Unfortunately, this issue sees us yet again reporting on a devastating fire which has destroyed yet another historic brewery.
This is of course heartbreaking for the brewery, its staff and its fans, however the regularity of these incidents also brings attention to the industry’s elephant in the room: The sake industry really needs to bring safety standards up to a higher level.
It’s not uncommon to hear sake fans romantically describe “how wonderful” it is that the brewers at XXXX Shuzō do everything super “old school”. But at what point do we stop fetishizing and celebrating the lack of safety in the sake industry?
Dangerously carrying kilos of rice up old, narrow, rickety stairs, tending to fermentation tanks on makeshift wooden planks creating a highwire of potentially fatal falls – exposed wiring, random puddles of water everywhere, Macgyver-style remedies for old and faulty equipment are perhaps not the aspects of brewing that should be lauded.
We’ve seen two major fires and one worksite fatality (well, at least one that was reported) this year.
How many craft beer breweries burned down? None. Whiskey Distilleries? None.
Meanwhile, the sake industry is also crying out that it can’t find young workers.
Young people don’t want to work in these places, but should we really be surprised?
Low pay, long hours, dangerous work environment? Where do I sign up?
Yes, many of the small-scale breweries are struggling financially and the message here is not to “victim blame”, however safety in any industry should be paramount.
The traditions behind sake brewing should, of course, be protected and celebrated. Likewise, we want to celebrate the years of technique, skill, instinct and intuition that have been passed down over the centuries of sake brewing, however it’s time the industry did some serious introspection and looked at how safety can be improved for its workers if we want to foster a prosperous future for sake and those who make it.
And now for the news…
*On July 28 Kumamoto Prefecture was hit with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake – the second major quake for the area in ten years.
So far the death toll has risen to 34, however at this stage no sake breweries have reported any serious damage or injuries.
Niigata- On July 19 Echigo Tsurukame joined the unfortunate list of breweries to suffer a devastating fire in a blaze which not only destroyed the brewery but spread to at least six neighboring homes.
A team of 19 fire trucks managed to control the fire, which is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, relatively quickly within a few hours however damage to the surrounding area was also swift. Fortunately no injuries were reported.
Echigo Tsurukame posted an apology via Instagram on July 24 to the brewery’s neighbours and all affected by the blaze while also vowing to rebuild and return to brewing as soon as possible.
Founded in 1890, Echigo Tsurukame had been producing sake for more than 130 years, earning a solid reputation and loyal fan base.
JG: There is not much to say, yet so much to say about things like this. Surely climate change too is part of the problem, with things being hotter and dryer. And, as alluded to in the opening, older buildings are often fraught with less than ideal wiring et al. As we have in other recent cases like this, our hearts go out to the people involved, and we admire and support their resolve in choosing to rebuild and continue.
越後鶴亀
Japan- Among the various M&A, takeovers and succession stories that are a big part of the sake industry recently, financial services firm Japan Investment Adviser (JIA) has been quietly building a portfolio of sake breweries, demonstrating growing interest in the industry’s long-term value.
Since making its first brewery investment in Niigata’s Maruyama Shuzōjō (maker of Secchubai) in July 2025, JIA acquired Asabiraki in Iwate in March 2026, followed by Matsubaya Honten (maker of Hokushinryu) in Nagano and Nagano’s Kitsukura Shuzōjō (maker of Kikuhide and home to Kurabito Stay) in July. The acquisitions are being made through funds managed by JIA’s private equity business, which focuses on increasing enterprise value before exiting via IPOs or strategic M&A.
