KAMEMAN SHUZO - KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE

The Kameman Shuzo family brewery is a relatively recent venture, having been founded only in 1916 by Chinju TAKEDA, a young doctor and heir to a long dynasty of doctors in the Kumamoto region. The brewery's creation was the result of a rather comical set of circumstances. In fact, in this rural area, it was common practice for local farmers to pay in bags of rice, including for their medical consultations. So, every year, Dr Takeda saw the bags accumulate over the months without being able to use them all. It was for this reason that he decided to set up the brewery, in order to transform the rice he received into sake !

The Kumamoto prefecture is located in the extreme south-west of Japan. A temperate, sunny zone, this climate is hardly conducive to sake-making, which traditionally took place in the north of the country. The work on yeasts was essential, and Dr. Takeda's scientific knowledge was decisive in the development of ferments capable of working in these latitudes. The gamble paid off, and Kameman Shuzo can now pride itself on being Japan's most southerly sake brewery. It continues to work on the same principles as those developed by Dr. Takeda in 1916, using only local rice and without vat refrigeration !