Hatsusakura Shuzo, founded in 1866 in Katsuragi Town, Wakayama Prefecture, sits on the banks of the Kino River in the foothills of Mt. Koya, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The brewery is the last remaining producer of Kishu Kawakami-shu, a regional sake style with a 1,700-year history in this area, named for its origin at the upper reaches of the Kino River and once shipped downstream to Osaka, Kyoto, and Edo. Hatsusakura Shuzo continues to brew under the Kishu Katsuragi Kawakami label as a deliberate act of preserving this local sake heritage.
