福岡県

Fukuoka

The Tsuzura rice terraces in Ukiha. Against mist-covered mountains of cedar forest, green terraced paddies planted with young rice rise tier upon tier up the slopes, with narrow roads winding between them — The Tsuzura rice terraces in Ukiha City. In early summer, freshly planted paddies rise tier upon tier on the mountain slopes.うきは市／ CC BY 4.0 ／ Wikimedia Commons（resized to 1280 px on the long side）

Sake in Fukuoka

Fukuoka Prefecture lies in the north of Kyushu. It faces the Genkai Sea, the Hibiki Sea and the Suo Sea to the north, and the Ariake Sea to the southwest. The Fukuoka Sake Brewers Association has 61 members, including some that make shochu and other drinks besides sake (as of April 2026). In the one year from July 2024 to June 2025, sake was made at 30 places in the prefecture. In October 2025, “Fukuoka” was designated under the geographical indication (GI) system, which protects the names of sake-producing regions. Its condition is a rich aroma, plenty of umami and a clean finish. It does not get in the way of Fukuoka's sweet-savory, umami-rich food, and together with the food it makes a well-balanced taste.

Water and dry winter air are what support this taste. Rivers such as the Chikugo, Kyushu's largest river, the Yabe and the Onga flow through the prefecture. The water flowing down from the mountains is soft water containing a small amount of minerals, or slightly soft water. Winters are cold but bring little snow, and the air is dry. In the dry air, koji mold can easily reach the center of the rice, producing a strong koji (steamed rice on which koji mold has been grown) that breaks down the rice well.

Sake brewing in Fukuoka has a long history. In 1690 there were 613 sake breweries in Chikuzen (now part of Fukuoka Prefecture). Around 1804 to 1829, the groups of toji (master brewers) known as the “Mizuma toji” and the “Keya toji” emerged. In 1889, the sake brewer Sakugoro Kobayashi founded the Fukuoka Sake Brewers Association and became its first chairman. Kobayashi found that yeast (the microorganism that carries out fermentation) grows poorly in soft water, and he developed a way of brewing in which koji is carefully grown to break down the rice well and the mash is fermented slowly at low temperatures. This method spread across the prefecture, and for about 60 years, from the 1890s to the 1950s, Fukuoka's sake production was second only to Hyogo Prefecture's.

Brewery map

Breweries by municipality (dot size shows the number of breweries)Featured breweries

Shiraito Shuzo 白糸酒造Itoshima
Yamaguchi Shuzojo 山口酒造場Kurume

The 57 breweries on our list are grouped by the municipality where they are located. Each dot marks a representative point of the municipality, not the brewery itself (featured breweries are shown at their actual locations). Locations are based on the address search of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.

Featured breweries

Shiraito Shuzo 白糸酒造Tanaka Rokujugo 田中六五 / Shiraito 白糸ItoshimaRead the article
Yamaguchi Shuzojo 山口酒造場Niwanoguisu 庭のうぐいすKurumeRead the article