Nanbu Bijin was founded in 1902 and is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. A family business for several generations, it is headed by Kosuke Kuji, a fifth-generation master sake brewer.
Since its founding, the Kuji family has maintained the family motto of "quality first" to make quality sake. Today, they continue this tradition instead of moving towards an industrial dimension of their business. This effort has been rewarded with many prestigious awards, such as the gold and platinum awards at the Kura master in France and the title of the best sake in the world "Champion Sake" at the International Wine Challenge in the UK in 2017. It has also won several gold medals at the National New Sake Competition in Japan.
Today, we offer a sake from the Iwate prefecture that is highly regarded both in Japan and around the world. It is also exported to 55 countries, including France.
The town of Ninohe, in Iwate Prefecture, where our winery is located, is a small town of 26,000 inhabitants. It is located on the border of Iwate and Aomori prefectures and has only one sake brewery, ours.