Bongu is produced by Nakao Shuzo, established in 1871 in Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, a historic brewing town known as the Little Kyoto of Aki. The brewery made a pivotal contribution to the sake world in 1948 when head brewer Seima Nakao isolated apple yeast, a discovery that introduced crisp acidity and powerful fermentation to high-end daiginjo production and eventually earned the brewery's sake recognition as an Imperial Household sake. Today Nakao Shuzo continues to craft junmai and ginjo styles rooted in the soft-water brewing traditions of Hiroshima.
