Sakai Shuzo, founded in 1869 in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, named its Gokyo brand after the five-arch Kintai Bridge, the city's most iconic landmark. In 1947 the brewery won first place at the National New Sake Tasting Competition, demonstrating that exceptional sake could be made with the ultra-soft water of the Nishiki River at a time when most Japanese brewers favored hard water.
