Tagohinke Brewery Products

Tagohinke Brewery Products (多胡本家酒造場, Tagohonke Shuzojo) is a Japanese alcoholic beverage manufacturer headquartered in Nara, Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture. The company produces sake, shochu, liqueurs, and craft beer. Its origins date to the Kanbun era (1661–1673), making it the oldest brewery among the members of the Okayama Prefecture Sake Brewers Association. The brewery's flagship sake brand, Kamo Goyō (加茂五葉), takes its name from the Kamo River that flows near the brewery and the five-needle pines planted at its gate; the brewing water is drawn from the mineral-rich subsoil water of the Kamo River, which gives the sake a crisp, clean finish. Over the centuries the company adapted to changing tastes, adding shochu and fruit liqueurs, and in 1996 it entered the craft beer market with the regional beer brand Sakushū Tsuyama Beer (作州津山ビール). The craft beer boom eventually faded, and the burden of related debt, combined with the death of the former representative in 2018, led the company to suspend operations and file for personal bankruptcy in March 2020 with debts of approximately 300 million yen. However, friends of the late representative and local supporters urged that the 300-year brewing tradition of Tsuyama not be allowed to die, and after negotiations with financial institutions the bankruptcy filing was withdrawn on March 16, 2020. In July 2020 the Okayama District Court Tsuyama Branch granted a civil rehabilitation procedure, and on April 1, 2021 the company was reorganized as a stock company (kabushiki gaisha) and changed its trade name to Kabushiki Gaisha Tagohonke Shuzojo. The company's product range includes the sake Kamo Goyō; shochu brands such as Itsuha, Hirotokaze, Tagosaku, Yama no Imo Shochu, and Kuromame Shochu Sakushū Kuro; the craft beer Sakushū Tsuyama Beer; and liqueurs including Sakushū Umeshu, Mimasaka Momochū, and Sakushū Dandanbatake no Yuzukasan. It also undertakes OEM production of shochu, beer, and liqueurs, as well as trial brewing with customer-supplied ingredients. The brewery remains a symbol of local brewing heritage in Tsuyama.

The brewery was founded during the Kanbun era (1661–1673) in what is now Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture. It is the oldest brewery among the members of the Okayama Prefecture Sake Brewers Association. In October 1953 it was reorganized as a limited partnership company (gōshi gaisha) under the name Tagohonke Shuzojo. In 1996 it began selling the craft beer Sakushū Tsuyama Beer. In 2015 it expanded OEM orders for shochu, beer, and liqueurs, and also undertook trial brewing with customer-supplied ingredients. In June 2018 the representative partner Yukio Tago died. On March 3, 2020, the company suspended operations and filed for personal bankruptcy with the Okayama District Court Tsuyama Branch; total liabilities were approximately 300 million yen. On March 16, 2020, the bankruptcy filing was withdrawn after local supporters and friends of the late representative urged that the brewing tradition be preserved, and after consultations with financial institutions. On July 20, 2020, the Okayama District Court granted a civil rehabilitation procedure (case number: Reiwa 2 (sai) No. 3; published in Kanpō, August 4, 2020, page 26). On April 1, 2021, the company was incorporated as a stock company and changed its trade name to Kabushiki Gaisha Tagohonke Shuzojo.

• 2021

  Incorporated as a stock company and changed trade name to Kabushiki Gaisha Tagohonke Shuzojo on April 1.

• 2020

  Suspended operations and filed for personal bankruptcy on March 3; withdrew the filing on March 16; received civil rehabilitation decision on July 20.

• 2018

  Representative partner Yukio Tago died in June.

• 2015

  Expanded OEM orders for shochu, beer, and liqueurs; began trial brewing with customer-supplied ingredients.

• 1996

  Started selling craft beer 'Sakushū Tsuyama Beer'.

• 1953

  Reorganized as a limited partnership company, Tagohonke Shuzojo.

• 1661

  Founded during the Kanbun era (1661–1673).

Traditional, long-established regional brewery with over 350 years of history, combining sake heritage with local craft beer and diversified alcoholic beverages.

• Kamo Goyō (sake)

• Itsuha (shochu)

• Hirotokaze (shochu)

• Tagosaku (shochu)

• Yama no Imo Shochu

• Kuromame Shochu Sakushū Kuro

• Sakushū Tsuyama Beer (craft beer)

• Sakushū Umeshu (liqueur)

• Mimasaka Momochū (liqueur)

• Sakushū Dandanbatake no Yuzukasan (liqueur)

1. 1Tagohinke Brewery Products - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2多胡本家酒造場 - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org