Honda Shoten was founded in 1921 in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, by a family with roots as Banshu Toji brewing directors stretching back to the Genroku period, and the Tatsuriki brand has since become synonymous with an uncompromising focus on Yamadanishiki terroir. The brewery was among the first in Japan to brew daiginjo sake, and in 1981 it secured access to Yamadanishiki from Hyogo's Special A district, ultimately becoming the first member of the Himeji Shuzo Brewing Cooperative to win gold at the Annual Japan Sake Awards. Honda Shoten created a dedicated Tatsuriki Terroir Center within the brewery to display soil samples and regional histories of its Yamadanishiki rice paddies, reflecting a winemaker-like commitment to origin.
