Toshimaya, the oldest sake store in Tokyo, originated when its founder, Toshimaya Juemon, opened a sake store and tavern in 1596 at Kamakura Waterfront in central Edo (modern day Tokyo). At that time, large-scale renovation work was being carried out on Edo Castle, so people flocked to Kamakura Waterfront, and Toshimaya is said to have prospered enormously.
Furthermore, when Juemon began brewing shirozake (white sake), its reputation spread throughout Edo. Shirozake is a sweet rice liqueur that was popular with women at the time. Indeed, it was from this time that the Japanese custom of offering shirozake on Girls’ Day, the annual event during which people pray for girls’ healthy growth, is said to have begun. As a result, Toshimaya’s shirozake is cited in many novels and traditional Japanese Kabuki plays. Even today, Toshimaya preserves the traditional recipes and makes shirozake once a year.
Nowadays, our sake brewery is located in Higashi-Murayama City in west Tokyo, where sake, shirozake and mirin (sweet cooking sake) are brewed. Our sake, Kinkon (Golden Wedding Anniversary in English), has been awarded numerous gold prizes at the Annual Japan Sake Awards, and is used as the sacred sake at the famous Meiji Jingu Shrine as well as Kanda Myojin Shrine. Kinkon is skillfully produced by our brewers and, as one of Tokyo’s representative sakes, it brings value to many of our customers.
Of course, sake goes well with Japanese cuisine, however, it also perfectly complements the cuisines of many other countries. So please enjoy our sake, Kinkon, “the local sake of Edo and Tokyo”.
