Imayo Tsukasa was founded 1767 in Nuttori, a town of the Niigata prefecture. About 200 years ago, Niigata was a very prosperous port city with extensive trade with Hokkaido (north of Japan). It became one of the three largest Geisha and luxurious traditional restaurant areas in Japan, along with Tokyo and Kyoto. Nuttori is also famous for its developed fermentation culture - namely Sake, Soy Sauce and Miso. This rich gastronomic background has forged Imayo Tsukasa into a brewery that satisfies even the most demanding cooks and customers. At a time when many sake breweries were heavily diluting their sakes, Imayo Tsukasa stayed true to their goal and refused to lower their quality.
Niigata-type of extra dry sake
Niigata is famous for its rice production. Niigata-style sake is known for its light, crisp and dry taste. Most of the rice used by Imayo Tsukasa is produced in Niigata. They also vowed to brew only Junmai type of sake without adding distilled alcohol. Imayo Tsukasa Black is the ultimate dry Junmai with long after-taste and distinct sharpness. Using 100% Niigata sake rice, Gohyakumangoku, brings a light, refreshing and crisp taste with clear umami. This is their special sake of extreme dry and pure rice Junmai.
Adapting traditional work with a modern concept
CEO Yosuke Tanaka used to work at an advertising company. After gaining experience in the management, planning and marketing of professional sports teams overseas, he jumped into the sake brewing business. Imayo Tsukasa means "to govern the present age" and Mr. Tanaka interprets it as "to be always with the current time" and makes sake and its enjoyment suited to the present age. The brewery celebrated its 250thanniversary in 2017 and released a new sake, IMA for Oyster. This sake was specially created to pair with oysters. It contains more malic acid, which gives it a sweet-sour and juicy taste. The fishy smell of seafood is usually amplified by the iron content, and this sake contains much less iron than ordinary wine. Therefore the smell is suppressed, and with the umami of sake you can enjoy a wonderful pairing with oysters.
Sake that connects
What Imayo Tsukasa want to achieve through their sake is to “connect “. They want their sake to connect the ancient and the modern, people and people, rural and urban. The brewery is located only a 15-minute walk away from Niigata station and they actively welcome visitors. The historical exhibits of their traditional sake brewing in a renovated building are a link between the modern and the ancient and also a link between visitors and Niigata. Imayo Tsukasa Koi shows this concept with its excellent design and taste. The lustrous bottle in the shape of a koi is fascinating, the beautiful red and white porcelain bottle as elegant and gorgeous as the sake itself. It has a clean and crisp taste with a fruity aroma of Japanese peach. This glamorous package is well suited for a tasty gift with a design that received several international awards. Their sake can also connect Japan and the world.