Shotoku Shuzo traces its origins to 1645, when the Kimura family began brewing sake in central Kyoto; the brewery later relocated to Fushimi to access its celebrated soft underground spring water and merged with three other breweries in 1943 to form its current identity. Since the 1970s, the brewery has championed junmai sake as its true form, joining with like-minded producers to establish the Junsui Nihonshu Kyokai to advance awareness of pure rice brewing. Drawing on Fushimi's mineral-soft water and cooperation with local rice farmers, the brewery crafts sake that reflects the refined culinary culture of Kyoto.
