Kitaya was founded in 1820 in Yame City, Fukuoka, by Saikichi, who was so passionate about sake that he brewed it himself, establishing a family rule that the owner should brew the sake that has passed down through the generations. In 2013, Kitaya's Daiginjo Gokujo was named Champion Sake at the International Wine Challenge in London, the first Fukuoka brewery to earn that distinction, and the brewery continues to range from fruity daiginjos to bold yamahais, sourcing sake rice from its own contracted fields in Yame.
