KATO Shuzoten
Since 1915, on Sado Island, the Kato family has been brewing sakés under the brand KINTSURU 金鶴 (Gold Crane).
In search of a better source of water, in 1991, Mr. Kato bought the establishment of the Yukoma brewery, closed because there were no successors and located in the Kanai region.
In 1993, he transferred his brewing activities in Kanai to take advantage of the pure and extraordinarily soft water there. With a hardness index of just 1.8° dH or around 32 ppm, the water from Kanai's underground spring is even softer than most Niigata waters.
Since then, the particular character of the sakes of the Kato Shuzo has been developed around this water.
The kurabito, craftsmen of the brewery, studied their techniques at the famous saké school in Niigata 新潟 清酒 学校.
They only use rice grown on the island, favouring Gohyakumangoku and Koshitanrei cultivars adapted to the hostile environment of Sado and promoting a more natural crop without pesticides to protect its unique biodiversity.
Mr. Kato's ambition is not to gain popularity through advertising or to grow business through mass production. For him, the soul and passion of the kurabito must be invested in the development of authentic Sado sakés, to concoct, in collaboration with his neighbouring farmers, sakés that embody the culture of the island, in other words, its terroir.