Torai is a new Japanese sake brand created by Rokka Shuzo, a sake brewery in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. The brewery has a history stretching back approximately 300 years and places great importance on traditional craftsmanship and careful, hands-on sake making.
The history of Rokka Shuzo can be traced back to 1719, when Takashimaya Shuzo was founded in Hirosaki. In 1972, three long-established breweries in Hirosaki—Takashimaya Shuzo, Hakubai Shuzo, and Kawamura Shuzoten—merged to establish Rokka Shuzo.
In 2023, the company moved its main brewery to a new location at the foot of Mount Iwaki. Surrounded by apple orchards, rice fields, and other farmland around Hirosaki, the new brewery provides an environment closely connected to the local landscape and agricultural traditions.
The move marked an important turning point for the brewery. Rokka Shuzo discontinued production of its long-running Joppari brand, which was known mainly for its clean, dry-style honjozo sake, and introduced a new brand called Torai.
The new brand was created with the idea of connecting 300 years of history to the future while preserving the brewery’s dedication to sake making. The name and concept also express the brewery’s desire to continue challenging itself and exploring new possibilities in traditional sake production.
Torai is brewed using ingredients and microorganisms closely connected to the surrounding region. These include yeast, koji mold, natural lactic acid bacteria from the Shirakami Mountains, groundwater from the Mount Iwaki area, and locally grown sake rice harvested near the brewery.
Using locally sourced ingredients allows Torai to reflect the natural environment of Aomori while maintaining the character of traditionally crafted Japanese sake.
Particular attention is also paid to the brewing and pressing process. Torai uses a traditional technique known as funashibori, in which the fermented mash is pressed gently at low pressure. This helps reduce stress on the mash during pressing and allows the brewers to carefully extract the finished sake.
Many stages of production are carried out through careful hands-on work by the brewery’s artisans. Through this combination of local ingredients, traditional techniques, and meticulous craftsmanship, Torai is finished as an aromatic junmai sake.
Torai represents an effort to carry forward the traditions of a brewery with centuries of history while embracing a new direction. Its use of Aomori-grown rice, Mount Iwaki groundwater, natural microorganisms associated with the region, and traditional brewing techniques gives the sake a strong connection to the landscape around Hirosaki.
For visitors exploring Aomori’s food and drink culture, Torai offers an opportunity to discover a contemporary expression of locally rooted Japanese sake, created through the combination of historic brewing knowledge and the careful work of modern sake artisans.