The flagship brand of Nanyo Brewery, “Hanaabi,” is best known for its gorgeous aroma—often compared to ripe pineapples or honeyed apples—and its rich, juicy sweetness. This innovative sake is crafted by an extremely small team of just three people, primarily members of the founding family. They prioritize “manual labor that sharpens the five senses,” maintaining a commitment to brewing each batch with meticulous care in small quantities. The harmony between its tropical fruit-like fragrance and acidity presents a unique character that defies traditional sake concepts, earning passionate support from enthusiasts worldwide as a “rare premium sake.” Every drop is infused with the hope that “flowers of joy will bloom for both the drinker and the maker.”
1. History and Background
Nanyo Brewery was founded in 1860 at the end of the Edo period in what is now Hanyu City, Saitama Prefecture. After training at a brewery in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, the founder, Kamekichi Sunaga, returned to his hometown and opened the brewery in its current location in search of the pure water essential for sake brewing. The traditional brand name, “Nanyo,” was named after the place where Zhuge Liang (Komei) lived in seclusion in ancient China, reflecting a desire to brew sake with high spirituality in a lush natural environment.
While the brewery continued community-based sake production for about 140 years, it faced a crisis in the early 2000s, even considering closing due to the decline in sake consumption. To overcome this situation, the 5th generation head, Takaharu Sunaga, along with his sister and her husband, resolved to revive the brewery by creating the finest sake they could truly be proud of.
In 2003, the new brand “Hanaabi” was born. Under the slogan “Bathe in the rays of the sun and let a large flower bloom,” this sake established a new style featuring a fruity, pineapple-like aroma and rich sweetness. This bold challenge quickly caught the attention of discerning enthusiasts, growing into a nationwide premium brand. Today, the brewery continues limited production of approximately 200 to 250 koku (approx. 36,000–45,000 liters) per year under a small, elite team consisting of Mr. Sunaga, his sister Yasuyo Watanabe, and his brother-in-law Ryosaku Watanabe, who serves as the Toji (Master Brewer).
2. Brewing Philosophy
Nanyo Brewery’s philosophy is rooted in a quality-first approach: “brewing each bottle with care in small batches.” This is the polar opposite of pursuing efficiency through large-scale mechanization; instead, manual labor that sharpens the brewers’ five senses forms the foundation of every process.
A major characteristic of their management and brewing system is the rejection of a “division of labor” where individuals only handle specific tasks. Instead, they adopt a “shared task system” where everyone is well-versed in all stages of the process. Because the owner, the Toji, and his sister share every step—from rice water absorption to fermentation progress and the timing of pressing—they can achieve extremely high-precision adjustments and consistent quality control.
Furthermore, they believe this small-team structure is the essential condition for ensuring unique quality, as it allows them to oversee every detail of the entire process. Therefore, despite increasing global popularity and chronic shortages, they maintain a firm stance on prioritizing the quality of handmade production over easy expansion.
3. Characteristics of Ingredients and Production
The resources supporting their brewing and the technical features that create their unique personality are as follows:
Ingredients and Water
- Brewing Water: They use subsurface water from the Tone and Arakawa Rivers, pumped from the brewery’s own well. This is “soft water,” which brings out a soft mouthfeel, mellowness, and transparent sweetness.
- Sake Rice: The primary variety is “Hattan Nishiki” from Hiroshima Prefecture. They also source carefully selected sake-grade rice from across Japan, such as “Miyama Nishiki” from Nagano and “Yamada Nishiki” from Hyogo, to match their desired sake profiles. They design products to highlight rice characteristics, such as the melon-like aroma of Hattan Nishiki or the sharp finish of Miyama Nishiki.
Technical Features
- Hako-koji Method: All Koji is produced using the traditional “Hako-koji” (box koji) method. Using small wooden boxes, the brewers directly touch the Koji to check the temperature and make minute adjustments to the mold growth.
- Muroka Nama Genshu and Bottle Storage: Their core products are “Muroka Nama Genshu” (unfiltered, unpasteurized, undiluted sake), which avoids carbon filtration to preserve the original Umami and color and does not adjust alcohol content with water. To maintain freshness, the sake is stored in bottles rather than tanks and is strictly managed in near-freezing environments until shipment.
- Binkan Kyurei (Bottle Pasteurization & Rapid Cooling): Even for products that undergo heat sterilization, they use the “Binkan Kyurei” method—heating the sake after it is bottled and immediately cooling it rapidly. This traps the aroma inside the bottle and tightens the sake’s quality.
- Diverse Pressing (Jozou) Methods: They use different techniques depending on the grade of the product, such as “Fukuro-tsuri” (hanging bags where only the dripping droplets are collected), “Fune-shibori” (pressing slowly over time using gravity and gentle pressure), and “Jikagumi” (bottling directly from the press).
4. Current Initiatives
Nanyo Brewery is developing various initiatives to balance the inheritance of tradition with modern value creation.
- Refining Techniques and Exploring New Flavors: The brewers actively participate in training programs like the “Sainokuni Sake Brewing School” to learn the latest brewing theories. Rather than relying solely on intuition, they pursue precision brewing by digitizing detailed data on water absorption rates and fermentation temperature changes to adapt to yearly variations in rice quality. They also continue to explore new flavors, such as using “Ginpu” rice from Hokkaido and the “THE MATCH” series, which combines multiple types of sake rice.
- Coexistence with the Local Community: They have developed the Junmai brand “Ai no Sato,” named after the “Bushu Aizome” (indigo dyeing) traditional craft of their hometown, Hanyu City. This aims to create a perfect “food-pairing sake” while contributing to the local industry’s recognition. They are also actively involved in revitalizing the community through official support for the “Mariners Baseball Club” youth team and other local sports organizations.
- Modernization of Information: Shifting from being a “hidden gem,” they now use social media like Instagram to directly inform consumers about the brewery’s current status and release dates. This enhances brand transparency and strives to provide fair purchasing opportunities.