Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to stop at a brewery shop in Joyo (城陽市), between Kyoto and Nara, and buy local sake (there are no brewery tours)
- People who want to try sake from a small brewery that does not filter its sake, and that pasteurizes it in the bottle and matures it refrigerated
- People who want to buy new-season sake freshly pressed at the brewery, from late autumn into winter
About Joyo Shuzo
Joyo Shuzo (城陽酒造) is a brewery in Nashima (奈島), in Joyo (城陽市), in the south of Kyoto Prefecture. A branch of the 島本 family, who ran a financial business in this area, had been making a little sake since around the Bunsei era (1818–1831) in the Edo period. In October 1895 the family set up “島本酒造部”, built the present brewery new, and made sake brewing the family business. In 1973 it became Joyo Shuzo Co., Ltd. The president and representative director is the fourth generation, 島本稔大.
Its brand is “Joyo (城陽)”, the same name as the city. There is also “Tokujiro (徳次郎)”, sold only through authorized retailers. It is a small brewery with about ten employees.
Joyo Shuzo does not offer brewery tours. The brewery has a brewery shop (checked on October 29, 2026).
Kizu River underground water, and a plum-growing district
Joyo is a town that spreads along the east bank of the Kizu River (木津川), between Kyoto City and Nara City. For its brewing water, Joyo Shuzo draws underground water (water that flows beneath the ground) of the Kizu River from 100 meters below the brewery. It is very soft water. The brewery does not use tap water; it uses this water for all its work.
In the Aodani (青谷) area of Joyo is “the Aodani plum grove (青谷梅林)”, long known as a plum-growing district. In 1991 Joyo Shuzo obtained a license to make liqueurs using ume, and began making umeshu (plum liqueur) using only “城州白”, a local plum variety harvested in the Aodani plum grove. The umeshu is aged for at least three years before release.
Brewing little by little, and not filtering
Joyo Shuzo makes all its sake from sake rice (rice suited to sake making) only. It uses “Yamada Nishiki” from Hyogo Prefecture, “Iwai (祝)” from Kyoto Prefecture, and “Gohyakumangoku”, and its Yamada Nishiki is grown for it under contract by farmers in Hyogo Prefecture.
Sake making takes place only in the cold season, from October to March. The kurabito (brewery workers), led by the toji (杜氏, the person in charge of sake making), make the sake almost entirely by hand, starting at around 3 a.m. every morning. Every batch is small, under one tonne, and the brewery takes care not to apply too much pressure when pressing.
None of its sake that carries a special designation (tokutei meisho: sake categories decided by how the rice is polished and the ingredients) is filtered. Sake that is heat-pasteurized is pasteurized in the bottle with hot water (bin-kan hiire) and stored refrigerated.
Joyo and Tokujiro sake
- Joyo Junmai-shu 65 (城陽 純米酒65) — A “junmai-shu”: made only from rice, rice koji and water
- Joyo Tokubetsu Junmai-shu 60 (Iwai) (城陽 特別純米酒60（祝）) — A “tokubetsu junmai-shu” using Kyoto’s sake rice “Iwai”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away
- Joyo Junmai Ginjo 55 (城陽 純米吟醸55) — Comes in two versions, Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku. 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
- Joyo Junmai Daiginjo 40 (城陽 純米大吟醸40) — A “junmai daiginjo”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with half or more of the outer part of the rice polished away. There are Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku versions
- Joyo たれくち酒 Muroka Nama Genshu (城陽 たれくち酒 無濾過生原酒) and Joyo Nigori-zake Genshu (城陽 にごり酒原酒) — New-season sake released every year from around November. The たれくち酒 is a “namazake (unpasteurized sake)” that has not been through hiire (heat pasteurization). The Nigori-zake Genshu is a white, cloudy “nigori (cloudy sake)”
- Tokujiro (徳次郎) — A brand made mainly with Gohyakumangoku grown in Kyoto Prefecture, sold only through authorized retailers. Joyo Shuzo does not sell Tokujiro at the brewery
The rice and the rice polishing ratio differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
Visiting the brewery
No brewery tours, but you can stop at the brewery shop
Joyo Shuzo does not offer brewery tours (checked on October 29, 2026).
The brewery has a brewery shop (checked on October 29, 2026).
- Opening hours: 9:00–17:00
- Open: Monday to Saturday. Closed on Sundays and public holidays. In December it is also open on Sundays and public holidays (closed December 31)
- Holidays: It is closed over the New Year holidays (from December 31 to early January) and during the Obon period in mid-August. Please check the dates in the news section of the official website
Getting there
The nearest station is Yamashiro-Aodani Station (山城青谷駅) on the JR Nara Line. The brewery is about 2 minutes on foot from the station. The brewery’s address is “京都府城陽市奈島久保野34-1”.
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Joyo Shuzo’s sake
“Joyo” is sold at the brewery shop and through the online store on the official website. “Tokujiro” is not sold at the brewery shop; it is sold only at authorized retailers around Japan.
Joyo
- The brewery shop (Joyo): As described in “Visiting the brewery” above
- Official online store: You can order from “the online store” on Joyo Shuzo’s official website
Stockists of Tokujiro
The brewery publishes a list of stockists for “Tokujiro” and its umeshu “青谷の梅” (the brewery’s umeshu) (56 shops around Japan; checked on October 29, 2026). Here are some of the shops in Kyoto and Tokyo that are easy for travelers to visit.
| Area | Shop | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto | 酒のやまもと 京都店 | 京都市左京区 |
| Kyoto | 京極屋酒店 | 京都市伏見区 |
| Tokyo | はせがわ酒店 東京駅グランスタ店 | 東京都千代田区 (inside JR Tokyo Station) |
| Tokyo | 地酒専門店 鈴傳 | 東京都新宿区 (Yotsuya) |
For other shops, including those in Osaka, please see the list on the brewery’s “Limited-Distribution Products” page (限定流通商品). Some shops carry only Tokujiro, or only 青谷の梅. Stock varies from shop to shop, and seasonal products may not come in.
Before you buy
- New-season and seasonal products are limited in number and may sell out.
- 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 Kyoto Prefecture are gathered on our Kyoto Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 城陽酒造株式会社 (Joyo Shuzo) |
| Founded | October 1895 (the 28th year of the Meiji era) |
| Representative | 島本稔大, President and Representative Director |
| Address | 〒610-0116 京都府城陽市奈島久保野34-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0774-52-0003 (fax 0774-55-5552) |
| Main brands | Joyo (城陽), Tokujiro (徳次郎) |
| Official website | https://joyo-shuzo.co.jp/ |
| Brewery tours | Not offered (checked on October 29, 2026) |
| Brewery shop | The brewery shop (Monday to Saturday 9:00–17:00. Closed Sundays and public holidays. Also open on Sundays and public holidays in December) |
| List of stockists | A list for “Tokujiro” and “青谷の梅” is published (56 shops around Japan; checked on October 29, 2026) |
| English support | No English page found on the official website |