Founded in 1697 in Takahata Town, Yamagata Prefecture, Yonetsuru Shuzo served as the official sake supplier to the Uesugi domain in the late Edo period. The brand name combines the imagery of bowing rice stalks with the local legend of the grateful crane, expressing gratitude and sincerity as core values of the brewery. Brewing with the motto wa jo ryo shu (harmony yields fine sake) and in close partnership with local rice farmers, the brewery has accumulated more than 30 gold medals at the National New Sake Appraisal and produces the flagship range using Yamagata's prized Yuki Megami and the brewery's own Kamesu rice variety.

