Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to buy karakuchi (dry) sake from Kochi at a liquor store in Kochi City (there is no information about brewery tours or sales at the brewery)
- People who want to compare sakes by the sake rice used, such as Yamada Nishiki, Omachi and Matsuyama Mii
- People looking for sake to drink with seafood
About Minami Shuzojo
Minami Shuzojo (南酒造場) is a brewery in Yasuda (安芸郡安田町), Kochi Prefecture, that makes the brands “Minami (南)” and “Tamanoi (玉の井)”. It was founded in 1869 (Meiji 2).
The long-standing brand is “Tamanoi”. In 1998 (Heisei 10), the previous head of the family released a new brand, “Minami”, the first to carry the family’s name. “Minami” has come to be handled by liquor stores and restaurants across Japan.
Minami Shuzojo’s official website has no information about brewery tours or sales at the brewery (checked on October 27, 2026).
Between the Pacific Ocean and the forests of Yanase
Yasuda is a town about an hour’s drive east of Kochi City, roughly 50 km away. To the south lies the Pacific Ocean, and to the north mountains stretch out. Running north to south through the town is the Yasuda River (安田川), a clear stream where wild ayu (sweetfish) swim. Minami Shuzojo stands at the entrance to the town of Yasuda.
Yasuda has long been a town where sake making thrives. The town’s breweries have all used the water of the Yasuda River as their brewing water. The water of the Yasuda River wells up from the deep forests of Yanase (魚梁瀬), far to the north, and flows down over a long time. Minami Shuzojo calls this soft water, rich in minerals, “the life of Minami’s sake”.
The name of the old brand, “Tamanoi”, comes from the brewery’s well. It was given because the well produced water as clear as a white jewel (tama), which never ran dry however much was drawn from it.
Karakuchi, yet rich
Both Minami and Tamanoi make all of their rice koji by a method called “hako koji (箱麹)”.
This is how the brewery describes the sake Minami Shuzojo aims for (from Minami Shuzojo’s official website).
“Ah, delicious — one more cup. Sake that makes you say so out loud.” (「あゝ旨い、もう一杯。思わず声が出るような酒を。」)
The taste is karakuchi (dry), yet rich in aroma and umami. Minami’s sake goes down smoothly and never tires the palate. “Karakuchi” in sake does not mean salty or spicy; it means that the sweetness is restrained.
The sake called Minami
Minami has a line-up of products named after the sake rice they use (checked on October 27, 2026).
- Minami Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki — A “junmai daiginjo” made with Yamada Nishiki. It is made only from rice, rice koji and water, with more than half of the outer part of the rice polished away. It has a bright aroma and a refined, delicate umami. A limited-quantity product
- Minami Junmai Ginjo (Omachi, Yamada Nishiki, Matsuyama Mii and others) — 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 named after the sake rice “Omachi” and “Matsuyama Mii (松山三井)”
- Minami Tokubetsu Junmai Matsuyama Mii 別誂 — 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. It has an aroma reminiscent of citrus, the umami of rice and a crisp acidity, and goes well with seafood
- Minami Junmai Ginjo Usu-nigori — A sparkling sake, fermented again in the bottle to create bubbles. “Usu-nigori” is a name meaning a lightly cloudy sake. After a champagne-like bubbly mouthfeel and the sweetness of rice, it leaves a crisp karakuchi finish and a clean aftertaste
- Tamanoi Tokubetsu Honjozo — A “tokubetsu honjozo”: 40% or more of the outer part of the rice is polished away, and a small amount of brewer’s alcohol is added
There are also seasonal products such as the autumn “hiyaoroshi (sake matured over the summer and released in autumn)”. The rice used and the rice polishing ratio differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
Visiting the brewery
No information about brewery tours or sales at the brewery
Minami Shuzojo’s official website has no information about brewery tours or sales at the brewery (checked on October 27, 2026). The brewery’s (company’s) business hours are 9:00–17:00, and it is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays.
Getting there
Address: 〒781-6421 高知県安芸郡安田町安田1875
- By train: Yasuda has Yasuda Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway Gomen-Nahari Line. Please check the timetable on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway official website. It is reassuring to check the last trains for both the outward and return journeys
- By car: About 1 hour east of Kochi City
Travel times are estimates (checked on October 27, 2026).
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Minami Shuzojo’s sake
Minami Shuzojo does not publish a list of stockists. Its official website also has no information about an online shop (checked on October 27, 2026). In Kochi City, Minami products appear on the website of the following store. We have not confirmed whether it is an authorized retailer (tokuyakuten) of the brewery.
| Area | Store | Address | Store website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kochi City | 安岡酒店BLUES | 高知県高知市九反田 | https://www.yasuoka-sake.com/ |
For stockists in other areas, please contact Minami Shuzojo by phone (0887-38-6811; weekdays 9:00–17:00) or through the contact form on its official website.
Before you buy
- What each store carries and its stock differ from store to store. Limited-quantity and seasonal products may not come in, so please check with the store before visiting.
- Products labelled “namazake (生酒, unpasteurized sake)” must be kept in a refrigerator.
- 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 Kochi Prefecture are gathered on our Kochi Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 有限会社南酒造場 (Minami Shuzojo) |
| Founded | 1869 (Meiji 2) |
| Address | 〒781-6421 高知県安芸郡安田町安田1875 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0887-38-6811 (fax 0887-38-6812). Weekdays 9:00–17:00 |
| Main brands | Minami (南), Tamanoi (玉の井) |
| Official website | https://www.minamishuzoujo.com/ |
| Brewery tours | No information on the official website (checked on October 27, 2026) |
| Sales at the brewery | No information on the official website |
| List of stockists | Not published (checked on October 27, 2026) |
| English support | No English official page |