Kayashima Sake Brewing was founded in 1873 on the Kunisaki Peninsula of Oita Prefecture, where its wooden brewery buildings, constructed around 1900, were registered as national tangible cultural assets in 1997 and remain in active use today. The name Nishinoseki, meaning the grand champion of western Japan, was chosen by the second president, and the brewery has held to its founding principle of quality since winning first prize at Japan's inaugural National Sake Competition.
