Tsurunoe Brewery was established in 1794 in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, drawing its name from Tsurugajo Castle and Inawashiro Lake, two iconic symbols of the Aizu region. The Aizu Chujo brand, formalized in 1977, is produced entirely without modern machinery, relying on metal rice steamers, wooden platforms, and rope pulley systems in an entirely handmade small-batch process. Toji Yuri Hayashi, one of Japan's rare female head brewers, leads production with a meticulous approach that has earned Aizu Chujo gold medals at the National New Sake Tasting Competition.
