Evolving with tradition and innovation – Sumikawa Sake Brewery, “Toyo Bijin”

Toyo Bijin, a royal sake loved throughout Japan

Sumikawa Sake Brewery was founded in 1921 in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Its representative brand, “Toyo Bijin,” is popular nationwide for its elegant taste with just the right amount of sweetness, stylish label design, and beautiful name. The name “Toyo Bijin” is said by the brewery to reflect the feelings of the founder toward his late wife.

When asked about the motto of the brewery, Mr. Yoshifumi Sumikawa, the fourth generation president and chief brewer, replied, “Making sake the royal way. Today, there are many different types of sake on the market, and there are many different needs. Toyo Bijin, however, does not try to be eccentric, but is strongly conscious of producing sake that it can confidently say is 100% perfect in terms of both taste and quality.

The road to Toyo Bijin’s current popularity was not smooth sailing for Mr. Sumikawa after he returned to his family’s Sumikawa Brewery. He studied brewing at Tokyo University of Agriculture, and during his junior year, he visited the Takagi Shuzo Brewery, where “Jyushiyo” was brewed, for practical training. At the time, “Jyushidai” was already a star product, as Kentao Takagi, a graduate of the same school, had established a “new era of sake” by releasing fruity and fresh sake, rather than the light, dry sake that was the mainstream at the time. While working together at the Takagi Brewery, Sumikawa learned about the unrivaled taste of “Jyushidai” and witnessed Mr. Takagi’s desperate efforts to rebuild the business and put his heart and soul into sake brewing, and was instantly attracted to the brewing business. He returned to his family’s brewery and decided to make his own delicious sake, but at the time, the brewing facilities at the Sumikawa Brewery were not in the best condition, and the business was in severe straits.

Toyo Bijin Restored by Fans

Still, he faithfully followed Mr. Takagi’s teachings and carefully produced sake. Since he could not spend much money on sales, Mr. Sumikawa himself continued to make steady sales trips to sake stores in Tokyo by night bus, carrying his own sake. Thanks to his efforts, word of mouth gradually spread. The brand grew to become a popular brand recognized both in name and reality.

Just as things seemed to be going well, the first floor of the brewery was swept away by a mudslide in the heavy rains that hit the Hagi area of Yamaguchi and Shimane in 2013. The brewery suffered extensive damage, including submerging brewing equipment and losing a large amount of shipping inventory, and was in such a state of crisis that they even considered closing the business. However, after seeing over 1,500 people, including Toyo Bijin fans, related sake retailers, and brewing-related people, volunteer to help out, they were inspired to take action. The following year, in 2014, a new brewery was constructed.

In 2015, the name was changed to “Toyo Bijin ippo” (meaning “a step back from the starting point”), and the sake is still being produced and sold today. In December 2016, three years after the flood, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Japan, Toyo Bijin Junmai Daiginjo Ichibancho was served at a meeting in Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Prime Minister Abe’s hometown, and was highly praised by Putin. This news excited not only Sumikawa Sake Brewery, but also many of its supporters.

Mr. Sumikawa responded about the future by saying, “I would like to maintain the traditional method of production and brew sake of the highest quality and royal road, which is compatible with both sake quality and quality. Compared to the time when Mr. Sumikawa returned to the brewery, the production scale has increased by about 10 times, and the brewery has grown into a medium-sized sake brewery producing and shipping 2,500 koku (1 koku = 100 bottles of sake) per year. Toyo Bijin” continues to be supported and loved by many people despite the many difficulties it has faced. With advance reservations, visitors can tour the brewery and experience the essence of deliciousness and the indomitable spirit of the brewery.