Fujii Shuzo

When junmai was prohibited during WW2 in favor of reduced-rice sanzoshu, the Fujii family elected to close the brewery doors rather than compromise on quality. Though they brewed exclusively with kimoto method prior to the war, when the 5th gen owner reopened ~30 years later he switched to the stable and efficient sokujo method. The last three years have brought major change to Fujii Shuzo, reconnecting to this past. In 2023, a new toji, a recommitment to kimoto, the isolation of house yeasts and embracing ambient yeast. In 2024, a new president: 6th gen Fujii Yoshihiro, who sees this as an opportunity to return to Ryusei’s roots. As of this year, association yeasts & lactic acid have been discontinued to “[leave] room in the sake brewing process where humans cannot intervene.” Yoshihiro writes extensively about this process, his thoughts, experiments and philosophy, on his blog: refreshing visibility in an otherwise obtuse industry.