Nakagawa Shuzo was established in Meiji 21 (1888) in the Nishiyama hills of Niigata Prefecture, where cranes once flew over the nearby rice paddies, giving rise to the name Koshinohakugan -- white goose of Koshi. The underground water drawn from 10 meters beneath the brewery is so pure it turns visibly blue in the fermentation tank, and even the brewery's standard-grade honjozo is polished into the 60% range, a level of precision uncommon for everyday sake. Koshinohakugan earned the top prize at the 2020 National Kanzake Contest and has achieved five consecutive gold medals at the National New Sake Competition.
