Sasaichi Sake Brewery was established in 1661 in Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, near the base of Mount Fuji, and its name combines the word for bamboo (a poetic synonym for sake) with the character for first, reflecting a founding ambition to brew the finest sake. The brewery uses snowmelt water from the Fuji aquifer, historically known as Gozenssui (imperial water), and abandoned mass-production equipment in 2013 to return to fully hand-crafted koji and yeast-starter preparation.
