Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to see the outside of sake breweries while walking through an old townscape on a trip to Saga and Nagasaki (Fukuchiyo Shuzo does not accept brewery tours on ordinary days)
- People who want to plan their trip around “Kashima Sakagura Tourism” in March and line up for the brewery’s paid tastings
- People who want to compare sake by sake rice (rice suited to making sake) variety
- People who want to stay at the inn run by the brewery and enjoy sake with their meal
About Fukuchiyo Shuzo
Fukuchiyo Shuzo (富久千代酒造) is a sake brewery in Hamamachi (浜町), Kashima (鹿島市), Saga Prefecture. It was founded in 1923 and marked its 100th anniversary in 2023. Its brand is “Nabeshima (鍋島)”.
Brewery tours are not accepted on ordinary days. The brewery does not sell sake on site either (checked on September 30, 2026). Nabeshima is sold only at authorized retailers (tokuyakuten: liquor stores with a special agreement with the brewery) approved by the brewery.
Nabeshima was chosen as “Champion Sake”, the top award of the SAKE category at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) in 2011. It also received a gold award at the Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai (National New Sake Competition) for the Reiwa 7 brewing year (organized by the National Research Institute of Brewing and the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association; announced on May 20, 2026).
Hizen Hamashuku, a town of white walls and thatched roofs
Hamamachi in Kashima, where the brewery stands, faces the Ariake Sea (有明海). The Hamamachi area is called “Hizen Hamashuku (肥前浜宿)”. It was laid out as a post town on the Nagasaki Kaido road in the Edo period, and later prospered through brewing sake, soy sauce and more.
Hizen Hamashuku has the “Sakagura-dori” (sake brewery street), about 600 meters long and lined with white-walled buildings and large sake breweries, and a townscape of houses with thatched roofs. In 2006, these two were selected as a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings (districts the national government selects to protect historic townscapes). In Kashima, which is blessed with underground water from the Taradake (多良岳) mountain range, sake has been made since the Edo period. In the city, six breweries (five sake brewing companies) still make sake today.
Fukuchiyo Shuzo renovated its former rice polishing building, keeping features such as its original earthen walls, and turned it into a gallery in 2014. This building is a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
“Nabeshima”, a name chosen by the people of the prefecture
Fukuchiyo Shuzo’s brand used to be “Izuminishiki (泉錦)”. Nabeshima was created from scratch by Iimori Naoki (飯盛直喜), the third generation and the toji (the person responsible for sake making), aiming for a new brand that local people would love and be proud of, and it went on sale in 1998. It took three years from the initial idea, working together with four young owners of liquor stores.
The name was chosen by the people of Saga Prefecture through a public call for names in a newspaper. It comes from the Nabeshima family, which ruled the Saga Domain for about 300 years in the Edo period.
The brewery calls the sake it aims for “a natural sake”.
We make our sake aiming for “a natural sake” that is not simply “highly aromatic” or “dry”, but gently stimulates the five senses and settles in.
単に「香りが高い」「辛い」だけでなく、やさしく五感を刺激し馴染んでいく「自然体の酒」を目指し造っています。 — From “Hagukumu, Tsunagu Sakezukuri” (Nurturing and connecting sake making) on Fukuchiyo Shuzo’s official website
In sake, “karai” and “karakuchi” (dry) do not mean salty or spicy; they refer to a clean taste with little sweetness. The brewery makes its koji (steamed rice on which koji mold has been grown) by hand.
Choosing Nabeshima by the name of the rice
Many Nabeshima products have the name of the sake rice variety in the product name: Yamada Nishiki (山田錦), Omachi (雄町), Aiyama (愛山), Yamadaho (山田穂), Kitashizuku (きたしずく), Gohyakumangoku (五百万石) and others. For example, there are junmai ginjo products named after Yamada Nishiki, Omachi, Aiyama, Kitashizuku and Gohyakumangoku. The ingredients and the rice polishing ratio differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type and the name of the rice.
