Hayashi Shuzojo, founded in 1910 in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, is a small family-owned brewery that remains unincorporated and brews by hand in the tradition of the region's distinctive cold-weather sake making. The brand name Hachikoku comes from the modest 518-meter mountain that rises directly behind the brewery, anchoring the sake firmly to its local landscape. The brewery produces all of its sake during the coldest part of winter, emphasizing hand-craftsmanship and the kind of character that only a small kura can achieve.
