Kojima Sohonten has brewed in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, since 1597, originally as a purveyor to the Uesugi clan and even during periods of prohibition when it held a rare formal exception to continue production. The brand name Toko refers to the eastern side of Yonezawa Castle where the morning sun rises, and the brewery founded the Yonezawa Sake Rice Society to support local farmers; in 2024, Toko Junmai Daiginjo Fukuro-Tsuri Juhachi took first place in the Junmai Daiginjo category at the International Wine Challenge.
