Of particular note is the use of the Yamahai brewing technique, a slower, artisanal approach to preparing the yeast starter, which yields bold and complex flavors.
The Miyako Bijin Brewery Company traces its origins back to 1945, when ten small sake breweries on Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture came together under one roof to share their brewing skills. This merger took place against the backdrop of a rich natural landscape, shaped by the surrounding mountains and the waters of the Seto Inland Sea. In this environment and with a shared vision, the new brewery was born with the ambition of producing high-quality sake.
Initially, the company operated under the name Awaji Shuzō, in reference to the island itself. Around 1959/1960, it was renamed Miyako-Bijin, a name chosen to convey a harmonious and elegant identity. In the following decades, the brewery went through a difficult period: after the sake boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, sales declined, and the company shifted away from volume-oriented mass production to focus instead on small, high-quality batches. This transition also meant abandoning many modern brewing machines and returning to manual production in smaller tanks.
Over the decades, however, the brewery preserved traditional methods that today form its distinctive character. Of particular note is the use of the Yamahai brewing technique, a slower, artisanal approach to preparing the yeast starter, which yields bold and complex flavors. Miyako Bijin is also among the few Japanese breweries that still employ the rare Tenbin-Shibori pressing method, in which sake is pressed for several days using a wooden lever. Though labor-intensive, this process results in smaller volumes of sake with exceptional quality.
Today, Miyako Bijin is led by the young and talented toji, brewmaster Kunihiro Yamauchi. He oversees the production of a wide range of beverages, from sake and umeshu to yuzu liqueurs. Under his leadership, the brewery continues to create sakes that blend traditional techniques with occasional modern influences. Examples include Junmai Ginjo made from organic, pesticide-free rice and pressed using the Tenbin-Shibori method, as well as aromatic specialties like “Yoigokochi Yuzu,” a liqueur based on a dry Yamahai sake enriched with fresh yuzu juice and pulp, achieving a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity.
