Choshu Shuzo in Yamaguchi underwent a full transformation in 2020 when Choshu Sangyo acquired the original Kodama Sake Brewery, founded in 1871, and established the current brewery identity. The brewery is led by Toji Miki Fujioka, a brewer who previously worked on celebrated brands Kawatsuru and Zaku, bringing cross-regional expertise to a prefecture more associated with fugu cuisine than renowned sake. The Tobin-gakoi (斗瓶囲い) Hiire expression is pressed in small 18-liter tobin containers, a method that collects only the clearest, most delicate portion of each pressing, then single-pasteurized, concentrating the sake's character while preserving its refined ginjo fragrance. The brand name Tenbi derives from Amaterasu (ten, heaven) and 'bi' from an archaic term for excellent sake, invoking the sun that cultivates the rice.
Aug 13, 2025, 10:04 PM
