Ippongi Kubohonten was founded in 1902 in Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, in the Oku-Echizen region where the harsh, humid winters of the Nanbu tradition meet the ultra-soft water of the local watershed at just 27 mg/L hardness. The brewery's name derives from the Zen phrase meaning the highest truth, and four generations of Ippongi master brewers over sixty years have refined a style that blends Nanbu-school technique with Oku-Echizen terroir. In 2021, sake made from Sakahomare, a premium rice variety developed through an eight-year collaboration with Fukui Prefecture, won a gold prize at the National New Sake Competition on its debut entry.
