Kanbai Shuzo was established in 1918 in Furukawa, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, by landowner Shinjiro Iwasaki, who began brewing from locally grown rice under the name Homare no Takagawa before reviving operations after the war under the Miyakanbai brand in 1956. The name Miyakanbai is drawn from the image of the winter plum whose buds break in early spring, timed to the seasonal release of sake that has fermented through the cold months. Kanbai Shuzo is the only cultivation brewer in Miyagi Prefecture, managing the full sake production chain from rice cultivation in the surrounding paddies to the finished bottle.
