We will strive to resume sake brewing this winter.

We were spared from the tsunami. No one in our town passed away, though several people who were working along the coast did. When I think of those on the coast, even within Miyagi Prefecture, I feel a profound sense of regret and sorrow.

My town, Murata, where our brewery is located, is known as a "Little Kyoto of Murata." It has a long history, with many old storehouses lining the streets, dating back to the late Edo, Meiji, and Taisho periods. This earthquake damaged many of these storehouses, most of which were marked with red tags indicating they were unsafe and prohibited from entry.

Our brewery was also marked with a red tag. We are considering all options, including demolition.──At the end of March, I visited our customers along the coast. There was nothing left. Our customers were safe, but their businesses were gone. Everything they had inherited, everything they had built, had vanished.──Our brewery's fermentation building suffered severe damage. We considered making do with our prefabricated cold storage, but reflecting on what we have inherited and the weight of our history, we are now hoping to preserve at least a part of our late Edo-period storehouse.

Aftershocks continue almost daily, but things are finally beginning to settle. Even in inland areas, we have received immense support from people across the country. We are deeply grateful. (A water truck from Kumamoto came to our town.) We have no choice but to move forward.

We will strive to resume sake brewing this winter. We want to move forward together with all of you.


Oonuma Sake Brewery
56-1 Murata-machi, Shibata-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
Tel. 0224-83-2025