Inoue Seikichi was founded in 1868 in the Tochigi Prefecture.
Young Toji Inoue from Sawahime is committed to the Tochigi prefecture, using only the local water source, locally grown rice, and only locally produced music is played during the brewing season. Sawahime Junmai and Ginjo sake are brewed only from local rice (Hitogokochi or Gohyakumangoku) milled to a minimum fo 50% or more. His passion for sake shined through in 2010 when he was voted as the best Daiginjo in the world at the International Wine Challenge in London.
Sticking to his philosophy, Inoue-toji formed a new master brewers’ school, Shimotsuke Toji, with two other brewers in Tochigi. The declining number of toji and the aging of the community is a constant issue for sake brewers and sake lovers, so his creation of a new school for a younger generation has been a welcomed development.