Here are three products of different types from the brewery’s product list. The prices are those shown in the brewery’s product list (checked on September 30, 2026).
- Nabeshima Tokubetsu Junmai-shu — A “tokubetsu junmai-shu”, made only from rice, rice koji and water, with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away. 1,980 yen for 720 ml
- Nabeshima Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki — A “junmai ginjo”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away, and fermented slowly at a low temperature. The sake rice is Yamada Nishiki. 2,300 yen for 720 ml
- Nabeshima Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki 45% — A “junmai daiginjo”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with more than half of the outer part of the rice polished away. 3,680 yen for 720 ml
“Kakushi-zake”, the mirror-writing label
“Nabeshima Kakushi-zake (隠し酒)” is a product whose label uses the characters “鍋島” flipped left to right in mirror writing, and it is commonly called “Ura-Nabeshima (裏鍋島)”. It was first made into a product about 20 years before 2024. Originally, it was a collection of the sake that comes out at the very beginning and very end of pressing. Today, it is made by blending four or more kinds of the brewery’s regular junmai ginjo.
It is shipped three times a year, and the blend ratio changes each time. Only the first shipment, in January, is a namazake that has not been heat-treated (pasteurized). Since 2022, the second and third shipments have been pasteurized.
Visiting the brewery
Tours and sales on ordinary days
Fukuchiyo Shuzo does not accept brewery tours. There is no brewery shop, and tastings are not available (checked on September 30, 2026). The brewery does not sell sake online or retail it directly from the brewery.
If you walk along the Sakagura-dori, you can see the outside of the brewery from the street. In Hizen Hamashuku, there are also other breweries that sell sake.
Kashima Sakagura Tourism
In Kashima, “Kashima Sakagura Tourism” is held on a weekend in March. It is an event where you go round the city’s sake breweries on free shuttle buses or on foot. The most recent event was held on March 28 and 29, 2026, from 10:00 to 16:00, and participants were asked to make a 500-yen contribution to operating costs. Please check official announcements for the next dates.
At the 2026 event, Fukuchiyo Shuzo offered the following.
- Paid tastings and sales of sake (in rotating groups that require a numbered ticket; quantities are limited for some kinds of sake)
- A paid sake bar
- Sales of limited sake (a numbered ticket is needed to buy; sales take place at a location separate from the brewery)
Numbered tickets were scheduled to be handed out in front of Fukuchiyo Shuzo from around 7:15 in the morning on the day, and advance booking was not possible. At the 2024 event, visitors could not walk around freely inside the brewery.
The inn and restaurant run by the brewery
Fukuchiyo Shuzo runs “Onyado Fukuchiyo (御宿 富久千代)”, an inn created by renovating historic buildings in Hizen Hamashuku. There are four buildings, and each accepts only one group at a time.
- Guests staying in the “Hontei” (本邸, main residence) or the “Hanare” (離れ, detached annex) can, if they wish, be guided on a tour of the Fukuchiyo Shuzo brewery, which is not normally open to the public. There is also a tasting at the gallery
- At “Soan Nabeshima (草庵 鍋島)”, the restaurant inside the Hontei, a Japanese course meal is served with sake chosen to match each dish from more than 20 kinds of Nabeshima. You can also come for dinner only; the meal starts at 38,500 yen (including tax and service charge). Priority for seats goes to hotel guests, and dinner starts at 17:00 for everyone at once. Children below junior high school age cannot dine there
- At Soan Nabeshima, you can buy up to 3 bottles of Nabeshima per person. The products available differ by season
Prices and conditions were checked on September 30, 2026. Bookings are made on the inn’s official website. There is also an information page in English.
Getting there
Address: 〒849-1322 佐賀県鹿島市浜町1244-1
- Train: The nearest station is Hizen-Hama Station on the JR Nagasaki Main Line. From the station to the Sakagura-dori is about a 6-minute walk. From Hakata Station to Hizen-Kashima Station takes about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes by the limited express “Kasasagi” (about 5 direct limited express trains a day in each direction). At Hizen-Kashima Station, change to a local train; it is about 5 minutes to Hizen-Hama Station
- Nearby: About 6 minutes by car from Yutoku Inari Shrine (祐徳稲荷神社)
Travel times are estimates as of September 2026. Please check train times with JR Kyushu. Some sections have few services, so it is safest to check the last trains for both the outward and return journeys.
