Takesuzume is made by Otsuka Shuzo, a small family brewery founded in 1884 in Gifu Prefecture along the road to the pilgrimage temple Tanigumi-san Kegon-ji, and the brand name comes from the Otsuka family crest. Sixth-generation brewmaster Seiichiro Otsuka brews with his wife and parents in a purely artisanal setup, sourcing rice from local farmers with whom the brewery works directly, and produces a kimoto junmai ginjo using naturally cultivated lactic acid bacteria and yeast native to the brewery.
