Sekihara Brewery Co., Ltd - Echigo-nagaoka-han, sake of Gunki

1716 江戸期（享保元年）: At the main route of nagaoka street,
they were beginning to drewing "Gunki"with the store named Hitachiya.
Around 1935, the scene of drying up the lid for vessel.; Around 1935, the scene of drying up the lid for vessel.
1868-1912 明治期: Because the only daughter of Hitachiya famliy,
drewing sake was inhertied by Togawa family.
1916 大正 5年11月: Nagoya revenue superintendence office
3rd liquor competotive exhibition 1st prize
1918 大正7年: According to Chugoku Shinbun "in 1918, National Brewer Sumo List"
reported that it appeared as the weatern forhead for 459360 liters.
1922 大正11年 7月: Peace Commemoration Tokyo Exposition Silver Medal
1926 大正15年11月: 10th the National Competitive Exhibition of sake First Prize
Nagaoka city around 1938
(It is owned by International Research Center for Japanese Studies); Nagaoka city around 1938
(It is owned by International Research Center for Japanese Studies)
- 大正末期: Advancing into Hokkaido. Founded Shikishima-Shuzo Corp.
1930 昭和5年: Mr. Tanaka serves as Toji's master （～1959）
1932 昭和 7年11月: 13th the National Nihonshu and Shoyu Competitive Exhibition Honor Prize
11th Tokyo Liquor Commercial Guild Sake Competitive Exhibition
Honor Prize and Silver Prize
1935 昭和10年: Togawa Brewery was reorgnaized and Sekihara Brewery Co.,Ltd was established.
1940 昭和15年: Adcanced into Mainland China. Sekihara Brewery company was established at SuZhou, and started manufacturing and selling sake.
1945 昭和20年: Sekihara Brewery Co.,Ltd was closed at SuZhou.
2nd National Sake Competitive Exhibition Merit Award,in 1954; 2nd National Sake Competitive Exhibition Merit Award,in 1954
1952 昭和27年: Shikishima-Shuzo Corp. was sold to the manager of the present time
1954 昭和29年11月: Japan Sake Brewery Assciation FSBA 2nd
National Sake Competitive Exhibition Merit Award
1960 昭和35年: Mr. Mizuzawa serves as Toji's master （～1961）
1962 昭和37年: Mr. Maruyama serves as Toji's master （～2000）
1975 昭和50年11月: 21th Kantou Shinetsu Regional Taxation Bureaus Sake Appreciating and Evaluating Meeting Top No.1
1988 昭和63年 4月: Niigata-ken Sake Brewer DIY Competitive Exhibition
Prefectural Governor Award 1st Prize
TOGAWA Director; TOGAWA Director
1992 平成 4年 5月: National Newly-made Sake Appreciating and Evaluating Meeting Gold Prize
1997 平成 9年 5月: National Newly-made Sake Appreciating and Evaluating Meeting Gold Prize
2000 平成12年 5月: National Newly-made Sake Appreciating and Evaluating Meeting Gold Prize
2001 平成13年: Masato Matsubara （Sekihara's Toji（master brewer）） serves the overall production.
we began to develop and sell fruit liqueur of Japanese Sake base.

The beginning of Sekihara Brewery

The birth of Sekihara Brewery should be traced back to the first year of Kyoho,1716.
Nagaoka Street was connecting with Hokkoku Street, through which people carried Sado's gold to Edo, and Mikuni Street, a street of Sankinkotai (the system of alternate attendance by a daimyo in Edo). This street was beginning from Nagaoka of Mikuni Street, crossing Myouhoujitouge, reaching Izumozaki of Hokkoku Street. There was relatively few snow in snowfall zone, so in Edo period, many people and horses were coming and going.
In the middle of Edo period, it is reported that Hitachinokuni Koyama's Shoya took up residence in the street, whose family name was Koyama, and the store's name was Hitachiya. He was starting and using rice, which for tax or rent, to brew sake. It was the beginning of Sekihara Brewery.
In the "list of Echigo Brewing House"(1867, Keio 3th year), which recorded liquor store in Edo period, has a description about "Shimonozoki, Hitachiya Katsujiro". Shimonozoki means until now Sekihara Brewery is also the old name of Kura.
Since established, Sekihara Brewery had being continue to brew sake without off in winter until now.

