Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to look for sake from Yamagata Prefecture at restaurants and liquor stores during their trip
- People who are interested in sake with a full aroma and taste
- People who can enjoy drinking and searching for sake as part of their trip, rather than visiting the brewery (Takagi Shuzo does not accept brewery tours)
About Takagi Shuzo
Takagi Shuzo (高木酒造) is a brewery in the Tominami (富並) district of Murayama (村山市), Yamagata Prefecture. It was founded in 1615 (the first year of the Genna era). Its main brands are two: “Juyondai (十四代)” and “Asahitaka (朝日鷹)”.
Brewery tours are not available. The brewery does not offer tours, tastings or sales (checked on September 30, 2026).
No official website for Takagi Shuzo can be found (checked on September 30, 2026). The domain “juyondai.com” redirects to an overseas sake information website, and it is not the brewery’s official website.
Snowy Murayama and the water of Mount Hayama
Murayama is in the central part of Yamagata Prefecture.
Takagi Tatsugoro (髙木辰五郎), the fifteenth generation, talks about this land like this.
“Murayama is an area of heavy snow. The winters are harsh, but in return it is blessed with plenty of snowmelt water, and it is a truly wonderful area for making sake. Perhaps the ancestors of the Takagi family noticed how wonderful the water here was, and began making sake here.”
「村山は豪雪地帯。冬は厳しいが、その分豊富な雪解け水に恵まれており、酒をつくるには非常に素晴らしい地域。髙木家の先祖はこの地の水の素晴らしさに気づき、ここで酒づくりを始めたのかもしれない」 — Takagi Tatsugoro (fifteenth generation and toji of Takagi Shuzo), NIHONMONO (published December 25, 2023)
Takagi Shuzo uses “Sakurashimizu (桜清水)”, natural water from Mount Hayama (葉山) in the Ou Mountains, for its brewing.
Juyondai: “full-bodied and umakuchi”
The basis of Takagi Shuzo’s sake is “a full-bodied, umakuchi sake with a clean finish”. The phrase is used to mean a sake with a rich aroma and taste, and an aftertaste that ends cleanly. Of these words, “umakuchi” is used to mean a taste in which you can feel the savory taste (umami) and fullness of the rice.
The Juyondai brand includes several products, and the rice used is not necessarily the same from product to product. Please check the label to see which rice a sake is made from.
The brewery’s company motto is the following phrase (from NIHONMONO, published December 25, 2023).
“Listen to what has no voice, and see what has no form.”
「聲なきを聴き、像なきを視る」
Takagi Shuzo’s “Juyondai” received a gold award at the Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai (National New Sake Competition) for the Reiwa 7 brewing year (organized by the National Research Institute of Brewing and the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association; announced on May 20, 2026).
Visiting the brewery
Takagi Shuzo does not accept brewery tours. The brewery does not offer tours, tastings or sales (checked on September 30, 2026).
If you want to visit a sake brewery in Yamagata Prefecture, the list of breweries you can visit (as of November 11, 2024) on “Yamagata e no Tabi”, Yamagata Prefecture’s official tourism website, is a useful reference. Please check the tour conditions with each brewery.
Where to buy Takagi Shuzo’s sake
Takagi Shuzo does not publish a list of stockists or authorized retailers (tokuyakuten) (checked on September 30, 2026). No official online store of the brewery can be found either.
The brewery does not sell sake on site.
On the internet, there are many pages that list stores selling Juyondai. However, these are not lists published by the brewery, so this page does not name any stores.
Before you buy
- The Juyondai brand includes several products, and the ingredients and brewing methods differ from product to product. Please check the label for the type.
- 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 the label shows a storage temperature, please follow it.
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 高木酒造株式会社 (Takagi Shuzo Co., Ltd.) |
| Founded | 1615 (the first year of the Genna era) |
| Representative | President and Representative Director Takagi Tatsugoro (髙木辰五郎) |
| Address | 〒995-0208 山形県村山市富並1826 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0237-57-2131 (fax 0237-57-2133) |
| Main brands | Juyondai (十四代) / Asahitaka (朝日鷹) |
| Brewing water | “Sakurashimizu” (桜清水), natural water from Mount Hayama in the Ou Mountains |
| Official website | Cannot be confirmed (as of September 30, 2026) |
| Brewery tours | Not available |
| Sales at the brewery | None |
| List of stockists | Not published (checked on September 30, 2026) |
| English support | Not published |