Kumezakura Brewery was founded in 1856 in the castle town of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, making it one of the most storied sake producers in the San'in region of western Japan. The brewery's name, Kumezakura, meaning "Kume cherry blossoms," was inspired by the beautiful cherry trees that bloom around the ruins of Yonago Castle, once known as Kumejo Castle. In 1985, the brewery relocated its production facility to the foothills of Mt. Daisen, the tallest peak in the Chugoku region, in search of even better water for brewing. The water used for brewing is drawn from an underground source fed by the same vein as Jizodaki no Izumi, a natural spring recognized as one of Japan's finest by the Ministry of the Environment. This pristine soft water, rich in minerals and filtered through layers of volcanic rock, forms the foundation of every sake the brewery produces. Nearby, a vast stretch of paddies known as Ohara Sencho produces Yago Mai, a premium rice variety nourished by the streams flowing down from Mt. Daisen. In recent years, nearly all of the brewery's sake rice has been grown within just two to three kilometers of the production facility. Using the traditional kimoto method, a time-honored and labor-intensive fermentation technique, the brewers coax out the full umami character of the rice, resulting in sake with remarkable depth and richness. The flagship brand, Yago, is a pure expression of this terroir — the water, the soil, and the climate of Daisen all captured in a single bottle. Kumezakura is also deeply connected to its local community. Through an initiative called the Yago Sake-Making Club, the brewery invites sake enthusiasts to participate in every stage of the process, from planting rice in spring to pressing fresh sake in winter and celebrating at a tasting party. With over 170 years of history, Kumezakura Sake Brewery continues to evolve while staying true to its roots — crafting sake shaped by the earth, water, air, and people of Mt. Daisen.