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山形県

Yamagata

The Shonai Plain seen from high ground in Tsuruoka. Pine trees fill the foreground, fields and towns spread out beyond, and snow-covered Mount Chokai and other peaks rise in the distance
The Shonai Plain and Mount Chokai seen from Tsuruoka City. In April, snow still remains on the mountain.purivve ／ CC BY-SA 3.0 ／ Wikimedia Commons（resized to 1280 px on the long side）

Sake in Yamagata

Yamagata Prefecture lies on the Sea of Japan side of the Tohoku region. The Yamagata Sake Brewers Association's sake brewery map lists 48 breweries in the prefecture (as of September 2026). In December 2016, “Yamagata” was designated under the geographical indication (GI) system, which protects the names of sake-producing regions. It was the first designation of sake with an entire prefecture as its production area. Its condition is “a soft, clear quality.”

Snow and water are what support this taste. The heavy snow that piles up on the mountains in winter brings good-quality groundwater to mountain ranges such as Mount Chokai, Mount Gassan and the Asahi Mountains. This water is soft water, low in iron, and its quality differs from one mountain range to another. The harsh winter cold keeps unwanted bacteria from multiplying, which suits sake brewing that ferments slowly over a long time at low temperatures.

As for rice, Yamagata Prefecture developed “Dewa Sansan,” a rice variety suited to sake brewing (shuzo kotekimai), and “Yuki Megami” followed in 2015. Centered on the Yamagata Research Institute of Technology, a prefectural research institution, the yeast (the microorganism that carries out fermentation) “Yamagata yeast” has been found. In 1987, breweries in the prefecture and staff of the institute formed the “Yamagata Prefecture Kenjokai” (a study group for brewing), and they have been learning techniques from one another ever since.

Brewery map

Sakata: 7 breweriesTsuruoka: 7 breweriesYonezawa: 4 breweriesKawanishi: 3 breweriesYamagata: 3 breweriesSagae: 3 breweriesTakahata: 3 breweriesNagai: 3 breweriesKahoku: 2 breweriesShiyonai: 2 breweriesYuza: 2 breweriesTendo: 2 breweriesNanyo: 1 breweriesShirataka: 1 breweriesOkura: 1 breweriesOguni: 1 breweriesNishikawa: 1 breweriesAsahi: 1 breweriesMurayama: 1 breweriesHigashine: 1 breweriesIide: 1 breweriesSakataYonezawaKawanishiYamagataTakahataNagai1. 高木酒造12. 冨士酒造23. 亀の井酒造34. 出羽桜酒造4

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

  1. Takagi Shuzo 高木酒造Murayama
  2. Fuji Shuzo 冨士酒造Tsuruoka
  3. Kamenoi Shuzo 亀の井酒造Tsuruoka
  4. Dewazakura Shuzo 出羽桜酒造Tendo

The 50 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

  • Fuji Shuzo 冨士酒造Eikofuji 栄光冨士TsuruokaRead the article
  • Takagi Shuzo 高木酒造十四代MurayamaRead the article
  • Kamenoi Shuzo 亀の井酒造Kudokijozu くどき上手TsuruokaRead the article
  • Dewazakura Shuzo 出羽桜酒造Dewazakura 出羽桜Tendo