1. HOME >
  2. History

History

Established in 1830, our tradition spans eight generations, a history which continues to this day.

The Shibata Brewery was founded in the late Edo period of 1830, in Shimoyama village of the former Nukata district of Aichi prefecture. The Shibata family was the landowner and the headman of the village at the time, and it all began with producing and selling sake made from surplus rice. There was a fire at the cellar in 1898, and the sake kept in barrels leaked into the nearby river. This drifted far downstream to the town of Okazaki, and the people who lived there learned about the existence of the brewery built deep in the mountains. It is said this is how the name of “Kō no tsukasa” became known widely.

Heads of the Shibata Brewery

Founder Established by Hikozaemon Shibata (According to records)
2nd Generation Head Yozaemon Shibata (Name of Yozaemon Masatada in the grave)
3rd Generation Head Heiroku Shibata (Cultivated Iwa-no-age and the mountains, and created a farming field. Was referred to as Heiroku the Patient One)
4th Generation Head Kenichi Shibata (A devout Buddhist and made donations for Mampukuji Temple of Hokkyu. Was referred to as Kenichi the Kind One)
5th Generation Head Ruita Shibata (Built the currently existing former cellar after the old cellar from the Edo period was burned down)
6th Generation Head Seizo Shibata (Was section chief of the Military Reserve Association, served as village assembly member for 4 terms, 16 years)
7th Generation Head Takao Shibata (Entered Tottori University from Anjo Senior High School of Agricultural and Forestry. Became a teacher for a short period at Shimoyama Junior High School after graduating university, but returned to family business later)
8th Generation Head Hidekazu Shibata (Current head of brewery)

History of Shibata Brewery

1830 Established by the founder, Yozaemon Shibata during the late Edo period in Shimoyama village of the former Nukata district.
1898 A fire breaks out in the cellar around 11:00 p.m. on August 9 (cellar sign still remains to this day)
1899 5th Generation Head, Ruita Shibata rebuilds the cellar (current former cellar).
1906 Yamaho Limited Corporation is established by Heikuro Shibata, Seijiro Shibata, Asajiro Takagi, and Naokichi Shibata.
1922 Seizo Shibata inherits the rights of Yamaho Limited Corporation, and the sake name “Kō no tsukasa” becomes a registered trademark.
1958 “Matsubayashi”, one of the currently used wells is completed.
1973 7th Generation Head, Takao Shibata constructs the steel factory and warehouse where the current sake analysis laboratory and bottling room is located.
2003 “Iwa-no-age”, one of the currently used wells is completed.
2015 Planning and construction of the cellar “Ginjogura” begin.
2016 Completion of “Ginjogura”. Production of a new brand Gin begins.

The original cellar built in the 1800’s was lost in the 1898 fire, but rebuilt the following year and maintained ever since. The below photo shows the cellar as it was in the Showa period, and is still visible today.

The former cellar built in the early 1900’s (front left) still stands today as a testament to our brewery’s history. The building on the far right is the “Ginjo-gura,” completed in 2016. The two cellars are still connected, representing our brewing philosophy, which values maintaining tradition while improving our methods and environment.

The Story of the Wells

The First Story

There were two wells in the main building in the times of the 6th Generation Head, Seizo Shibata. There was also another in the warehouse, however the amount of water was little, and they had to draw water from the river nearby. One day, the fuel that was being used in the factory leaked from the tank, which made the two precious wells no longer usable. In search of a new water source, they decided to dig a new well. A total of seven wells were dug, and two among those wells, the “Matsubayashi” and “Iwa-no-age” are still mainly used to this day.

The Second Story

The “Matsubayashi” well was dug by the Chotaro Ikeshita family from Hanayama, Toyota City in 1955. The well was dug by hand using only shovels and hoes, and it took three years to complete. The 7th Generation Head, Takao Shibata, Toji Muramatsu, and employees of the brewery all helped to carry a total of 150 unglazed earthen pipes to the top of the mountain. It is said the wife of the 7th Generation Head Takao, Keiko, also climbed the mountain while carrying the young, current head Hidekazu, to observe the workers. Later on in the Heisei period, the “Iwa-no-age” well was also completed with the help of a construction company. The water used to make our sake is still collected from these wells.

Access

By car

  • Approx. 30 min. from Okazaki I.C. on the Tomei Expressway
  • Approx. 30 min. from Toyota-Matsudaira I.C. on the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway

By public transportation

  • By Sasayuri Bus/ approx. 40 min. on the “Shimoyama district line” from Okazaki Genkikan-mae. Please tell the bus driver you will be getting off at “Shibata Brewery” when boarding the bus. The bus will stop near the brewery.

※The Sasayuri Bus operates only on weekdays. Please confirm the Okazaki City website for details regarding other community buses in the Nukata district.

Kanzui, Aza, Hokkyucho, Okazaki-shi, Aichi 444-3442 TEL: 0564-84-2007 FAX: 0564-84-2785
Open hours/ Weekdays 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Weekends & holidays 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The brewery may be closed on weekends or holidays. Please confirm with the calendar below.

  • 営業日カレンダー

    2024年 11月
    月火水木金土日
    28
    29
    30
    31
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    11
    12
    13
    14
    15
    16
    17
    18
    19
    20
    21
    22
    23
    24
    25
    26
    27
    28
    29
    30
    1
    2024年 12月
    月火水木金土日
    25
    26
    27
    28
    29
    30
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    11
    12
    13
    14
    15
    16
    17
    18
    19
    20
    21
    22
    23
    24
    25
    26
    27
    28
    29
    30
    31
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5

    定休日