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Fukuchiyo Shuzo’s sake
Nabeshima is sold only at authorized retailers approved by the brewery. There is no brewery shop and no official online store. The exceptions are sales at the inn’s restaurant “Soan Nabeshima” and sales during Kashima Sakagura Tourism.
Authorized retailers of Nabeshima
The brewery publishes its list of authorized retailers on its official website. In Japan there are 117 stores from Hokkaido to Kagoshima, with many in Saga and Fukuoka Prefectures. From the list, we have chosen stores that are easy to drop in at during a trip (checked on September 30, 2026).
| Area | Store | Address | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kashima (Hizen Hamashuku) | ありあけ酒店 | 佐賀県鹿島市浜町299-2 Open in Google Maps | None |
| Kashima | 小楠酒店 | 佐賀県鹿島市大字森950-7 Open in Google Maps | Wednesdays |
| Saga city | 石丸酒店 | 佐賀県佐賀市城内2-12-15 Open in Google Maps | January 1 |
| Fukuoka city, Hakata | 住吉酒販 本店 | 福岡県福岡市博多区住吉3-8-27 Open in Google Maps | Sundays |
| Fukuoka city, Hakata | 永久和洋酒店 | 福岡県福岡市博多区大博町3-31 Open in Google Maps | Opens at 13:00 on Sundays and public holidays |
| Nagasaki city | 横田酒店 | 長崎県長崎市本石灰町1-7 Open in Google Maps | Sundays, public holidays |
| Tokyo, Ginza | 銀座君嶋屋 | 東京都中央区銀座1-2-1 紺屋ビル1階 Open in Google Maps | New Year holidays |
| Tokyo, Ebisu | 恵比寿君嶋屋 | 東京都渋谷区恵比寿南1-6-1 アトレ恵比寿 西館4階 Open in Google Maps | Same as atré Ebisu |
| Tokyo, Asakusa | 酒の大桝 | 東京都台東区浅草4-22-9 Open in Google Maps | None |
| Osaka | 酒蔵 なかやま | 大阪府大阪市北区本庄東2-15-2 Open in Google Maps | Sundays, public holidays |
| Kyoto | 鵜飼商店 | 京都府京都市上京区大宮通寺之内上ル3丁目 北仲之町516 Open in Google Maps | Sundays |
Please check the list for other stores and each store’s phone number. The list also includes stockists in South Korea, China (Shanghai), Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Before you buy
- Whether a store carries the sake, and its stock, differ from store to store. Limited and seasonal products may not arrive at a store, so please check with the store before visiting.
- Nabeshima has many products, and the ingredients and brewing methods differ from product to product. Please check the label for the type.
- If you are taking sake home abroad: Bottles over 100 ml cannot go in your carry-on bag before security screening. Put them in your checked baggage, or buy them at a duty-free shop after security screening. Please check in advance what applies if you have a connecting flight, and the import limits of the country you are arriving in. → Travel tips
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 富久千代酒造有限会社 (Fukuchiyo Shuzo Co., Ltd.) |
| Founded | 1923 (the 12th year of the Taisho era) |
| Address | 〒849-1322 佐賀県鹿島市浜町1244-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0954-62-3727 (fax 0954-62-6638) |
| Main brand | Nabeshima (鍋島) |
| Official website | https://nabeshima.biz/ |
| Brewery tours | Not available (guests staying in the “Hontei” or “Hanare” of Onyado Fukuchiyo can be guided on request) |
| Brewery shop | None (tastings also not available) |
| List of stockists | Published on the official website (117 stores in Japan; checked on September 30, 2026) |
| English support | The official website has English pages (stated to be machine-translated). English support at the brewery is not published |