Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to stop by a brewery-owned store where they can taste sake, on a trip through Azumino or Matsumoto
- People who would like to be shown around the brewery’s facilities by contacting it by the day before (only when a member of staff is available to guide)
- People who would rather try sake to drink with everyday meals than expensive sake
About Daisekkei Shuzo
Daisekkei Shuzo (大雪渓酒造) is a brewery in Ikeda (北安曇郡池田町), Nagano Prefecture. It was founded in 1898 (Meiji 31). The president and representative director is Usui Erika (薄井惠梨カ), and the toji (master brewer), the person responsible for making the sake, is Nagase Mamoru (長瀬護) of the “Otari toji (小谷杜氏)”, a school of toji from Nagano Prefecture.
In its early days the company was called “池田醸造合資会社” (the company’s original name), and it put out the brands “Kikyo Masamune (桔梗正宗)” and “Seiko Zakura (晴光桜)”. In 1949 (Showa 24), after World War II, it changed its brand to “Daisekkei (大雪渓)”.
On the brewery grounds is a brewery-owned store, “Kamon Daisekkei (花紋大雪渓)”, in the main house (omoya, the house where the family lived) of the brewery owner, built more than 150 years ago. The brewery accepts tours only if you contact it by the day before and a member of staff who can guide you is available (checked on October 29, 2026).
Sake named after the snowy gorge of Shirouma-dake
Ikeda is a town in the west of Nagano Prefecture, at the foot of the Northern Alps, and borders Azumino City to the north. The brand name “Daisekkei” comes from the large snowy gorge (sekkei, a gully where snow remains into summer) on Shirouma-dake (白馬岳) in the Northern Alps. The labels of its standard sake, “Josen (上撰)” and “Kuradashi (蔵出し)”, use an aerial photograph of that snowy gorge.
The brewing water is underground water: snowmelt from the Northern Alps that has flowed underground. The rice is grown by contract farmers in Azumino and elsewhere in Nagano Prefecture, and is slowly polished at the rice-polishing facility inside the brewery.
“Delicious, just as I thought” — in everyday sake
Daisekkei Shuzo puts its effort into raising the quality not only of expensive sake but also of its reasonably priced standard sake. The brewery’s goal is to keep living up to the words it often hears from customers: “Delicious, just as I thought!” (「やっぱり旨い！」).
- “Josen” and “Kuradashi” — the brewery’s standard sake. They are made with the idea of being drunk at the everyday table together with the simple dishes of Nagano Prefecture
- “秋の純米吟醸” (an autumn junmai ginjo) — a “junmai ginjo” made using only Nagano Prefecture’s sake rice “Hitogokochi”, 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. It is aged through the summer before it is released. Its clean taste has a calm aroma and the umami that has developed over the summer. It is an autumn seasonal product
- “Junmai-shu 長野R酵母” (made with the Nagano R yeast) — a “junmai-shu” made with Nagano R yeast, a yeast developed in Nagano Prefecture that produces plenty of malic acid. It has a lively aroma and an acidity from malic acid, and its alcohol content is a lowish 13%. It is a limited-quantity product
- “Ginkan (吟燗)” — a junmai ginjo made with rice from Nagano Prefecture, meant to be drunk warm. Its aroma is not too strong, so the aroma doesn’t get in the way when it is warmed. The ways of drinking it that the brewery recommends are at room temperature and nurukan (gently warmed), and it is a sake to pair with richly flavored dishes made with soy sauce or miso. Ways of drinking sake warm are introduced in Kanzake and Reishu: Warm and Chilled Sake
The rice and the rice polishing ratio differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type. Seasonal and limited-quantity products are out of stock at some times of year.
Visiting the brewery
Brewery tours (contact by the day before)
Daisekkei Shuzo does not have a sightseeing tour route. It shows people around the brewery only when a member of staff who can guide them is available. Be sure to contact it by phone (0261-62-3125) by the day before (checked on October 29, 2026).
- From May to September the brewery is not making sake, so the tour shows only the facilities
- The facilities include the rice-polishing facility, the koji-muro (the room for making koji), the shubo room (yeast-starter room), the earthen-walled storehouse for storage, and the bottling equipment
- The fee, the length of the tour and the language of the guidance are not given on the official website. Please check them when you contact the brewery
If you are driving, please do not taste. In Japan, drunk driving is prohibited by law.
Brewery-owned store “Kamon Daisekkei”
In the summer of 2016, the brewery owner’s main house, built more than 150 years ago, was turned into a brewery-owned store. Daisekkei sake is lined up and you can taste it. There are also limited goods from the brewery, and while you shop you can also look at the inner tatami room and the upper floor (checked on October 29, 2026).
- Hours: 9:00–18:00
- Closed: Open on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays too. Hours are shorter over the New Year holidays, so please check by phone at that time of year
- The store can also ship the sake you buy
Getting there
Address: 〒399-8602 長野県北安曇郡池田町会染9642-2
- By train: From JR Matsumoto Station, take the Oito Line about 35 minutes to Azumi-Oiwake Station and get off. Ikeda’s town-run bus also runs, though services are few. Alternatively, take the Shinonoi Line from Matsumoto Station about 15 minutes to Akashina Station, then a taxi for about 15 minutes. Please check train times on JR East’s official website. Services are few, so check the time of your return train in advance too
- By car: About 30 minutes from Matsumoto Castle, about 8 minutes from the Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino City, and about 45 minutes from Hakuba
Travel times are estimates (checked on October 29, 2026).
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Daisekkei Shuzo’s sake
- The brewery-owned store “Kamon Daisekkei” (Ikeda): As described under “Visiting the brewery” above
- Mail order on the official website: You can order from Daisekkei Shuzo’s official website. If you want it delivered to a hotel in Japan, please check with the hotel first about receiving it
- Liquor stores and restaurants: On its “Where to Buy and Drink Daisekkei” page (大雪渓が買える店・飲める店), the brewery introduces stores in Nagano Prefecture, Tokyo and elsewhere, by region (checked on October 29, 2026). Some of the listings are old, so please check with each store whether it is open and carries the sake. Stock changes depending on the store
Before you buy
- 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 Nagano Prefecture are gathered on our Nagano Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 大雪渓酒造株式会社 (Daisekkei Shuzo) |
| Founded | 1898 (Meiji 31) |
| Representative | President and Representative Director 薄井惠梨カ (Usui Erika) |
| Toji | 長瀬護 (Nagase Mamoru; Otari toji) |
| Address | 〒399-8602 長野県北安曇郡池田町会染9642-2 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0261-62-3125 (fax 0261-62-2150) |
| Main brand | Daisekkei (大雪渓) |
| Official website | https://www.jizake.co.jp/ |
| Brewery tours | Contact by the day before. Only when a member of staff who can guide you is available (facilities only from May to September) (checked on October 29, 2026) |
| Direct sales | Brewery-owned store “Kamon Daisekkei” (9:00–18:00, open on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays), mail order on the official website |
| List of stockists | The brewery has a “Where to Buy and Drink Daisekkei” page |
| English support | The official website has English pages |