Hamamusume was born out of Akabu Shuzo's origins in Otsuchi, a fishing town on the coast of Iwate Prefecture where the brewery was founded in 1896 in the Akahama district overlooking Otsuchi Bay. The brand, long beloved by local fishermen and coastal communities, was entirely rebuilt after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake destroyed the original brewery, and resumed production through the support of a neighboring brewery in Morioka. Today Hamamusume is sold exclusively within Iwate Prefecture, keeping its identity as a sake made for and by the community it serves.
