Nageire
Yushin Brewery was founded in 1854 in the town of Utazu. At the time、 they began as a wholesale company; but、 since there were no sake breweries in Utazu、 they decided to take on the challenge of a new business. After that decision、 however、 the water quality of the area deteriorated due to a number of things including land reclamation projects、 so the fifth generation (and current) company president、 Mr. Tokuyama、 moved the brewery to its current location in Takinomiya. This area is blessed with the underground waters of the Ayagawa River and、 therefore、 it also has a lot of udon shops.
In an effort to ensure the success of the brewery、 President Tokuyama went from his studies at Tohoku University on to graduate school at Tokyo University. There、 he studied the basic concepts、 not of agriculture、 but of biology to become a master、 not of sake、 but of microbiology. Even after graduating and coming back to the brewery、 he continued to make strides in Japanese biotechnology、 a field which ensured that he would continue to understand the ideas and practices concerning Japanese rice、 the culture of refined sake、 and microbiology. Then、 through the success of new products developed using its own technology、 Yushin became famous as a maker of、 not just sake、 but also cosmetics and health foods. Unfortunately、 success in so many fields has meant that the sale of refined sake has come to amount to less than one percent of total company sales、 with steady volume over the years. However、 Yushin now intends to prioritize its sake brewing、 since it is the original、 and traditional、 focus of the company.
President Tokuyama and his wife、 from Saijo city、 Ehime prefecture、 enjoy driving and shopping together when possible. They were married after having a miai (a formal meeting between families with the intention of arranging a marriage). He says that they made the decision to marry within an hour and a half of meeting each other. Quite fast、 indeed! At that time、 Utazu still retained its nageire customs of the past: That is、 if the man (and his family) said “OK、” the woman and her family could not decline! Therefore、 at the age of 66、 President Tokuyama is still afraid to ask his wife whether she ever really wanted to marry him!
They are blessed with three sons. Their oldest is a graduate of Tokyo University、 their middle son is a graduate of Waseda University、 and the youngest is currently a student at Kobe University.
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「A full picture of the brewery as seen from the national highway.」
A full picture of the brewery as seen from the national highway.
「The research discovery room」
The research discovery room
「The wholehearted scholar、 President Tokuyama」
The wholehearted scholar、 President Tokuyama
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思いついたらおうちの近くから。さあ出かけよう。四国の酒蔵88箇所巡礼の旅
