Miyakotsuru (Miyakotsuru Shuzō)
A sake called Miyakotsuru was first described in 1840, but little is known about the people who first made it. The sake’s name is a combination of the words miyako, meaning “ancient capital,” and tsuru, the Japanese word for “crane.” In 1970, the Miyakotsuru Shuzō was formed to produce this wonderful sake.
Traditionally believed to live for a thousand years, cranes have been a symbol of elegance, good fortune, and longevity in Japanese art and literature for centuries. The portmanteau of miyako and tsuru recalls the 1,000-year span when Kyoto was the cultural, artistic, and political capital of Japan.
One of the smaller Fushimi breweries, Miyakotsuru has long had deep ties with the Tamba region of Kyoto Prefecture, from which their brewers historically came as seasonal workers. The company prides itself on preserving traditional sake-making skills, and it aspires to the longevity and elegance of the company’s symbolic bird.