Kiku-Masamune was founded in 1659 by the Kano family in the Nada district of Kobe, a region whose hard Miyamizu water and proximity to Edo made it the dominant force in Japan's sake trade for centuries. The brewery is one of very few in Japan that continues to employ the traditional kimoto method for its yeast starter, a labor-intensive four-week process that produces a distinctively dry, food-friendly sake. In 1988, Kiku-Masamune became the first major brewery to convert entirely to honjozo production, reaffirming a philosophy built on craft over convenience.
