour to taste sake, and experiencing the sake-making town at your own pace.”

• 1. The person responsible for the overall management of sake brewing and providing technical guidance.
• 2. A machine used to remove the bran from rice that has had the husk removed (brown rice). Milling refers to the process of removing the outer husk, germ, and bran from brown rice, turning it into white rice.
• 3. A long-distance railway that began operation in 1894. It was an important rail route connecting the Kansai region and Kyushu, linking Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture) and Shimonoseki (Yamaguchi Prefecture). It is the predecessor of the current JR Sanyo Main Line.