Kumazawa Shonan Ginjō

Kumazawa Shonan Ginjō (熊澤 湘南吟醸) is a sake brewed from Gohyakumangoku rice that has been milled to 60% of its original size. It has a subtle and gentle fragrance that is not typical of ginjō sake; it has a sharp and strong flavour with a noticeable alcohol presence and a lingering and spicy finish. Shonan is a dry sake that is crisp and refreshing, like the blue skies of the Shonan beaches. It pairs well with fish dishes such as sashimi and is best enjoyed chilled or at room temperature.

Kumazawa Shuzō (熊澤酒造), known for its sake brand Tensei (天青), was founded in 1872 (Meiji 5) and is regarded as the last remaining sake brewery in the Shōnan region of Kanagawa. For more than 150 years, it has continued to be brewed in Chigasaki, combining long-established sake production with a broader role in local culture.

Historically a traditional kura, the brewery entered a new phase in the late twentieth century under the current generation of family ownership, expanding beyond sake into broader fermentation and cultural projects. In 1996, it launched the craft beer line Shōnan Beer, one of the earlier entrants in Japan's craft beer movement. Around the brewery, old industrial and agricultural buildings were gradually repurposed into restaurants, cafés, shops, and gallery spaces, reflecting the brewery's view that a kura can serve as both a cultural gathering place and a producer.

Sake production remains at the centre of the brewery's identity. Kumazawa is known for working with food-oriented styles and for linking its brewing to local agriculture. That emphasis has grown in recent years through projects using locally grown rice.

As part of this effort, the brewery began cultivating Gohyakumangoku (五百万石) in Higashimatano, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, in 2020. The area, centred on the Sakai River, has broad farmland and spring-fed irrigation, with relatively stable water temperatures year-round. It lies about 8.5 kilometres from the brewery. Cultivation began on roughly one tan of land and expanded in 2021 to about six tan as additional contract farmers joined the project. In 2022, the brewery released its first junmai sake brewed entirely from Yokohama-grown Gohyakumangoku.

This project is part of a wider philosophy at Kumazawa: connecting rice growing, brewing and place. Rather than relying solely on established sake-rice regions, the brewery has sought to anchor part of its production in the Shōnan and Yokohama areas themselves.

Interesting details about Kumazawa include this unusual combination of old and new. It is at once a Meiji-period brewery, a pioneer in Japanese craft beer, and a producer experimenting with hyper-local sake rice. Its motto, often rendered as "Drunkenness enriches Japan" (よっぱらいは日本を豊かにする), reflects that somewhat expansive view of what a brewery can be.