Who will enjoy this brewery
- People staying in Saga or Fukuoka who want to book and visit a sake brewery on a weekday (tours are free and require booking; tastings are paid)
- People who want to see sake brewery buildings that were built between the Meiji and Showa eras and are still in use
- People who want to try sake made only from rice, rice koji and water together with a meal
- People traveling in Saga from late May to early June who want to see fireflies at night
About Tenzan Sake Brewery
Tenzan Sake Brewery (天山酒造) is a sake brewery in Ogi (小城市), Saga Prefecture. Its main brands are “Tenzan (天山)”, the same name as the brewery, and “Shichida (七田)”, started in 2001. There is also a brand called “Iwanokura (岩の蔵)”, which is distributed only within Kyushu.
Shichida is the family name of the family that runs this brewery. In 1861, the Shichida family started a flour milling and noodle making business using a waterwheel on this site, and in 1875 the couple 七田利三 and ツキ bought a nearby sake brewery and began making sake. In 2025, it marked 150 years since it began making sake.
Brewery tours are available on weekdays if you book. However, you are not shown the production areas where sake is being made (checked on September 30, 2026).
The water of Mt. Tenzan, and the rice of Saga
Mt. Tenzan (天山) is a mountain in the central part of Saga Prefecture. The Gion River (祇園川), which flows in front of the brewery, gathers the water of Mt. Tenzan and the surrounding mountains. For brewing water, the brewery uses underground water that springs from partway up Mt. Tenzan. It is moderately hard water that contains many minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and no iron.
The Gion River is known as a river where Genji fireflies can be seen. Fireflies fly at night from late May to early June in a typical year, and the area near Tenzan Sake Brewery is one of the places to see them.
About 80% of the rice used comes from Saga Prefecture. The main varieties are the sake rice (rice suited to making sake) “Yamada Nishiki (山田錦)” and “Saga no Hana (さがの華)”. In 2005, the brewery formed the “Tenzan Sake Rice Cultivation Study Group” (天山酒米栽培研究会) with farmers in Saga Prefecture, and has them grow Yamada Nishiki under contract. The study group holds study sessions several times a year.
Among the brewery’s buildings, the “Meiji-gura”, “Taisho-gura” and “Showa-gura” storehouses, as well as the iron waterwheel used to power rice polishing and its water channel, are national Registered Tangible Cultural Properties. The Meiji-gura, the Taisho-gura, and the waterwheel and channel were registered in 2003. The waterwheel was turned by water drawn from the Gion River and drove the rice polishing machine.
The sake called Shichida
“Shichida” is a brand launched in 2001 by 七田謙介, the sixth-generation brewery owner. It is a brand sold only at authorized retailers (tokuyakuten: liquor stores that deal directly with the brewery) approved by the brewery. All Shichida sake is junmai, made only from rice, rice koji and water. There is also a shochu bearing the Shichida name.
The basis of Shichida’s brewing is not adding water after pressing, and not filtering with activated charcoal. On top of that, the sake is pasteurized (heated to kill microbes) once, and stored in the bottle at a low temperature. There are also products brewed differently, such as unpasteurized “muroka nama” (unfiltered, unpasteurized) products.
Here are two products.
- Shichida Junmai — A “junmai-shu”, made only from rice, rice koji and water. The rice used is Yamada Nishiki and Reiho (レイホウ), and it is Shichida’s standard product. You can drink it chilled or warmed
- Shichida Junmai Ginjo Eriyama Tanada-mai (江里山 棚田米) — 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. It uses only Yamada Nishiki grown even further up beyond the terraced rice fields of Eriyama (江里山), the brewery’s local area
The ingredients and brewing methods differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
Since 1995, the brewery has gradually moved from seasonal craftspeople who came to work each season to a system in which its own employees make the sake. The current toji (the person responsible for sake making) is 後藤潤. He contributed the following words to the brewery’s website (from “Sakezukuri no Kankyo” (The environment of our sake making) on Tenzan Sake Brewery’s official website).
Each batch of moromi has its own character, and the same is true of the people who make it. I will keep making sake that brings out each character, including my own.
もろみも一本一本個性があり、造る人においても同じです。自分自身も含め個性を生かす酒造りを続けていきます。
Moromi is the fermenting base of sake in the tank.
Visiting the brewery
Tenzan Sake Brewery accepts brewery tours by booking (checked on September 30, 2026). What you can see is the part of the brewery that has been renovated and opened to visitors. You are not shown the production areas. The tour goes in this order: explanation, tour, tasting, and the brewery shop (直販ストア), taking about 40 minutes in total.
| Brewery tour (checked on September 30, 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Days | Monday to Friday (only on the brewery’s business days). Tours are not accepted in December |
| Time slots | Morning 9:30–11:30 / afternoon 14:00–16:00 |
| Duration | About 40 minutes (including the tasting) |
| Price | The tour is free. Tastings are paid (the price is not published) |
| Group size | 1 to 20 people. Tours are not private; you tour together with other groups. In some cases no guide is assigned and you look around on your own |
| Booking | Through the booking form on the official website. Bookings open on the same date one month before the tour, and you must apply by one week before the tour. Bookings cannot be made by phone. Your booking is confirmed when you receive a reply from the brewery |
| Language | The official website has tour information pages in English and Chinese. Whether guided tours in English are available is not published |
| Notes | Applications from travel agencies are not accepted. You cannot bring food or drink, and there is no restaurant. Pets are not allowed |
Take care if you go by car. The parking lot has space for 3 cars and must be booked. There is nowhere to park around the brewery, and visitors arriving by car without a parking booking are turned away. If you are tasting sake, please do not drive.
