Tentaka is located in a nature-rich city, Ohtawara, Tochigi Prefecture. Through the year, the area is blessed with sunny weather, and the warm summer and the ideal coldness in the winter are suitable for sake brewing. As the city is on the delta between the Naka River and the Houki River, rice has been actively grown since a long time ago. The abundant subsoil water from Mount Nasu in the most northern part of the prefecture enables us to secure clean water which is necessary for sake production. Rice, water, and climate – all conditions are met and that is why the city is perfect for Nihonshu brewing.
They carefully select the best variety and production place of rice for Tentaka’s sake brewing. To make higher quality sake, they have recently started working together with the farmers who also embrace Tentaka’s concept and engage in sake brewing where importance is placed on growing rice. Their dream is to brew sake made from rice grown by their hands by utilizing the strength of “a small brewery in a small town.” They seek to directly participate in the creation of an environment for rice paddies and make a kind of sake that only Tentaka can brew.
Tentaka installs the newest equipment and promotes mechanization proactively. The purpose is not workforce reduction but rather it is to ensure women/senior workers can safely work and to maintain high reproductivity of sake quality. They distinguish what machines can do from what only humans’ five senses can do. Utilizing various machines including IT technology to focus more on things only humans are capable of, such as drawing on years of experience. Tentaka’s philosophy of sake brewing remains unchanged, but technology that produces “delicious, safe, and enjoyable sake” improves continuously.
※Such efforts have paid off, and Tentaka has been highly praised. In the 2017 Japan Sake Awards, “Organic Junmai Daiginjo Tentaka” won gold for the first time in Japan as an organic Nihonshu. In foreign competitions, they also had the double winning of a trophy of Futsushu and Great Value Sake at IWC（International Wine Challenge）and the Platinum award at Kura Master in 2018.
Tentaka Shuzo, Co., Ltd is certified as an organic brewery by Japan, the United States, and European Union.
They carefully select the best variety and production place of rice for Tentaka’s sake brewing. To make higher quality sake, they have recently started working together with the farmers who also embrace Tentaka’s concept and engage in sake brewing where importance is placed on growing rice. Their dream is to brew sake made from rice grown by their hands by utilizing the strength of “a small brewery in a small town.” They seek to directly participate in the creation of an environment for rice paddies and make a kind of sake that only Tentaka can brew.
Tentaka installs the newest equipment and promotes mechanization proactively. The purpose is not workforce reduction but rather it is to ensure women/senior workers can safely work and to maintain high reproductivity of sake quality. They distinguish what machines can do from what only humans’ five senses can do. Utilizing various machines including IT technology to focus more on things only humans are capable of, such as drawing on years of experience. Tentaka’s philosophy of sake brewing remains unchanged, but technology that produces “delicious, safe, and enjoyable sake” improves continuously.
※Such efforts have paid off, and Tentaka has been highly praised. In the 2017 Japan Sake Awards, “Organic Junmai Daiginjo Tentaka” won gold for the first time in Japan as an organic Nihonshu. In foreign competitions, they also had the double winning of a trophy of Futsushu and Great Value Sake at IWC（International Wine Challenge）and the Platinum award at Kura Master in 2018.
Tentaka Shuzo, Co., Ltd is certified as an organic brewery by Japan, the United States, and European Union.