"list of Echigo Brewing House"
(It is owned by Niigata Prefectureal Museum of History)

The birth of "Gunki"

The traditional brand "Gunki", inherited generation to generation, was born soon after the foundation.
Thought about the inscription.
As the proverb says: "cranes live for 1000 years, turtles live for 10000 years." Turtles is a symbol of long life. So if a "turtle" becomes "group turtles" means more than ten thousands of years. Because of this reason, they attached this inscription to wish that people who drink this sake can be healthy and longevity. And then it becomes a represented brand of Sekihara Brewery, which also be loved for a long time by appropriate people.

Over time, in the middle of Meiji period, Hitachiya had become a brewery that made several brands such as "Gunki", "Koshino Oimatsu" and so on. Ishi, the only daughter of Hitachiya Koyama, did not adopt husband into her family, but married with Shinnosuke Togawa, whose home is at Rokkenbara, not far from Sekihara. It is said that Hitachiya's brewery, form Edo period to Meiji period, was handed from Koyama family to Togawa family by this time.

Advance into Hokkaido and Mainland China

The business expanded steadily during the period of Taisho. According to Chugoku Shinbun "in 1918, National Brewer Sumo List" reported that it appeared as the weatern forhead for 459360 liters.
In the end of Taisho period, it advanced into Hokkaido, and founded Shikishima-Shuzo Corp, in Sumiyoshi-cho, Kushiroshi city. After then, in 1952, Shikishima-Shuzo Corp. was sold to the manager of the present time, and almost at the same time, the company put up a brand named "Fukutsukasa", and continued to brew sake until now as the name of Fukutsukasa-Shuzo Co., Ltd.
In 1940, it also advanced into Mainland China. Established Sekihara Brewing Company in No.11, Tangtouxijie, Hutianshanglu, Suzhou Castle, and started manufacturing and selling Japanese Sake. However, with the defeat, it was forced to close. He hardly escaped, be pulled up to boat and went back to Japan. Just before he returned to Japan, he had hided treasure under the ground. Form this anecdotal story we can see that the local brewery was closed in hurried.

Continuing to brew sake although under wartime

In Dec.10th 1937, the private management Togawa Brewery was reorganized, and Sekihara Brewery Co., Ltd was established with the capital of 25000000 yen.
As a company organization, it was inheriting the tradition from the Edo period and working on brewing sake better.
But in the times, Japan-China War became to World War second, Sake makers closed down their stores one after another based on the name of business reorganization.
Sekihara Brewery was also designated as a munition factory. It was ordered to produce alcohol for aviation fuel by using the plant named sorghum as the raw material.
Although in that time, Toji of Sekihara Brewery used rice to brew sake continually without having a day off in winter. There also have a record (Oct. 10th 1943, Niigata-ken Brewing Federal Association) that is, in 1943, under the wartime, 270900 liters was used for brewing sake.

The proof of "Bishu-Nyukon"

Although it was confusion after the war, Toji of the Sekihara continued to brew sake seriously. Then soon after the war, in 1955 30's, on the poster of "Gunki", they wrote some letters as follows: "time has changed, but….the soul of Toji has never changed. The soul has poured into brewing by generation to generation. This is just the thing of Gunki. It tells people their feelings about brewing."
In any period, the belief of Bishu-nyukon, which have been encouraged in brewing, could be saw from the fact that besides the main awards in developing, there also have a lot of excellent awards history at Kanto Shinetsu Bureau.

Inheriting many skills of Toji

at the beginning of Showa period the motor tricycle truck for carring on the brand "Gunki"

Since its foundation, the way that Sekihara Brewery working hard and insisting on brewing good sake cannot speak without the presence of Sake Brewer Toji.
Mr. Tanaka served as Toji's master from 1930 to 1959, who developed a four-stage technology called "Uruchi-yondan” that gives appropriated sweet flavour to sake.
Mr. Mizuzawa, during 1960 and 1961, Mr. Maruyama, from 1962 to 2000, served as Toji's master. Most of the awards are the proof of Maruyama's skill. The uncommon skill of Toji carries on sake brewing of Sekihara Brewery.
From 2013 to the present, Masato Matsubara, who inherits the Toji's skill by modern technology, serves the overall production of Sekihara Berwery.
In 2002, we began to develop and sell fruit liqueur Japanese Sake base, as pioneer of the whole country. In addition, special Junmai sake "Echigo Nagaoka-han" also began to sell from this time. And now it has grown a brand that is in line with the "Gunki".
From now on, Sekihara Brewery will continue to devote itself to the production of good sake completely as it was in the past without changing in order to deliver delicious sake.

at the beginning of Showa period the motor tricycle truck for carring on the brand "Gunki"

Reference material: "Niigata Prefecture Sake Brewery"
(Niigata Prefecture Sake Brewery Association / published in 1961)