Miura Senzaburo, an Akitsu brewing legend, gave Fukucho sake its name. Born in the Mitsu district of Akitsu in 1847, he assured his name when he discovered the secret to brewing great sake with the local soft water, something that had been a struggle for years. With it, he created delicate ginjo sake through low temperature brewing, which turns the traditionally undesirable weak fermentation of soft water into an asset. Now, ginjo brewing has become an industry standard, and it was all born in Akitsu.

Today, Fukucho is owned by a woman named Miho Imada, who is also the toji, or master brewer. Miho-san’s passion and curiosity for sake brewing is truly amazing: to date she has revived a local heirloom rice that was out of use for hundreds of years, created her own hybrid yeast starter, and experimented with brewing sake using white koji. Her extreme dedication to her craft encourages the future of women in this industry.

Using primarily Hiroshima grown rice and Hiroshima sourced yeast, Fukucho seeks to evoke the gentle flavors and clean, complex aromas so representative of the soft water ginjo brewing born in Akitsu.