Hakuryu Shuzo was founded by the Shirai family in 1839 in what is now Agano City, Niigata Prefecture, at a time when the family also operated a maritime transport business shipping sake by sea to Hokkaido aboard Kitamaebune trading vessels. The name Hakuryu, meaning White Dragon, was chosen to honor the dragon as the god of the sea and to pray for prosperity along the coastal trade routes, with the trademark registered in 1910. The brewery has received the Monde Selection Gold Award for 29 consecutive years since 1994.
