Who will enjoy this brewery
- People eating sushi and seafood in the port town of Shiogama (塩竈) who are looking for a local sake to go with it (whether the brewery accepts tours has not been published)
- People who want to buy Miyagi sake at a liquor store in Sendai or Tokyo
- People who would like to try, when visiting Shiogama or Matsushima, a sake sold only in that area
About Abekan Shuzo
Abekan Shuzo (阿部勘酒造株式会社) is a brewery in Nishimachi (西町), Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. It was founded in 1716 (the 1st year of the Kyoho era). Its brand is “Shiogama Abekan (塩竈 阿部勘)”. It is a different brewery from Abe Shuzo in Niigata Prefecture.
Abekan Shuzo has not published whether it accepts brewery tours. Its sake is sold through stockists across Japan (checked on October 27, 2026).
A brewery that began at the gates of a shrine
Shiogama is a port town between Sendai and Matsushima (松島), and has prospered as the shrine town (門前町) of Shiogama Shrine (鹽竈神社). The town and the shrine are also covered in our article on Saura (Urakasumi), also in Shiogama.
Abekan Shuzo has long kept its shop at the foot of Shiogama Shrine. It is said that in 1716, in the Edo period, on the orders of the Sendai Domain (伊達家, the ruling family of the Sendai Domain), it took over the right to brew sake (酒造株), and began making sake as a sake shop producing sake offered at the shrines (御神酒). Today it still makes the sacred sake for Shiogama Shrine and Shiwahiko Shrine (志波彦神社), and when each year’s sake making is finished, it presents the new-season sake to the shrines.
In 1994 (Heisei 6), part of the brewery became land for road-widening work, and the present brewery (factory) was newly built. The representative, 阿部昌弘, is the 15th generation.
Sake that stays close to freshness
What the brewery aims for is sake in which you taste the umami of the rice, yet the finish is crisp, and which you naturally keep drinking along with a meal. Shiogama’s sushi values tasting fresh fish as close to its natural state as possible. The brewery aims for sake that brings out that freshness without asserting itself too much.
The rice it uses is mainly from Miyagi Prefecture. The brewery brews only small amounts. All the sake it makes is sold under its own brands.
There are four regular “Shiogama Abekan” sakes, and all their names contain the character “潮 (shio)”.
- Suicho (翠潮) — The starting point of Shiogama Abekan, a sake for drinking with meals. It has a gentle aroma and umami, and the aftertaste finishes cleanly
- Gencho (玄潮) — A sake with a sense of clarity and a delicate, refined aroma
- Tocho (橙潮) — Made with the sake rice “Kamenoo (亀の尾)”. It has a soft mouthfeel and a mellow lingering finish
- Ogonshio (黄金潮) — A sake that brings together the brewery’s skills, with a bright aroma
There are also seasonal sakes for spring, summer and autumn; the spring sake is a lightly cloudy “usu-nigori”. The rice used and the rice polishing ratio differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
There are also brands sold only locally, such as “Shiki no Matsushima (四季の松島)”, themed on neighbouring Matsushima.
Visiting the brewery
Whether the brewery accepts tours has not been published
Abekan Shuzo has not published whether it accepts brewery tours (checked on October 27, 2026). The brewery’s official website also has no information about sales at the brewery. Please look for its sake at the stockists below.
Address: 〒985-0057 宮城県塩竈市西町3-9
For how to get to Shiogama Shrine and the port of Shiogama, please see “Getting there” in our article on Saura (Urakasumi).
Where to buy Abekan Shuzo’s sake
The brewery publishes 79 stockists across Japan on the brewery’s stockist map (Google Maps), linked from its official website. 26 of the stores are in Miyagi Prefecture and 35 in the Kanto region (checked on October 27, 2026). We have picked stores that are easy to drop in on during a trip.
| Area | Store | Address | Store website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sendai | 仙台三越 | 宮城県仙台市青葉区 | https://www.mistore.jp/store/sendai.html |
| Sendai | 酒屋はくさん 仙台中央店 | 宮城県仙台市青葉区（仙台駅から歩いて約6分） | https://hakusann.com/shop/ |
| Tokyo Station | はせがわ酒店 グランスタ東京店 | 東京都千代田区（JR東京駅の改札の中） | https://www.hasegawasaketen.com/shop.html |
| Tokyo (Ginza) | IMADEYA GINZA | 東京都中央区（GINZA SIX 地下2階） | https://imadeya.co.jp/ |
In Shiogama, where the brewery is, 相原酒店, 佐々留商店, 大山酒店 and others are on the list. Stores in Matsushima and inside Sendai Station are also listed. The map shows only store names and locations, so please check addresses and opening hours with each store.
はせがわ酒店 グランスタ東京店 is inside the ticket gates of Tokyo Station. If you visit without taking a train, you need a platform ticket.
Before you buy
- The brands and stock each store carries differ. Please check with the store before visiting. Sake sold only locally, such as “Shiki no Matsushima”, may not be available at stores outside Miyagi Prefecture.
- 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
Other breweries in Miyagi Prefecture are gathered on our Miyagi Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 阿部勘酒造株式会社 (Abekan Shuzo) |
| Founded | 1716 (the 1st year of the Kyoho era) |
| Representative | 阿部昌弘 (15th generation) |
| Address | 〒985-0057 宮城県塩竈市西町3-9 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 022-362-0251 (fax 022-362-9668) |
| Main brand | Shiogama Abekan (塩竈 阿部勘) |
| Official website | https://www.abekan.com/ |
| Brewery tours | Whether they are accepted has not been published (checked on October 27, 2026) |
| Brewery shop | No information on the official website (sold at stockists across Japan) |
| List of stockists | Published (Google Maps; 79 stores; checked on October 27, 2026) |
| English support | No English official page |