The Takagi Shuzo brewery, located in Akaoka (Kochi Prefecture) and rooted in a historically favourable terroir dating back to the Edo period — when the town thrived on the salt trade and maritime transport — has been part of a brewing tradition established in 1884 by the Takagi family, who were also active in the rice trade. Since 1998, it has adopted an integrated approach based on the exclusive use of local inputs, including the sake rice variety "Gin no Yume", moderately soft groundwater sourced from the Monobe River, and a range of indigenous yeasts selected by the Kochi Technology Centre, enabling precise control of fermentation kinetics and aromatic expression, characterised by esterified profiles with notes of fruit (banana, apple, melon). The sakes produced stand out for their masterful balance between acidity, alcoholic structure and drinkability, enhancing their gastronomic compatibility and length on the palate. Having received numerous awards, the brewery continues to develop, with the integration in 2019 of a sixth-generation Toji trained in brewing sciences, who is pursuing a technical optimisation of processes whilst ensuring the continuity of traditional sensory profiles and the promotion of Kochi's terroir.
