Matsubaya Honten is a long-established sake brewery founded in the Edo period, with a history spanning over 200 years. While continuing to produce traditional sake passed down through generations, the brewery is now actively involved in operating a sports community center in Obuse Town. We had the opportunity to interview Mr. Hiroyuki Ichikawa, the 14th-generation head of Matsubaya Honten, who continues to take on new challenges.
Matsushiro Domain Purveyor Sake
Matsubaya Honten is a venerable sake brewery that had been supplying the Matsushiro Domain with its sake during the Edo period. Their main brands are Hokushinryu and Honkichinogawa. With just one toji (master brewer) and three kurabito (brewery workers), they produce a remarkable 130 different types of sake, including 24 varieties such as junmai daiginjo, junmai ginjo, and nama sake, as well as various blends and sizes.
Dedicated Sake Brewery
Matsuba Honten is committed to sake brewing using locally sourced ingredients, specifically the Kinmon Nishiki sake rice variety from Nagano Prefecture. For the water, an essential ingredient in sake production, they draw medium-hard water from underground wells on their property. This underground water contains various mineral components, resulting in a sake with rich body and a substantial, weighty drinking experience.
What makes Matsuba Honten particularly distinctive is their aged nama sake. While nama sake is typically known to require refrigeration, Matsuba Honten sells nama sake that has been aged at room temperatures. By brewing sake with medium-hard water and aging it at room temperatures, they create a unique sake with enhanced umami and a broader flavor profile. This approach stems from their challenge-driven spirit of “let’s try something no one else is doing.”
Deep Connection with the Local Community Through Sake Brewery
The sake storehouse of Matsuba Honten, with its long history, is constructed in the traditional architectural style of dozo (earthen storehouse). In the past, dozo were used as an economic countermeasure to provide employment for local residents. During years when crops were poor, prospering sake breweries would engage farmers in constructing dozo, thereby helping them make a living. Even back then, sake breweries were deeply connected to the local community. Mr. Ichikawa continues to cherish these deep ties to this day.
Town Development
Mr. Ichikawa currently manages Obuse Open Oasis, a sports community center. At this facility, people from the local community can freely interact through sports like bouldering. The aging society, a critical issue in modern Japan, is also a serious problem here in Obuse. The generational gap has widened, and opportunities for interaction have diminished. This facility was created to provide opportunities for different generations to naturally interact and build better relationships. Now, it is loved by local residents as a communication space where people of all ages and genders gather.
Sake brewing and managing a sports facility might seem completely unrelated, but the traditional purpose of sake breweries—contributing to the local community—lives on here.
Introduce Obuse Town to the World
Sake alone doesn’t easily attract international attention. It is only when accompanied by Japanese cuisine and culture that it truly gains notice. Obuse is home to many long-established companies that communicate Japanese products, including fermented foods and wines. That’s why he mentioned his interest in collaborating across different local industries, transcending traditional boundaries. “We all share the same desire to invigorate our local community,” Mr. Ichikawa says. “By cooperating across different fields, we want to spread Japanese culture to the world from Obuse.”
Profile
As the proprietor of a sake brewery and the operator of a sports community center, Mr. Ichikawa is a lively fermentation enthusiast who is contributing to both sake brewing and town development in Obuse, a popular tourist destination.