Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to buy Noto sake at a local liquor store while traveling around Kanazawa or Noto (the brewery does not offer brewery tours or sell at the brewery)
- People looking for sake to drink with everyday food such as pork dishes, okonomiyaki or Chinese food
- People who would like to try warmed sake
About Mioya Shuzo
Mioya Shuzo (御祖酒造) is a brewery in Hakui (羽咋市), Ishikawa Prefecture. It was founded in 1897 (Meiji 30). It has two brands: “Yuho (遊穂)”, which it started when the current toji arrived, and “Homare (ほまれ)”, which has long been drunk locally.
Mioya Shuzo does not offer brewery tours, tastings or sales at the brewery. This is because the brewery is run by a small team (checked on October 27, 2026). “Yuho” can be bought at the stockists the brewery publishes.
A president from Tokyo, and a toji who honed his skills in Noto
Hakui is a town at the base of the Noto Peninsula, which juts out into the Sea of Japan.
In 2003, 藤田美穂, who had been working in Tokyo, became president in order to take over the brewery. In 2005, 横道俊昭 joined as toji (the person responsible for making the sake). 横道 fell for Noto’s sake, honed his skills at a brewery in the tradition of the “Noto toji (能登杜氏)”, the Noto guild of master brewers, and then served as toji at a brewery in Osaka.
When the toji changed, the two of them decided to make a new brand, “Yuho”, exactly the way they wanted. At the same time, they decided to carry on the flavor of “Homare”, which local people had drunk every night with dinner.
The name “Yuho” carries the wish that the makers brew with playfulness, the rice grows freely, and the drinkers’ conversation flows. Hakui being known as “the UFO town” was also part of the inspiration for the name.
Sake that keeps company with food
What the two of them took as the starting point for “Yuho” was the food they themselves liked: pork dishes, flour-based dishes such as okonomiyaki, and Chinese food. They aimed for a sake that could be drunk casually with one’s favorite food while relaxing after work.
For that reason, the brewery aims for sake that does not steal the spotlight from the food. It should have umami, balanced with its acidity. Even a fragrant ginjo-shu should have a modest aroma that does not get in the way of the food. Rather than suppressing flavors that are considered flaws in sake, the brewery balances the whole, giving the flavor breadth and depth.
“Yuho” junmai-shu is pasteurized (hiire, heat sterilization) and then aged in the bottle at room temperature in a dark room. The brewery wants to age its pasteurized sake for a year or more and deliver it with a settled, mellow flavor. The flavor is rich yet the finish is light, and when served as kan (燗, warming sake), its umami swells even more.
The water used for brewing is groundwater from Sekidozan (石動山), a mountain in Noto.
Main types of “Yuho”
These are the main sakes released throughout the year (checked on October 27, 2026).
- Yuho Junmai-shu — a “junmai-shu” made only from rice, rice koji and water
- Yuho Yama-oroshi Junmai-shu — a junmai-shu whose shubo (酒母, the starter for fermentation) is made using the traditional task called “yama-oroshi (山卸し)” (→ Yamahai)
- Yuho Junmai Ginjo — 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. There are products that use the sake rice “Yamada Nishiki” and “Miyama Nishiki”, among others
- Nama-genshu (生原酒) — there are also junmai-shu and junmai ginjo that are neither pasteurized nor diluted with water
In addition, limited sakes are released for each season: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Some products are sold only in Ishikawa Prefecture. The ingredients and brewing differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
The other brand, “Homare”, is a sake that has been drunk by local people working in the fields. It is sweet and can be drunk either chilled or warmed.
Visiting the brewery
The brewery does not offer tours or sales at the brewery
Mioya Shuzo does not offer brewery tours, tastings or sales at the brewery (checked on October 27, 2026). This is because the brewery is run by a small team. “Yuho” is not sold at the brewery.
Please buy the sake at the stores listed below under “Where to buy Mioya Shuzo’s sake”. Inquiries are accepted by email (mioya@sky.plala.or.jp) or through the form on the brewery’s official website.
Where to buy Mioya Shuzo’s sake
The brewery lists its stockists in Ishikawa Prefecture on its official website’s stockist page (checked on October 27, 2026; 15 stores). From the list, we have picked stores that are easy to stop by during a trip.
| Area | Store | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hakui | 酒専門店 玉木（Tamaki） | 石川県羽咋市中央町 | 0767-22-0324 |
| Kanazawa | かなまる酒店（Kanamaru Saketen） | 石川県金沢市本町 | 076-231-4802 |
| Kanazawa | カガヤ酒店（Kagaya Saketen） | 石川県金沢市彦三町 | 076-261-1756 |
| Kanazawa | 酒前線 きたなか（Sakezensen Kitanaka） | 石川県金沢市片町 | 076-222-6330 |
| Nanao | 細江酒店（Hosoe Saketen） | 石川県七尾市矢田新町 | 0767-52-1332 |
The list also includes stores in Kanazawa, Hakusan, Komatsu, Kaga, 志賀町, 中能登町 and Suzu. The list does not give the stores’ websites, so please check by phone before visiting.
For stores outside Ishikawa Prefecture, please ask the brewery.
Before you buy
- The list does not show when it was last updated. What each store carries and its stock differ, and seasonal sakes and products sold only in Ishikawa may not come in.
- 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 Ishikawa Prefecture are gathered on our Ishikawa Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 御祖酒造株式会社 (Mioya Shuzo) |
| Founded | 1897 (Meiji 30) |
| Representative | 藤田美穂 |
| Toji | 横道俊昭 |
| Address | 石川県羽咋市大町イ8 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0767-26-2320 (fax 0767-26-2339) |
| Main brands | Yuho (遊穂), Homare (ほまれ) |
| Official website | http://mioya-sake.com/ |
| Brewery tours | Not offered (checked on October 27, 2026) |
| Direct sales | Not offered (no tasting sales either) |
| List of stockists | Published (stores in Ishikawa; checked on October 27, 2026) |
| English support | The official website is written in both Japanese and English |