Hello everyone, this is Chisato Tateno, 2025 Miss SAKE Japan.
On Monday, December 8, I had the privilege of visiting Urazato Shuzoten in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture—the brewery behind the representative labels Kiri Tsukuba and Urazato—and observing their sake production in the midst of the brewing season.
About Urazato Shuzoten
Founded in 1877, Urazato Shuzoten is a historic sake brewery located in the Yoshinuma district of Tsukuba City. One of its flagship labels, Kiri Tsukuba, is a crisp and dry Tokubetsu Junmai sake beloved as a local favorite, with more than 90% consumed within Ibaraki Prefecture. The brewery uses carefully selected sake rice grown locally and continues to preserve traditional kimoto brewing methods dating back to the Edo period, utilizing the climate and natural environment surrounding the brewery.
In recent years, the 6th-generation brewer, Chikara Urazato, has carried on the family legacy while launching a new brand, Urazato. This brand features sake brewed with Ogawa Yeast, a yeast strain associated with Ibaraki, known for its gentle ginjo aromas reminiscent of banana and melon. The brewery is also active in engaging with the community—participating in local sake events around Mt. Tsukuba and Tsukuba City, and hosting summer brewery tours. Through such efforts, Urazato Shuzoten has become known as an innovative brewery that embraces new challenges while honoring local ingredients and traditional craftsmanship.
A Visit to the Heart of Tradition and Innovation
At the entrance of the brewery hung a freshly renewed sugidama, its vibrant green color symbolizing the arrival of a new brewing season—coincidentally renewed on the very day of our visit. We also learned that Urazato Shuzoten began hosting trainee students from Tokyo University of Agriculture’s Brewing Science Department that day, marking what truly felt like the “opening curtain” of a new brewing season. We were honored to visit on such a special day and to take commemorative photos with Koji Urazato, the 5th-generation owner and president, and Chikara Urazato, the 6th-generation brewer and tōji.
The tour began with an overview of the sake rice used. Approximately 60% of the rice used at Urazato Shuzoten is locally grown varieties such as Hitachi Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku, demonstrating the brewery’s commitment to local production. Inside the rice storage facility, massive quantities of rice—scheduled to be fully used within the year—were neatly stacked to the ceiling, creating a truly overwhelming sight. At the same time, the brewery faces recent challenges brought on by intense summer heat, such as rice becoming harder, more fragile, and less soluble—reminding me of the tangible impact climate change has on sake production.
Next, We were guided through the core facilities of the brewery:
– the enormous koshiki used to steam rice,
– the koji room, kept above 30°C year-round,
– the shubo room, where yeast starters are nurtured,
– and the fermentation hall, lined with huge tanks.
The fermentation hall is maintained at 5°C throughout the year, allowing slow, low-temperature fermentation that creates sake with fine acidity and delicate flavor. One of the most memorable aspects was the presence of Ogawa Yeast, a hallmark of Urazato Shuzoten. This yeast produces fresh, fruity aromas reminiscent of banana and melon, giving their sake a distinctive and elegant profile.
December is the most important month for the sake industry, with sales reaching three to four times the annual average. Witnessing the focused expressions of the brewers and the crisp tension that filled the air as they worked at the peak of the brewing season filled me with a renewed sense of respect and awe.
Bringing Home the Fragrance, Finish, and Story
After the tour, I visited the brewery’s retail shop. I got three bottles for myself:
– Kiri Tsukuba Hatsushibori Usu-Nigori Hon-Nama,
– Urazato Junmai Ginjo Kimoto,
– and Kiri Tsukuba “Marude GREEN APPLE.”
The newly released Kiri Tsukuba Hatsushibori Usu-Nigori Hon-Nama is a limited seasonal sake available only during the early brewing months, offering a fresh and gentle cloudiness unique to this time of year.
Urazato Junmai Ginjo Kimoto is a sake that fully highlights the charm of Ogawa Yeast—layered fruity aromas, crisp acidity, and remarkable versatility across a range of serving temperatures, from chilled to warmed.
Marude GREEN APPLE is the third release in the “Marude Kudamono Series,” a private-label collaboration between Urazato Shuzoten and Sudo Saketen, created under the concept of “expressing fruit through sake.”
Bringing home these special bottles—available only at the brewery—filled me with excitement. Tasting these sakes at home, while recalling the scenes I witnessed at the brewery—the living fragrance of the yeast, and the concentration of the brewers—will surely make each sip far more meaningful. I am very much looking forward to that moment.
Through this visit to Urazato Shuzoten, I once again felt deeply that Japanese sake is supported by wisdom handed down through generations, years of dedicated craftsmanship, and the blessings of nature rooted in each region.
Urazato Shuzoten’s sincere approach—preserving tradition while boldly embracing future challenges—reaffirmed for me that such breweries shape the very foundation of the future of sake culture.
As Miss SAKE, I hope to serve as a bridge that conveys the passion and skill of breweries to as many people as possible. By honoring tradition, embracing local culture, and opening the door to the future of sake, I will continue to learn, share, and help connect the richness and depth of Japanese sake to the next generation.
Chisato Tateno
2025 Miss SAKE Japan
