Arimitsu Sake Brewery, nurtured in a peaceful village
Establishment
A sake brewery that has stood for more than a hundred years
Arimitsu Sake Brewery was founded in 1903 by Itaro Arimitsu.
Our fermentation room is even older, built in the Edo period (1603-1868), which has been repaired and improved up to the present day.
Although it is a small-scale production brewery, the brewery itself has developed a time-honored presence over the course of more than 100 years.
Location
Blending into the landscape of the village
Our brewery is located in Akano, Aki City, eastern Kochi Prefecture.
Located between the mountains and the sea, it is a peaceful village with the horizon of the vista of the Pacific Ocean stretching out before us, and the mountains looming large in the background.
When the Sake-making process begins, white steam rises from the steaming rice into the blue sky, and the atomosphere is serene and relaxing.
Origin
A busho loved by the community
Aki Kunitora
The name “AKITORA” comes from Aki Kunitora, a busho(warlord) who ruled the eastern region of the prefecture and was one of the seven great warlords of Kochi during the Warring States Period (16th century).
Unfortunately, he was cast down by Tyousokabe Motochika, who later conquered Shikoku region, but there is a famous anecdote about how he safeguarded the lives of his retainers in exchange for his own during the defeat.
The Aki clan was adored and talked about by the local people for generations.
And even after the Aki clan disappeared, Aki remains as the place name for the area to the present day.
episode. Itaro Arimitsu and Yataro Iwasaki
Itaro Arimitsu, the founder of this brewery, was a close friend of the founder of Mitsubishi Yataro Iwasaki, who was born in Aki, Tosa(now known as Kochi Prefecture).
Strongly inspired by Iwasaki, Itaro started his own sake brewing business, fueled by boundless ambition, which continues to this day.
It is said that when Iwasaki set his mind to study, the Arimitsu family bent every effort to help him leave for Edo(present-day Tokyo)to pursue his studies.
It is said that even after Iwasaki founded Mitsubishi and achieved famed fortune in Tokyo, Itaro was welcomed in Iwasaki’s residence in Tokyo and talked the night away with him.
A letter from Yataro Iwasaki’s eldest son(Yanosuke Iwasaki)to Itaro Arimitsu
This document is currently on loan to Aki City Museum of History and Ethnography.