Rain
Soil
People
Time
Soil
People
Time
At the far north of Lake Biwa, lies Kinomoto, Ōmi, where rain, soil, people, and time have been shaped by the land. Here, Tomita Brewery cultivates sake expressive of this place for the world. Because savoring sake is not solely about flavor.
Sake is a reflection of the rain.
Mt. Kodakami in the Ibuki ranges — a sacred site since long ago. Snow and rain that fell deep in the mountains are filtered by the earth, reaching the old well at our brewery after a journey of forty years. Our brewing water carries the character of the land.
Sake is a story of the soil.
Brewing rice tells the tale of this land. The Ane and Takatoki rivers that flow into the ancient Lake Biwa flood repeatedly and nurture the fertile soil here. Surviving the Battle of Shizugatake and the chaos of wartime, farming culture has thrived in Kohoku for 2,000 years.
Sake is the actions of the people.
Sake sits between here and beyond. Between people and nature, between the special and the everyday, between prayer and blessing. The lid opens, releasing the spirit of the land. Not merely an intoxicating liquid, sake represents the deep cultural memory of Japanese people.
Sake is layers of time.
The future of sake calls for an examination of its origins. Weaving together the distant past with the present, we have brewed here by the Hokkoku Road since the early 1500s. We reflect again on the essence of rain, soil, and people, with a vision to share sake that embraces this moment.