Mori No Brewery

Born into a sake brewing family in Yamanashi Prefecture, Ryogo Kitahara has spent many years at the forefront of sake brewing as master brewer (toji). As the quality of his sake improved, the brewery grew significantly. However, over time, he began to question an approach to sake brewing that increasingly prioritized scale and efficiency.

“I wanted to make sake closer to the land, closer to the rice, and on a scale where I could be personally involved in every step.”

After much consideration, he and his wife decided to move to Rankoshi, Hokkaido.

They acquired a forest and began by thinning the trees to let in more sunlight, creating an environment where native plants and ecosystems could naturally recover.

For their sake, they chose Nanatsuboshi, a locally grown rice variety that the people of Rankoshi have long taken pride in. They purchase the entire harvest of organically grown rice from their contracted farmers and brew their sake in traditional wooden vats (kioke) made from Yoshino cedar.

They embrace the natural environment in their brewing, from the air flowing through the forest and the sunlight to the temperature of each passing day.

“We are not simply making sake. We are connecting with the land where our sake is born.”

This philosophy lies at the heart of sake brewing at Mori No Brewery.