You can book a tour on the tour information page. For the brewery’s business days, see the annual calendar of closing days on the company information page of the official website. In 2026, Sundays, public holidays and most Saturdays are closing days. There are also weekday closing days, such as August 13 and 14, and some Saturdays and Sundays when the brewery is open.
Getting there
Address: 〒845-0003 佐賀県小城市小城町岩蔵1520
- Train: About 15–20 minutes on the JR Karatsu Line from Saga Station to Ogi Station. From Ogi Station, it is about 8 minutes by car (3.6 kilometers)
- By car: About 5 minutes from the Ogi Smart Interchange
Travel times are estimates (checked on September 30, 2026). Please check train times with JR Kyushu. It is safest to check the last trains for both the outward and return journeys.
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Tenzan Sake Brewery’s sake
Where you can buy Tenzan Sake Brewery’s sake depends on the brand.
- Shichida is a brand sold only at authorized retailers approved by the brewery
- Iwanokura is a brand distributed only within Kyushu
- Tenzan is also sold at the stores on the brewery’s list of stockists
The brewery has a brewery shop. The brewery’s business hours are 9:00–16:00, with a lunch break from 12:00 to 13:00. Closing days follow the annual calendar mentioned above. Tours are not accepted in December, but you can still shop at the brewery shop (checked on September 30, 2026).
The brewery also has an official online store. Please check the store’s information for conditions such as delivery addresses.
Stockists
The brewery publishes its list of stockists on its official website. The list includes more than 200 stores across Japan, together with the brands they carry (Tenzan, Shichida, Iwanokura). We have chosen stores that are easy to drop in at during a trip (checked on September 30, 2026).
| Area | Store | Address | Brands carried |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogi | 池田商店 | 佐賀県小城市小城町502-1 Open in Google Maps | 天山 (Tenzan), 岩の蔵 (Iwanokura), 七田 (Shichida) |
| Saga city | 佐賀玉屋 | 佐賀県佐賀市中の小路2-5 Open in Google Maps | 天山 (Tenzan), 岩の蔵 (Iwanokura), 七田 (Shichida) |
| Hakata Station | 住吉酒販 博多駅店 | 福岡県福岡市博多区博多駅中央街1-1 博多デイトス1階 Open in Google Maps | 天山 (Tenzan), 岩の蔵 (Iwanokura), 七田 (Shichida) |
| Fukuoka, Tenjin | 岩田屋本店 和洋酒売り場 | 福岡県福岡市中央区天神2-5-35 Open in Google Maps | 天山 (Tenzan), 七田 (Shichida), 岩の蔵 (Iwanokura) |
| Tokyo Station | リカーズ ハセガワ 北口店 | 東京都中央区八重洲2-1 八重洲地下街 Open in Google Maps | 七田 (Shichida) |
| Nihonbashi | 日本橋高島屋 | 東京都中央区日本橋2-4-1 Open in Google Maps | 七田 (Shichida) |
| Shinjuku | 伊勢丹 新宿店 | 東京都新宿区新宿3-14-1 地下1階 Open in Google Maps | 七田 (Shichida) |
| Osaka | 折口酒店 | 大阪府大阪市浪速区恵美須東2-10-14 Open in Google Maps | 天山 (Tenzan), 七田 (Shichida) |
| Kyoto Station | ジェイアール京都伊勢丹 | 京都府京都市下京区烏丸通塩小路下る東塩小路町 | 天山 (Tenzan), 七田 (Shichida) |
Please check the list for other stores. The list also includes each store’s phone number.
Before you buy
- Whether a store carries the sake, and its stock, differ from store to store. Limited and seasonal products may not arrive at a store, so please check with the store before visiting.
- 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
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Company | 天山酒造株式会社 (Tenzan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.) |
| Founded | 1875 (the 8th year of the Meiji era) |
| Representative | Representative Director 七田謙介 (sixth-generation brewery owner) |
| Address | 〒845-0003 佐賀県小城市小城町岩蔵1520 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0952-73-3141 (hours 9:00–12:00, 13:00–15:00. Tour bookings are not accepted by phone) |
| Main brands | Shichida (七田) / Tenzan (天山) / Iwanokura (岩の蔵) |
| Brewing water | Underground water from Mt. Tenzan |
| Official website | https://tenzan.co.jp/ |
| Brewery tours | Available (weekdays; booking required; free. Tastings are paid. The production areas cannot be toured. Not available in December) |
| Brewery shop | Yes (brewery business hours 9:00–16:00, lunch break 12:00–13:00) and the official online store |
| English support | There is a tour information page in English. Whether guided tours in English are available is not published |