At the helm of overseeing the production of Manotsuru sake is our Toji, brew master, Kenya Kudo(born in 1971). Kenya apprenticed under Maho Matsui, a famed Toji, brew master.

During the whole sake brewing season, from October to March, brewers live and breathe with the sake in Kura, in order to achieve a traditional method of brewing which requires one to tend to the sake from the break of dawn, and create the best product.

Young brewers show no compromise when it comes to improving the quality of sake. This youthful energy has contributed to MANOTSURU receiving Gold Medals at the National New Sake Awards including 6 straight years, and the world renowned International Wine Challenge (IWC).

Sado Island is an isolated island which is 35 km off the coast of Niigata Prefecture. It is 250 km round and its size is approximately 1.5 times as large as that of Tokyo 23 Metropolitan wards combined. The water coming from two mountain ranges is soft which is considered the best water to brew smooth and delicate sake. Sado Island where Toki live, is also known for its high-quality sake rice. MANOTSURU has been refined and growing harmoniously with terroir of Sado, nature, culture, arts and histories.

OBATA shuzo was founded by Yososaku Obata in 1892. For more than ten decades ,Obata shuzo's brewers have spent the whole brewing season in winter at the brewery to take care of sake throughout the day, and brewed the traditional handcrafted sake.
Since 2009 we have been devoting our efforts to produce premium sake(tokutei meisho-shu) in order to create higher quality sake.