Yamatoichi Shuzomoto Selection

FLAGSHIP PRODUCTS

KU MA SHOCHU - WORLD -RENOW NED PREMIUM SPIRIT

Yamatoichi Shuzumoto
大和一酒造元Shochu made with fresh milk,born from a wild idea

Made with water from an on-site hot spring,a rice shochu that leaves you feeling good

MAKIBA NO YUMEONSENSHOCHU - YUME

Born to highlight the distinctiveness ofthe kingdom of dairy, Kumamoto Prefecture.
An alkaline shochu made from Hitoyoshi's
high-quality rice and hot spring water as well
as fresh milk from Hitoyoshi-Kuma. Sweet,
fruity aroma and a deep flavor.

A rice shochu overflowing with individuality,brewed with natural, weakly alkaline hotspring water that wells up into the distillery
from 500m underground. The gentle taste
is kind to both your mouth and body. An
exceptional product that will leave you feelingrefreshed.

Under the philosophy of "living in harmony
with the Kuma River," Kumagawa was bornafter the floods of July 2020. Made from brownrice and brown rice koji, it is fermented witha new strain of yeast found in the distillery.
A flavor of nature that showcases both its
kindness and brutality.

Ingredients: rice, milk, rice koji
ABV: 25%
Distillation method: vacuum

Ingredients: rice, rice koji
ABV: 25%
Distillation method: vacuum

Ingredients: brown rice, brown rice koji
ABV: 25%
Distillation method: atmospheric

Yamatoichi Shuzomoto
THE HISTORY OF
KUMA SHOCHU

No added yeast, naturally
fermented brown rice shochu

KUMAGAWA■ 2144 Shimobayashi, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture■ Tel: 0966-22-2610■ https://www.yamato1.com

Kuma Shochu: Born from the History,
Climate & Culture of Hitoyoshi-Kuma

Abundant Water & Unique Climate
The Kuma Valley is located at the southernmost tip of Kumamoto Prefecture,
deep in the mountains of Kyushu. The
cool waters of the Kuma River—famed for
its rapids—nourish the fields, while thevalley's distinctive climate and significant
temperature variations create one of theprefecture's prime rice-growing areas. The
frequent dense fog in the region allows
for fermentation and storage at relatively
low temperatures, which helps give Kuma

WHAT ISKUMA SHOCHU?

Hitoyoshi's natural bounty
bottled as shochu

Shochu its refreshing aroma. The soft
water from the Kuma River system is ideal
for shochu making and helps enhance
the gentle sweetness of the rice. The richaroma and deep flavor of Kuma Shochu
can only be produced in the HitoyoshiKuma region.

Tradition & Evolution

Rice shochu production in the Hitoyoshi-Kuma region is believed to havestarted about 500 years ago. Distillation

techniques were supposedly brought overthrough trade with southeast and continental Asia. Today, 27 distilleries preserve
the traditional techniques honed by theirpredecessors, offering a variety of flavorsthat have evolved over time.
In 1995, Kuma Shochu was designatedas a Geographical Indication by theNational Tax Agency, establishing it as aworld-class shochu brand and attracting
attention from around the globe.

■ Must be made with rice (including rice koji) grown in Japan■ Mash must be made with Hitoyoshi-Kuma water and shochu must be distilled in a pot still and bottled in Hitoyoshi-Kuma.

You must be �� or older to drink. Do not drink and drive.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding may aﬀect the development of the fetus or infant.
Drink in moderation. Please recycle.

Top left: The distillery was destroyed by flooding andtook two years to restore. The original pillars and beams
were reused, but the layout was adjusted to make shochu
production more efficient. They even made a training spacethat resembles a school classroom. Top right: Brown ricekoji is carefully made by hand. It's difficult for koji mold topenetrate brown rice, so special methods and techniques
are crucial. Left: A stone koji room that has been used since
the Meiji era. The rice husks used to insulate the sides ofthe room were washed away in the flood. Right: An iron
kettle in use since around 1955 (the cooler is made of tin).

■ YAMATOICHI SHUZOMOTO (Hitoyoshi) ■Living with the Kuma River,experimenting with the origins of shochu■ HISTORY

Unique ideas from past generations

Yamatoichi Shuzomoto was founded in1898 by Senmatsu Okada who moved fromAmakusa to Hitoyoshi to expand his business. The company became so successful
and influential that, by the 1930s, it hadbuilt an onsen and operated a public bathand restaurant.
However, after World War II, his successor decided to do away with the distillery.

In 1952, Haguma Shimoda stepped in andobtained its management rights.
It would be Haguma's son, Takeshi, who
was president during the historic floods of1965 and had to overcome the loss all of
the pots used for brewing.
The distillery began using vacuum stills
in 1984. The distillery acts on its free-spirited ideas, forging on to create unique
shochus that make full use of their homeregion's specialties. Onsenshochu Yume,

which is brewed from water from a hot
spring beneath the distillery, and Makiba
no Yume, which uses fresh Kuma milk, arepopular brands that represent the heightof this philosophy.
Takeshi's son Fumihito grew up watching
his father's dedication and, at the age of 35,
he quit his job as a high school teacher tobecome the successor to the distillery.

Left: The kabuto-gama still
made by the distillery to
reproduce pre-Meiji era
shochu distillation methods.
Center: Haguma Shimoda,
who obtained the right tomanage the brewery.
Right: A brick chimney serves
as a reminder of the days
when coal was the primaryfuel source.

■ ABOUT US

The taste of Hitoyoshi-Kuma in a bottle
Meiji Hatouka is a shochu developedby Fumihito and is made according to acenturies-old recipe. Fumihito touts theimportance of "returning to the origins ofshochu" and continues to push the boundaries of Kuma Shochu by going back to
its roots and using yellow koji (which had
been the dominant koji in the region for
450 years) and brown rice (which was originally the main ingredient in shochu). They
make koji in their stone koji room and haveattempted donburi-jikomi mashing withbrown rice. They even have a kabuto-gama,an ancient type of Japanese still, to try torecreate the oldest forms of Kuma Shochu.
While the distillery continued to explore
historical Kuma Shochu and pursue its own

unique flavor and production methods,
they were met with a key turning point.
That was the torrential rains of July 2020.
The distillery was damaged, and the firstfloor was completely flooded. The distillery
was rendered unusable and the unfinishedshochu all washed away. In the midstof this devastation, Fumihito realized an
innate need to live together with the Kuma
River. Thus, Kumagawa was born. Just as
shochu originates and is made according
to the regional climate, this shochu is madefrom locally produced brown rice, waterfrom the Kuma River, and a new yeastthat occurs naturally in the distillery andwas probably brought in by the flooding.
Shimoda describes it as the manifestationof Hitoyoshi-Kuma’s natural environment.

"Moving forward,
I want to makeshochu with a focus
on using ingredientsgrown in Hitoyoshi
to further improve
the status of Kuma
Shochu," says
Fumihito Shimoda.

The inside of the factory immediately after the flood.
Storage tanks floated around and scattered, andmany of the pots used for brewing were damaged.